Johnson.indd


             

 

 

    

      

     
      

     
    

   
      

     
    

     
      

    
     

    
       

 

 
    

    
   

     
    

   
     
     

 

     

    

     
  

Retaining and Advancing Librarians 
of Color 

Peggy Johnson 

This paper will explore the concept of group mentoring and the possible 
impact of creating learning communities on retention. It will consider one 
model, a training institute held biennially at the University of Minnesota, 
which is directed to early-career librarians of color, and will explore the 
impact of this institute, which includes group mentoring, on retention and 
professional contributions. 

he word “mentor” comes from 
the Odyssey. Odysseus, before 
he le  to fight in the Trojan 
War, appointed a guardian for 

his son, Telemachus. The guardian, whose 
name was Mentor, was the goddess Athe-
na, disguised as a man. The relationship 
was based on the idea that Telemachus 
would emulate Mentor to learn the skills 
he needed. Because Mentor served as 
an adviser, coach, counselor, sponsor, 
advocate, protector, role model, teacher, 
friend, and nurturer, the term came to be 
associated with these qualities. 

Traditional mentor relationships draw 
on the acquired wisdom and skills of 
more senior colleagues to address the 
support of less experienced colleagues 
during o en difficult transitional stages in 
their careers. Shea defines mentoring as “a 
developmental, caring, sharing, and help-
ing relationship where one person invests 
time, know-how, and effort in enhancing 
another person’s growth, knowledge, and 
skills, and responds to critical needs in the 

life of that person in ways that prepare 
the individual for greater productivity or 
achievement in the future.”1 

Mentoring serves two functions: those 
that are career enhancing and those that 
are psychosocial. Schocke  and Harring-
Hidore define vocational or career-related 
functions as educating, coaching and 
consulting, sponsoring, providing vis-
ibility and exposure, and protection; they 
describe psychosocial or personal support 
functions as role modeling, encouraging, 
counseling, and colleagueship.2 Research 
by Haring reports that mentees cited 
the psychosocial functions as being the 
most important to them.3 Mentoring can 
enhance an individual’s capacity to make 
progress and develop skills that will 
satisfy performance and promotion cri-
teria. Nankivell and Shoolbred published 
results of a study that showed mentoring 
served as a valuable tool for developing 
the careers of library and information 
professionals.4 Simultaneously, mentor-
ing can support an individual’s sense of 

Peggy Johnson is Associate University Librarian for Access Services in the University of Minnesota 
Libraries; e-mail: m-john@umn.edu. The first portion of this paper draws on a presentation given in col-
laboration with Linda DeBeau-Melting, Associate University for Organization Development, University 
of Minnesota Libraries, at “Keeping Our Faculties III,” a conference held at the University of Minnesota, 
November 18, 2004. 

405 

mailto:m-john@umn.edu


 

       
      

      
     

    
    

   

    

      
       

        

     

     
    

       

    
     

 
   

    

       

       
     

   
    

     

      

 

     
     

    
    

    
   

       

 
    

      

 

    
     

 

      
    

     

     

    
      

     
     

   
    

406 College & Research Libraries September 2007 

self-worth and belief in his or her capacity 
to work effectively in a chosen profession. 
This takes the form of professional social-
ization or acculturalization: that is, the 
development of a professional identity, 
awareness of professional values, and 
establishment of professional contacts. 
Effective mentoring relationships create 
a deeper understanding of the a itudes 
and ideology of the profession and—in 
the context of academic libraries—both 
librarianship and academe. 

Mentors may be assigned by an institu-
tion, an individual may seek out a mentor 
whom he or she admires and who may be 
in a position to provide advice and sup-
port, or a more senior colleague may se-
lect a junior colleague in whom he or she 
sees promise. In the la er two situations, 
the relationship may be explicitly defined 
as mentoring or it may be more informal 
without either partner self-identifying as 
mentor and mentored partner. 

What Is Group Mentoring? 
Group mentoring does not depend on 
the classical mentor-protégé dyad. It 
is a relatively new concept, one that is 
incompletely defined and not well rep-
resented in the literature. Broadly, group 
mentoring can be defined as a function 
of professional associations in which 
the career development of members of 
that professional group is influenced by 
the group’s exertion of social norms and 
roles.5 More narrowly, group mentoring 
incorporates the stress-reduction benefits 
of small groups with the advantages of 
individual mentoring for a cohort of new 
qualified professionals.6 In group mentor-
ing, the functions and roles of mentoring 
are shared by the group’s leaders (or facili-
tators) and the participants, and carried 
out over time. A critical component of this 
definition is that the participants serve 
as peer mentors to each other, fulfilling 
the function of mutually supporting and 
encouraging each other. 

Group mentoring shares character-
istics with learning communities and 
communities of practice. The term “learn-

ing community” is most o en found in 
education literature. The aim of learning 
communities is to provide a cohort that 
offers a level of collegiality and support 
and that creates a learning environment 
that fosters development. In higher edu-
cation, curricular learning communities 
are classes that are linked or clustered 
during an academic term, o en around 
an interdisciplinary theme, and enroll a 
common cohort of students. A variety of 
approaches are used to build these learn-
ing communities, with all intended to 
restructure the students’ time, credit, and 
learning experiences to build community 
among students, between students and 
their teachers, and among faculty mem-
bers and disciplines. 

