Incoming first-year engineering students at the University of Toronto often have difficulty navigating the library and its resources. Orientation activities at the Engineering & Computer Science Library are designed to introduce students to the library in an informal and entertaining way. In 2017, as a result of dropping interest in previous years' orientation activities, librarians at the Engineering & Computer Science Library collaborated with instructors and staff in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering to develop an orientation activity grounded in curriculum and based on the popular escape room game. Core library services and engineering resources were used to build a challenging program that introduced students to basic, but essential, research skills. Voluntary student participation in the game exceeded previous years' participation and all expectations of the game designers.
We thank the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) for its sponsorship of the Research Support Services project on Civil and Environmental Engineering. Ithaka S+R provides research and strategic guidance to help the academic and cultural communities serve the public good and navigate economic, demographic, and technological change. Ithaka S+R is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit organization that works to advance and preserve knowledge and to improve teaching and learning through the use of digital technologies. Artstor, JSTOR, and Portico are also part of ITHAKA.
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.
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