Librarians: The next generation. Mentorship at the University of Toronto LibrariesMentoring is to librarianship what chocolate syrup is to ice cream sundaes: a delicious and defining feature. The profession prides itself on initiating its newest members into the fold and a variety of approaches to mentorship for up and coming librarians are underway at the University of Toronto. For example, practicums for library and information science (LIS) students, and a new internship program at the University of Toronto Libraries for top incoming LIS students. These programs are facilitated by the fact that the University of Toronto is home to a top Information school that has been dedicated to training new librarians since 1928. The authors will present their experience working with student librarians at the engineering library, which on several occasions has led to graduate student workers who return for full-time professional positions -a testament to the mutual benefits of the relationship.The authors will also discuss the ongoing mentoring of the newest engineering librarians on their team. These efforts include invitations to meetings with engineering faculty to facilitate networking, involvement in a variety of decision making processes, and careful training for a host of new responsibilities. The team's more experienced librarians impart their expertise and act as coach and counsellor, providing critique and encouragement as necessary. Priorities also include acculturation and socialization to the library environment. More generally, the University of Toronto intrinsically mentors its librarians by requiring professional development activities as a condition for achieving permanent (tenured) status. The mentoring relationship has proven beneficial for the mentors as well. Knowledge transfer and reflecting on career pathways can provide perspective and motivation for experienced librarians. Additionally, the authors will present on areas for improvement and recommendations for future mentoring initiatives. The discussion will include a review of the research related to mentoring new employees, including findings that show a direct correlation between active mentoring practices and employee retention rates.
To facilitate discovery, libraries have traditionally subscribed to many specialized subject abstracting and indexing databases (A&Is), as well as aggregator packages with A&I function and full-text content. Library collection staff must continue to demonstrate effective and responsible stewardship of the library's acquisitions budget by using evidence to inform collection development decisions. Using COUNTER statistics, title lists, the Gold Rush overlap review tool, and feedback from colleagues, review teams at University of Toronto Libraries analyzed a select list of A&Is and aggregators to confirm if subscription renewal is necessary. Involving staff from various departments resulted in a deeper understanding of database use and assisted in deciding not to renew. The review methodology will be used in future reviews, and analysis tools will be shared for future collection development decisions. Discontinuing subscriptions allows us to redirect funds for new resources.
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