According to Kofman and Senge, 
enduring learning communities are 
grounded in three foundations: a culture 
based on values; a set of practices for 
generative conversation; and a capacity 
to see and work with the community as 
a system.7 Sterling notes that generative 
conversation in a learning community 
acts as the “glue to affirm its values and 
its membership, and infuse it with the 
energy, imagination, and commitment of 
the group.”8 Group mentoring can serve 
as a learning community. 

Communities of practice, a concept 
promoted by Wenger, focuses more on 
the corporate sector.9 He defines a com-
munity of practice as a group of people 
who share a concern, a set of problems, 
or a passion about a topic, and who de-
velop their knowledge and expertise in 
this area by interacting on an ongoing 
basis. Wenger states that communities 
of practice develop around things that 
ma er to people. They share a joint en-
terprise, a mutual engagement that binds 
them together into a social entity, and a 
repertoire of communal resources (such 
as sensibilities, vocabulary, or styles). 
A community of librarians that have a 
common perspective by virtue of years 
in the profession, age, shared ethnicity, 
subject focus, position responsibilities, 
home library, other shared perspective 



      

    
      

     
 

    
      

    
       

        
   

      
    

     

       

     

      
    

   
      

 

      

 

    
      

    
     

       

      

     
 

     
      

      
     

     

    
     

     
      

      
      

    

 

   
     

       
    

     

    

   

    

     

      
     

     

Retaining and Advancing Librarians of Color 407 

or experience, or a combination of one or 
more of these can constitute a community 
of practice. 

Women and minorities in organiza-
tional se ings o en have limited access to 
or exclusion from communities of practice 
or informal interaction networks.10 Such 
communities or networks provide instru-
mental resources that are critical for effec-
tive performance and career advancement 
as well as social support and friendship.11 
Being excluded, o en unconsciously and 
unintentionally, from these networks can 
result in both lack of success and a feeling 
of disenfranchisement and, ultimately, 
result in the individual leaving a position 
and the profession. Intentionally creating 
a group that will provide these resources 
and opportunities can address these criti-
cal needs. 

These three concepts—group mentor-
ing, learning communities, and commu-
nities of practice—share the premise that 
personal development is most successful 
in a shared, social context. Emphasis is on 
individual development as a broadening 
of the practitioner’s knowledge and skills 
to cope with change and new initiatives 
and to achieve flexibility in complex work 
environments. In this context, personal 
development in a shared, social context 
is contrasted with training as assistance 
in maintaining professional knowledge 
and skills and with education as prepara-
tion for assuming new responsibilities or 
changing career paths.12 Career and per-
sonal development are influenced by the 
group’s exertion of social norms and roles 
as well as the information that is brought 
to the group. A small and homogenous 
subset of a larger group (in this case, the 
library profession) can offer structured, 
mentoring-based learning in a shared 
environment as a means of facilitating the 
successful transition of new librarians of 
color to successful careers. 

Retention 
Retention of qualified and motivated 
librarians is critical. The library profes-
sion is aging; nearly 40 percent of U.S. 

and Canadian librarians are between the 
ages of forty-five and fi y-four, and 18 
percent are between fi y-five and sixty-
four, with significant retirements over the 
next ten to fi een years.13 The decline in 
the number of librarians is compounded 
by intense market competition for infor-
mation professionals, which draws them 
into the corporate sector. Institutions need 
to protect their future and their invest-
ment. Libraries need to approach the chal-
lenge of retaining young and qualified 
librarians intentionally and deliberately. 
Curan states that libraries need to plan 
intentionally for who will lead libraries 
in the future and pay a ention to who is 
presently being trained to ensure continu-
ity into that future.14 

Simultaneously, libraries face the chal-
lenge of recruiting and retaining minority 
librarians. Only 12.8 percent of profes-
sional staff in U.S. Association of Research 
Libraries (ARL) member libraries belong 
to one of the four non-Caucasian cat-
egories for which ARL keeps records.15 
The representation is Asian/Pacific Is-
lander—5.8 percent, Black—4.5 percent, 
Hispanic—2.2 percent, American Indian/ 
Alaskan Native—.03 percent.16 This does 
not reflect the increasing diversity in the 
U.S. population. Several professional as-
sociations, such as the American Library 
Association, Medical Library Association, 
and the Association of Research Libraries, 
are working to recruit people of color into 
librarianship. Bonne e has wri en “of 
concern to most minority librarians today 
is not discrimination in hiring, but lack 
of career development or advancement 
strategies for minorities. Many early- to 
mid-career minority librarians struggle 
against low salaries, lack of professional 
training, and ultimately, stagnating ca-
reers.”17 

Mentoring is particularly critical in the 
retention of minority librarians. Studies 
show that employees are twice as likely 
to look elsewhere for employment if their 
organizations do not offer mentoring.18 
Balderrama reports that the primary con-
cerns of multicultural and diverse librar-

http:mentoring.18
http:percent.16
http:Native�.03
http:records.15
http:future.14
http:years.13
http:paths.12
http:friendship.11
http:networks.10


