LISNews: Librarian Blog Since 1999

Retaining Librarians through Mentoring
Henrico County (Va.) Public Schools (HCPS) noticed that the district’s newly hired librarians had a substantial (56%) turnover rate. In 2004, a voluntary mentoring system emerged within the district that encouraged seasoned librarians to reach out to new hires. By the 2005 school year, an official long-distance mentoring program was launched pairing those new to the job with established librarians in other schools. Co-coordinators Joyce Ricks, librarian at Twin Hickory Elementary, and Susan Howe, librarian at Tuckahoe Middle School, spearheaded the program, which was christened Collaborative Partners.