In this early career research development project, DR

This Project Grant award, valued at $374,194, was provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (CFDA 45.313). The grant supports a multi-phase research project led by Dr. Jenna Spiering at the University of South Carolina (USC) to investigate mentorship programs for new school librarians in the early stages of their careers.

The project aims to explore how a formal, structured mentoring network that provides individualized, non-evaluative support could assist early career school librarians in meeting their professional goals and overcoming challenges. Key activities include a national survey on the challenges recent library and information science graduates face, the collaborative design, implementation, and qualitative evaluation of a formal mentoring network in South Carolina and Iowa, and the dissemination of research findings. The grant has a performance period from August 1, 2024 to July 31, 2027.

Jenna spiering at the university of south carolina will investigate mentorship programs for new school librarians in the early years of their career in school librarianship. This project will explore how a formal and structured mentoring network that provides individualized support in a nonevaluative capacity would support early career school librarians as they endeavor to meet professional goals and would provide them with support from trained mentors when challenges arise in their first years of school librarianship. The multi-phase project includes a national survey about the challenges recent library and information science graduates face in their early years of school librarianship; the use of survey data to collaboratively design, implement, and qualitatively evaluate the impact of a formal mentoring network in south carolina and iowa; and research dissemination.