 

 
     

     
    

   

    
     

     

        

     
    

     

    
     

   
      

     
     

    
    
    

    
    

     
     

    

   
     

    
    

       
    

     

     

      

  
     

      

      

     
     
     

   
 

     

     

     

      

      

     

    
    

      
     

    
     

     

     
     

408 College & Research Libraries September 2007 

ians were recruitment, hiring, retention, 
and career advancement or promotion.19 
Howland states that retention and promo-
tion of minority librarians are central to 
developing a more inclusive profession.20 
Retention is fostered by opportunities 
for growth and enrichment (professional 
development and continuing education), 
assistance with career advancement, 
working conditions (especially a collab-
orative environment), feeling valued, and 
membership in a peer group. One-on-one 
mentoring is one way to foster retention. 
Thomas, in his research, learned that 
“mentoring was the one shared charac-
teristic of all the people of color who have 
advanced the furthest; they all shared a 
strong network of mentors and corporate 
sponsors who nurtured their professional 
development.”21 Yet even in those institu-
tions that have formal one-on-one men-
toring programs, most o en a minority 
librarian is paired with a member of the 
majority culture largely because senior 
minority librarians are not common in 
most libraries. Libraries recruit librarians 
of diverse background but expect them to 
conform to the dominant culture when 
they arrive. Newly hired librarians can 
feel isolated, and minority librarians can 
feel even more isolated, even alienated. 

Mor Barak, Cherin, and Berkman 
report that “interpersonal similarity in-
creases ease of communication, improves 
predictability of behavior, and fosters 
relationships of trust and reciprocity. 
Consequently, we can expect a clear pref-
erence for individuals to interact with 
coworkers who are like themselves.”22 
Creating a group mentoring program—in 
the case of the University of Minnesota, a 
week-long institute—benefits from draw-
ing together a community that shares 
ethnic, racial, social, and experiential 
characteristics. Though initially limited in 
space and time (one week spent together 
in one location), the creation of a learning 
community can become a community 
of practice that is not bounded by geo-
graphic proximity or that extends long 
beyond the institute’s six days. 

The University of Minnesota Institute 
The University of Minnesota (UM) In-
stitute for Early Career Librarians from 
Groups Underrepresented in the Profes-
sion was first offered for twenty librarians 
in the summer of 1998 and was funded 
by a U.S. Department of Education grant. 
The libraries offered the institute again 
in 2000 with support from an Institute 
of Museum and Library Services grant. 
Neither agency was prepared to serve as 
a continuing source of funding. Because 
of the institutes’ value and the positive 
responses from participants, the libraries 
chose to continue them without external 
funding, relying on a combination of 
funding sources. Beginning with the 2002 
institute and continuing, the libraries have 
transferred some financial responsibil-
ity to the participants’ home institutions 
($500, plus travel expenses). In 2002, the 
H.W. Wilson Foundation supported the 
institute with a $12,500 donation. Also, 
in 2002, the libraries began drawing on 
an educational endowment that had been 
given to the University of Minnesota for 
educating minority librarians. 

The impetus behind this institute was 
the realization that early career librar-
ians of color can feel especially isolated, 
both because they are joining a white 
dominated profession and because most 
of their colleagues are older and more 
experienced. Even a new librarian who 
shares the same racial background as 
the majority of his or her colleagues can 
feel isolated. The confusion and miscom-
munication between generations is well 
documented.23 This is compounded by 
social, economic, ethnic/racial, and age 
differences. The University of Minnesota 
Libraries have had a two-year residency 
program for librarians of color since 1991. 
With one exception, the libraries have 
always made two co-terminus appoint-
ments. The institute planners saw how 
beneficial these new librarians found hav-
ing a peer to be. The planners also heard 
from UM residents about the isolation 
and stresses that their colleagues faced 
at other institutions if they did not have 

http:documented.23
http:profession.20
http:promotion.19


    

    
    

   

    

      

    

   
    

    

    
       

      

     
     

      
    

     
      

    
      

    
    

     
      

       
    

     

      
       

     
     

 

    

    
      

   
       

      
     

     
    
     

     

     

  
        

      

       

    

       

      
    

Retaining and Advancing Librarians of Color 409 

an in-house colleague sharing similar 
experiences. 

In response to this need, the institute 
planners created a one-week institute for 
librarians of color who were in their first 
three years of obtaining professional ap-
pointments. The institute has had, from 
the beginning, a twofold focus: 
• Institute participants are given a 

forum for leadership development and 
increased understanding of themselves 
and behavior in complex organizations, 
and presented opportunities to explore 
practical skills in key areas for librarians. 
The skills component of the week has 
changed with each institute as expertise 
and articulated needs change. In the 2004 
institute, skills sessions addressed writing 
grant proposals, concepts and skills for 
instructional design, and techniques for 
outcomes assessment and evaluation. 
In earlier institutes, new technologies 
(Web page design, XML, etc.) were part 
of the curriculum; this segment has been 
dropped as skills levels increased among 
the participants. 
• In addition, participants gain a 

community of peers with whom they de-
velop a support network that is intended 
to continue through their professional 
careers. The goal of the institute is to 
equip librarians from underrepresented 
groups, who are early in their careers, 
with the knowledge and skills to obtain 
the positions they seek and to succeed as 
librarians. 

