What About Me? Discovering the Potential in Library Pages
2/7/2019
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Public library pages are often forgotten about for many reasons: their schedules limit their exposure to all staff and the “regular hour” work culture, they hold junior positions in the library, and, historically speaking, their tasks aren’t viewed as anything more than filing and shelving. Other factors include: they’re at the beginning or end of their career, they are students who do not have the confidence to approach leaders as mentors, or, they have never thought about their future career goals. 
This webinar will focus on existing barriers to library pages, how the Collingwood Public Library has taken steps to motivate and inspire library pages in their current position, and how small changes can lead to big success for part-time staff. Throughout this webinar, library page supervisor Jennifer Murley and former page Chanel Sheridan will discuss their mentor and mentee relationship in hopes to inspire others to take on mentoring roles in their organizations.

Learning Goals:

1. Change participants’ understanding of the value and role of library pages.

2. Provide listeners with ideas to help get them (and their organizations) started in changing the culture surrounding public library pages.

3. Identify barriers to library pages and how to remove them.

4. Expand participants’ understanding of mentorship and the potential of mentor relationships in their organizations.

5. Inspire participants to believe in the idea that public librarians should provide the same supportive learning environment to all staff - no matter their age or their status (full-time, part-time).

About The Presenters:

Jennifer Murley is the Coordinator of Community Engagement and Learning Services at the Collingwood Public Library. She finished her MLIS in April 2018. Jennifer began as a summer student in local history and now supervises the Library's pages.

Chanel Sheridan is a Public Service Clerk at the Collingwood Public Library (CPL). She worked as a library page for 2+ years and started her first mentor relationship with Jennifer in the winter of 2018. In the summer of that same year, Chanel was promoted. She is the youngest public service clerk ever employed at CPL.