Staff members from the Association 
of Research Libraries Office of Manage-
ment Services (OMS) have provided the 
leadership development component of 
the institutes. The trainers, Kathryn De-
iss and DeE a Jones, now independent 
consultants, have extensive experience 
in designing and delivering training that 
integrates managerial and leadership 
concepts with immediately applicable 
workplace skills. Other components of 
the curriculum are presented by experts 
in the university and consultants in the 
community. Early institutes contained 
briefer segments presented by UM 

Libraries staff. This was changed over 
time to provide full days on topics, 
delivered by experienced trainers who 
received the highest evaluations from 
participants. 

Application Process 
Each participant completes an applica-
tion. The criteria for participants are: 
• Currently employed as an academic 

librarian, having no more than three years 
of professional experience. 
• Member of an underrepresented 

racial or ethnic group and a citizen or 
permanent resident of the United States or 
Canada. (Racial or ethnic group member-
ship is based on the categories outlined 
in the U.S. Census, including American 
Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian, Black 
or African American, Native Hawaiian 
or other Pacific Islander, Hispanic or 
Latino.) 
• A master’s degree in library science 

from an ALA-accredited program. 
• Interest in pursuing leadership op-

portunities and positions in academic and 
research libraries. 
• Demonstrate leadership ability or 

potential. 
• Institutional support demonstrated 

by a le er from the director of the ap-
plicant’s home institution that supports 
participation in the institute through the 
commitment of a $500 registration fee and 
associated travel costs. 

Each applicant completes a “Personal 
Information Sheet” and writes an essay 
describing, in approximately 500 words, 
his or her interest in the institute and 
affirming his or her commitment to par-
ticipate fully in all aspects of the week’s 
activities. The application packet consists 
of these two documents, a resume, and a 
le er from the director of the applicant’s 
home institution. The director confirms 
support for the individual’s participation 
in the institute (and a commitment to pay 
the $500 registration fee and associated 
travel costs), and describes his or her 
demonstrated and potential skills for 
success in librarianship. 



 

    
      

    

       

      

      

      

     

    

     
      

   

      

     

       
      

       

    
   

       
       

       

    
     

   

      

     

     

     

        
      

      
       

     

     

 

     

    
      

 
         

   

    

410 College & Research Libraries September 2007 

A three-person review commi ee com-
posed of former residents and the UM 
Associate University Librarian for Orga-
nization Development review the applica-
tions, reviewing each with care. Special 
a ention is given to the application le er 
and the le er of support from the director 
of the individual’s home library. 

The institute now has a strong national 
reputation, and being selected to a end 
is considered an honor. The number of 
participants is now twenty-four; twenty 
a ended the institutes in 1998 and 2000. 
The institute planners consider this to be 
the maximum number that can be accom-
modated, given the format and goals of 
the institute. 

Program Components 
The institute begins with welcome dinner 
the day of arrival (Saturday) hosted by 
the libraries, during which participants 
will meet the Institute faculty, University 
Libraries staff members and administra-
tors, and key university representatives 
(deans, provosts, etc.). This starts the 
week with a clear message that these 
new librarians are valued and respected. 
Starting Sunday, participants attend 
morning and a ernoon seminars. Begin-
ning with the 2002 institute, planners have 
invited one graduate from the previous 
institute to spend the first two days with 
the participants. This institute graduate 
works closely with the leadership devel-
opment trainers prior to the institute to 
present part of the initial introduction 
to the institute and to be a fully engaged 
facilitator. Having a former institute par-
ticipant speak to and spend time with the 
new cohort has a powerful impact and 
provides one type of role model and a 
potential mentor. 

Participants are given opportunities for 
networking and extracurricular activities 
that can build a sense of community. Each 
is welcomed at the airport upon arrival by 
a UM librarian and escorted to the hotel. 
This local host is available all week to 
answer questions and serve as a general 
resource. Participants a end a midweek 

evening reception with University of 
Minnesota Libraries staff members. A con-
cluding Friday evening dinner with the 
University Librarian serves to recognize 
participants and their completion of the 
program—again stressing their impor-
tance and their value to the profession. 
They are given certificates, and photos are 
taken as the certificates are distributed. 
The farewell event is always exciting and 
o en emotional as participants talk about 
the impact the week has had and as they 
say goodbye to new friends. 

Each participant is asked to identify 
a mentor at his or her home institution. 
This person receives the same preinstitute 
readings as the participant along with a 
le er explaining his or her role, which is 
primarily to discuss the readings before 
the institute and to serve as a local re-
source a er the institute, helping the par-
ticipant to process the experience and to 
begin to apply what has been explored. 

Participants are provided housing in 
a hotel adjacent to campus for the seven 
nights of the institute. Hotel rooms are 
shared (two to a room); private rooms are 
available with additional cost absorbed by 
the individual. Sharing a room is encour-
aged as part of the community-building 
experience. Grant funding for the first 
institute covered all expenses. In the sec-
ond and third years, participants’ home 
institutions were asked to pay a $500 fee. 
Beginning with 2004, participants (or their 
home institutions) were also responsible 
for travel arrangements and expenses, 
meals with the exception of banquets and 
lunches, and local transportation during 
the institute. 

Creating a Community 
A critical element of the institute is creat-
ing a sense of community. As soon as a co-
hort is selected and prior to the institute, 
institute planners establish an electronic 
discussion list. Participants introduce 
themselves via the list. It is the primary 
vehicle for distribution of logistical infor-
mation. Participants are encouraged to 
post questions and comments to the list. 



      

    

   
   

     

       

      
     

    
     

    

    
     
    

     

   

     
     

    
    

     
      

    
     

       

     
   

     

   
      

     
    

      

      
     

        

     
     

      

    
   

     

 

    

    

Retaining and Advancing Librarians of Color 411 

Having this in place before the institute 
serves to increase the excitement and also 
the comfort level of participants. 

O en these early-career librarians have 
not participated in professional develop-
ment opportunities, are inexperienced 
travelers, uncertain about expectations, 
and generally nervous. The opportunity 
to begin to know each other “virtually” 
begins to create a community before 
they arrive. The electronic discussion list 
continues a er the institute. Each cohort 
is provided its own list until the partici-
pants for the next institute are selected. At 
that point, the previous cohort is added 
to the all-participants list (now a cohort 
of eighty-eight). Because the local plan-
ning commi ee is on the list, institute 
planners know the level and duration 
of continuing conversation. Participants 
make arrangements to meet at national 
conferences, solicit colleagues to work 
on research projects and develop pre-
sentations and publications, alert each 
other about interesting resources and job 
opportunities, share personal and profes-
sional news, and engage in sometimes 
heated and lengthy discussions about 
topics that pique their interest. Institute 
planners and trainers are o en invited to 
meet socially at national conferences with 
cohorts of the various institutes. 

Institute Evaluation 
Each institute has two formal evaluation 
components. Participants complete an 
evaluation form at the conclusion of the 
institute that focuses on content, logistics, 
and presentation of the sessions. This 
first evaluation is critical in guiding de-
velopment of the next institute (content 
and logistical arrangements). A second 
evaluation is conducted twelve months 
a er the institute. This final evaluation 
asks the participant to reflect on how 
the institute—the content of the sessions 
and the community that developed—has 
influenced him or her over the last year. 
These evaluations are powerful state-
ments of the importance the institute 
has had and continues to have in the 

personal and professional lives of the 
participants. The following representa-
tive responses are from participants in 
previous institutes, when surveyed one 
year a er a ending. 

Meeting other minority library pro-
fessionals with differing interests 
and the will to make their plans 
come true is priceless. 

I think the institute has influenced 
my career development in the past 
year. The institute created a won-
derful environment for ge ing to 
know other new librarians, some of 
whom I’ve met up with at a couple 
of conferences since then. Also, I feel 
the leadership training game me a 
lot of confidence in my potential and 
helped me to be er understand how 
I best work, what role I pay in the 
workplace, my work values, etc. It 
gave me a lot to think about in terms 
of what I want to contribute to the 
profession and where I’d like to go 
with my career. 

I was highly touched and motivated 
by our institute leaders, from our 
facilitators to all those who made the 
institute possible. Their leadership, 
guidance, and commitment to early 
career librarians and librarianship 
are a great example to all librarians. 
Their spirit has fueled my enthusi-
asm and love for librarianship. 

I feel like a community was created 
at the Minnesota institute. If I need 
to contact any of my classmates for 
anything, they’ll be there to help, 
as I would be for them. It’s great to 
have this community born from a 
deeply shared experience. 

I have gained a be er understand-
ing of the library as an organization 
and better understanding of my 
own leadership still. I can grasp the 
bigger picture and determine what’s 



 

    

      

     

     

    

    

        
      

       
     

      
        

      
       

     
      

    
     

        
    

     
     

      
      
      

      

        
      

     
      

     
  

       

    

 
      

      

      
      
      

      

      
    

     

   
      
      
     

      

     
     

       
     

    

  
  

  
  

  
  

412 College & Research Libraries September 2007 

really important. I’ve also become 
more careful about making assump-
tions about people’s behaviors and 
their motivations. 

I have become more confident in be-
ing part of a big, sometimes lonely, 
organization. Prior to the institute, I 
was still trying to get beyond the ti-
midity of being the “new librarian.” 
I am much more involved in issues 
outside my department, and ac-
tively pursing a role in professional 
organizations and taking positions 
of leadership in them. In general, I 
feel more part of my organization 
and see it as the launching pad for 
achieving goals that became more 
firmly shaped since [the] Minnesota 
[institute]. 

Institute Impact over Time 
In the spring and summer of 2005, the 
author conducted a brief e-mail survey 
of 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2004 institute 
participants (appendix). The purpose was 
to determine if participants had remained 
in the field of librarianship, if they felt 
the institutes had a positive influence 
on their careers (as evidenced in new 
positions, promotions, or positions with 
greater responsibility), and if they had 
collaborated with institute colleagues 
in professional activities. This la er sec-
tion of the survey sought to determine if 
collaborative projects and contributions 
to the profession resulted from relation-
ships developed through the institutes 
(within the community of practice). The 
research reported here is not scientifically 
rigorous because it does not compare in-
stitute participants with a control group 

TABLE 1 
Analysis of Survey Responses 

Year of institute 2004 2002 2000 1998 Total 
# of attendees 24 24 20 20 88 
# of responses 20 18 16 12 66 
Response rate 83.30% 75.00% 80.00% 60.00% 75.0% 

of librarians of color who did not a end 
the institutes, and data represent only 
institute participants who responded to 
the survey. The author was particularly 
interested in participants’ perceptions of 
the institutes’ impact. 

Response rates (those who responded 
to an initial and one second e-mail re-
quest) were generally high, ranging from 
60 percent (1998 institute participants) 
to 83.3 percent (participants in the most 
recent institute held in 2004). A total of 
66 answered the survey for an overall 
response rate of 75 percent. Details are 
presented in table 1. One should not be 
surprised that participants in the most re-
cent institute were more likely to respond 
since they were the most connected in 
time to their experiences. 

The two primary goals of the institutes 
have been retention of librarians of color 
in the profession and creating communi-
ties of practice for mutual support and 
development. Data suggest that librarians 
who a end the institutes are remaining 
in the profession, with some attrition 
over time; see table 2 for these data, as 
well as those discussed in the following 
paragraphs. Most recent participants 
are all still working in libraries, while 
83.3 percent of those who a ended the 
first institute in 1998 remain working 
in libraries. This is a positive finding, 
though—because the data do not reflect 
a control group—one cannot draw the 
conclusion that a ending the institute and 
being part of a cohort directly correlates 
with retention. Nevertheless, this is good 
news for the profession with more than 90 
percent of total respondents remaining at 
work in libraries. 

Participants who attended the first 
institute are more 
l i k e l y t o h a v e 
changed jobs since 
they a ended the 
institute in 1998 
than those who 
a ended in subse-
quent years. Fre-
quency of chang-



      

       
     

      

     

     
     

      
    

    
     

    

     

   
     

    
    

 

               
              

Retaining and Advancing Librarians of Color 413 

TABLE 2 
Survey Results 

Year of 
Institute 

2004 
n = 20 

2002 
n = 18 

2000 
n = 16 

1998 
n = 12 

Total 
n = 66 

1. Currently work in 
a library 

20 100.0% 16 88.9% 14 87.5% 10 83.3% 60 90.9% 

2. Changed job since 
attending institute 

4 20.0% 10 55.6% 9 87.5% 10 83.3% 33 50.0% 

3. Attending institute 
contributed to gaining 
new position 

2 50.0% 2 20.0% 5 55.6% 6 60.0% 15 45.5% 

4. Been promoted/ 
given greater 
responsibility 

4 20.0% 12 66.7% 13 81.3% 10 83.3% 39 59.1% 

5. Attending institute 
contributed to 
promotion/increased 
responsibilities 

4 100.0% 4 33.3% 8 61.5% 6 60.0% 22 56.4% 

6. Collaborated on a 
research project 

4 20.0% 6 33.3% 1 6.3% 1 8.3% 12 20.0% 

7. Collaborated to 
give a presentation 
at a professional 
meeting 

3 15.0% 5 27.8% 2 12.5% 7 58.3% 17 25.8% 

8. Collaborated in 
publishing a paper 

1 5.0% 2 11.1% 1 6.3% 3 25.0% 7 10.6% 

9. Collaborated in 
publishing a book 

0 0.0% 1 5.6% 0 0.0% 8 66.7% 9 13.6% 

Note: N equals the number of individuals responding in each cohort, with the exception that 
percentages in 3 and 5 are determined by positive responses to the preceding questions. 

ing jobs declines for those who a ended 
the more recent institutes, ranging from a 
high of 83.3 percent for 1998 participants 
to a low of 20 percent changing jobs 
among those who attended the most 
recent (2004) institute. Again, this seems 
logical with frequency of job changes cor-
relating with length of time in the profes-
sion. Interestingly, those who a ended the 
1998 institute (the first held) were more 
likely to credit their participation in the 
institute for the job change. 

Participants were asked if they had 
been promoted or been given greater 
responsibility and, if so, whether they felt 
that a ending the institute contributed 
to these changes. Overall, 59.1 percent of 

the respondents have been promoted or 
been given greater responsibility, with 
the most recent attendees being least 
likely to report a promotion or increase 
in responsibility. The highest instances 
(83.3 percent) of promotion and greater 
responsibility are found in the respon-
dents from the 1998 institute. This drops 
down to 20 percent among most recent 
institute participants. Further research 
with a control group (minority librar-
ians who have not a ended the institute) 
would be necessary to determine if this 
is a normal trend over time for minority 
librarians or with a comparable group of 
all early-career librarians to determine 
the frequency with which early-career 



 

     

      

   
   

      

      

      
     

    

    

     

     

     
     

     
      

 

     
     

     
     

    
     

    

  

      
     

       

      
   

    
      

   
     

    
      

    
     

      
    

      
     

     
     

     
   

    
      

    

    

      
     

414 College & Research Libraries September 2007 

librarians usually are promoted. Slightly 
more than 56 percent of all respondents 
who reporting being promoted or given 
greater responsibility felt that the institute 
contributed to this change. 

One possible indicator of a successful 
community of practice is the extent to 
which members of that community col-
laborate on professional projects—con-
ducting research, giving presentations, 
and writing papers and books. The final 
four questions in the survey explore these 
possible types of collaboration. Respon-
dents were not asked to limit collaborative 
partners to those who a ended the same 
institute, but to consider all institute at-
tendees as part of their community for 
purposes of these questions. While the 
total number of collaborative projects 
reported (45) seems initially an impres-
sively large number, one must remember 
that respondents likely are reporting 
collaboration on the same projects. More 
meaningful are the percentages by type 
of project; overall, 20 percent collaborated 
on research, 25.8 percent collaborated on 
presentations, 10.6 percent collaborated 
on papers, and 13.6 percent collaborated 
on books. While comparative data are 
not available, this author finds these data 
meaningful as indicators of the vitality 
of the community created through the 
institutes. 

Several respondents took the survey as 
an opportunity to comment on the impact 
of the institute. A few of their responses 
follow: 

More than anything, I think the 
institute helped me to meet other 
librarians of color and talk about 
issues and challenges we have in 
common. I’m the only nonwhite 
librarian at my library, except for 
the dean. Thanks! 

I have been promoted from Assis-
tant Librarian rank to the Associate 
Librarian rank through the promo-
tion review process. My experiences 
at the institute played a part in my 

promotion—I particularly high-
lighted it in my promotion dossier. 
I must add that the institute did 
shape my career objectives and how 
I approached them. I was a very new 
librarian (and a very young one at 
that!) when I a ended the institute 
and it was very important to my 
professional and personal growth 
and confidence. 

Attending the institute gave me 
more confidence to be true to myself 
and to embrace my strengths, and 
hopefully analyze and improve 
upon my weaknesses. I am more 
confident acting with authority in 
my current sphere (thanks to the in-
stitute), which may have influenced 
the amount of responsibility I am 
willing to take on or accept. 

The institute had a great impact on 
me. I have become more confident 
in being part of a big, sometimes 
lonely, organization. Prior to the 
institute, I was still trying to get 
beyond the timidity of being the 
“new librarian.” I am much more 
involved in issues outside of my 
unit, and actively pursuing a role 
in professional organizations and 
taking positions of leadership in 
them. In general, I feel more part 
of my organization and see it as the 
launching pad for achieving goals 
that became more firmly shaped 
since [the] Minnesota [institute]. 

As a ma er of fact, 95 percent of the 
subjects [covered in the institute] 
prepared me for my new position; 
not only that, many of my col-
leagues helped me with some issues 
that I’m facing. 

I found the institute to be very sup-
portive of my professional goals as 
a new librarian, and reinforced my 
values of why I chose to go into this 
profession. I’ve always had a posi-



     

       
     

    
    
     

    
     

     
     

       
      

      
      

     
    

       
     
      

      
     
      

    
      

       
      

  

   

     

      

    
     

    

      

     

    
      
      

     
     

     

             

  

 

  

 

 
        

 

  

  

 

Retaining and Advancing Librarians of Color 415 

tive a itude toward librarianship, 
but as a new librarian, I sometimes 
felt I was lacking guidance in how 
I could improve. The institute of-
fered practical counsel—plus I got 
so much from talking with other in-
stitute participants. I believe firmly 
in the value of mentorship and I 
hope that the profession continues 
to recognize that librarians new to 
the profession can benefit from this 
type of opportunity. 

The statistical data reported here, 
as noted above, leave questions unan-
swered—namely, how do the results 
compare with other librarians, both mi-
nority librarians and the population of all 
librarians, who are early in their careers? 
Viewed in isolation, however, the data 
suggest that those who a ended the four 
institutes believe that the institutes were 
valuable for personal and professional 
growth and in creating a supportive com-
munity of peers. More than 90 percent 
of the respondents remain working in 
libraries. The stories told by a endees 
(as presented in their statements above) 
make clear the value they a ach to their 
participation. From the institute planners’ 
perspective, the University of Minnesota 

Institutes for Early Career Librarians from 
Groups Underrepresented in the Profes-
sion are achieving their goals. 

Conclusion 
This paper began with the concept of 
mentoring as serving two functions: 
career advancement and psychosocial 
support. Cohort mentoring through com-
munities of practice—composed of those 
with similar experiences, backgrounds, 
and aspirations—was suggested as a 
possible tactic to foster retention, es-
pecially of minority librarians, who 
may feel outside the majority culture of 
most libraries. Small groups can reduce 
stress, enhance a sense of community, 
and provide mutual support. A focused 
curriculum can increase confidence in 
leadership skills and professional abil-
ity. When a small group develops bonds 
through an intense experience, these con-
nections endure over time and distance. 
In effect, group members function as 
peer mentors, advising and encouraging 
each other, and (o en) collaborating on 
professional activities. The Minnesota 
institutes offer one model for creating 
a community of practice, one that is 
perceived positively by those who have 
a ended them. 

Notes 

1. Gordon F. Shea, Mentoring: Helping Employees Reach Their Full Potential. (New York: American 
Management Association, 1994), 13. 

2. Melanie R. Schocke  and Marilyn J. Haring-Hidore, “Factor Analytic Support for Psycho-
social and vocational Mentoring Functions,” Psychological Reports 57, no. 2 (1985): 627–30. 

3. Marilyn J. Haring, “Foreword from the Field,” in New Directions in Mentoring: Creating a 
Culture of Synergy, ed. Carol A. Mullen and Dale W. Lick (New York: Falmer Press, 1999), xi–xii. 

4. Clare Nankivell and Michael Shoolbred, “Mentoring: A Valuable Tool for Career Develop-
ment,” Librarian Career Development 5, no. 3 (1997): 98–107. 

5. Kathryn H. Dansky, “The Effect of Group Mentoring on Career Outcomes,” Group and 
Organization Management 21, no. 1 (1996): 5–21. 

6. Alan J. Reiman, Dee Bostick, and Judy Lassiter, “Counselor- and Teacher-Led Support 
Groups for Beginning Teachers: A Cognitive-Developmental Perspective,” Elementary School 
Guidance and Counseling 30, no. 2 (1995), 105–17. 

7. Fred Kofman and Peter Senge, “Communities of Commitment: The Heart of Learning 
Organizations,” Organizational Dynamics, 22, no. 2 (1993): 5–23. 

8. Mary Sterling, “Building a Community Week by Week,” Educational Leadership 56, no. 1 
(1998), 66. 

9. Etienne Wenger, “Communities of Practice: Learning as a Social System,” Systems Thinker 
9, no. 5 (1998):1–10. 

10. Virginia F. O’Leary and Jeane e R. Ickovics, “Cracking the Glass Ceiling: Overcoming 



 

  

              
 

  

 
  

 
           

 

  

          

            

             
           

 
 

           

    

     
 

  

  
 

416 College & Research Libraries September 2007 

Isolation and Discrimination,” in Womanpower: Managing in Times of Demographic Turbulence, ed. 
Uma Sekeran and Frederick T. L. Loeng (Newbury Park, Calif.: Sage, 1992), 7–30. 

11. Herminia Ibarra, “Personal Networks of Women and Minorities in Management: A Con-
ceptual Framework,” Academy of Management Review 18 (1993): 56–87. 

12. E. Stephen Hunt and John F. Azzare o, Professional Workers as Learners: The Scope, Problems, 
and Accountability of Continuing Professional Education in the 1990s (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. 
of Education, 1992). 

13. William M. Curran, “Succession: The Next Ones at Bat,” College & Research Libraries 64, no. 
2 (2003):134–40. 

14. Ibid. 
15. Martha Kyrillidou and Mark Young, com. and ed., ARL Annual Salary Survey 2004–05 

(Washington, D.C.: Association of Research Libraries, 2005), 8. 
16. Ibid. 
17. Ashley E. Bonne e, “Mentoring Minority Librarians up the Career Ladders,” Library 

Administration & Management 18, no. 3 (Summer 2004): 134. 
18. Michael Hickins, “The Silver Solution: Coaxing Former Employees out of Retirement,” 

HR Focus 76, no. 5 (1999): 1, 14–15. 
19. Sandra Rios Balderrama, “This Trend Called Diversity,” Library Trends 49, no. 1 (Summer 

2000): 194–214. 
20. Joan Howland, “Beyond Recruitment: Retention and Promotion Strategies to Ensure 

Diversity and Success,” Library Administration and Management 13, no. 1 (Winter 1999): 4–14. 
21. David A. Thomas, “The Truth about Mentoring Minorities: Race Ma ers,” Harvard Business 

Review 79, no. 4 (2001): 98. 
22. Michal E. Mor Barak, David A. Cherin, and Sherry Berkman, “Organizational and Personal 

Dimensions in Diversity Climate: Ethnic and Gender Differences in Employee Perception,” Journal 
of Applied Behavioral Science 34, no. 1 (1998): 88. 

23. See, for example, Lynne C. Lancaster, When Generations Collide: Who They Are, Why They 
Clash, How to Solve the Generational Puzzle at Work 

 (New York: AMACOM, 2000). 
Generations at Work: Managing the Clash of Veterans, 

(New York: HarperCollins, 2002); and Ron 
Zemke, Claire Raines, and Bob Filipczak, 
Boomers, Xers, and Nexters in Your Workplace

Call for a complete catalog 

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Retaining and Advancing Librarians of Color 417 

Appendix
 
Survey of Institute Participants
 

1. Do you work in a library? 

2. Have you changed your job/position since a ending the Minnesota institute? 

If yes, do you feel that a ending the institute contributed to the change? 

3. Have you been promoted or moved to a position with greater responsibility since 
a ending the institute? 

If yes, do you feel that a ending the institute contributed to the change? 

4. Have you collaborated with other institute participants (either in your class or from 
other classes) to: 

• Conduct a research project 
• Give a presentation at a professional meeting 
• Publish a paper 
• Publish a book