How Can You Help an Emerging Library Leader Thrive? Assign Them a Mentor.

For libraries seeking to remain relevant in an era of rapid technological change and evolving user expectations, leadership development is becoming a strategic imperative. In today’s intergenerational workforce, structured career paths and succession plans, as well as targeted coaching and mentoring programs and talent management for high-potential staff, are particularly important. But many libraries fail to undertake such initiatives, and existing leadership development programs often fail to provide sustained support systems for emerging library leaders, who must navigate hybrid service models and digital transformation in an AI-driven world. Emerging leaders also need role models and ways to expand their professional networks as they take on new roles and responsibilities.

How should we bridge this gap? One proven approach is mentoring.

Mentoring and Leadership Development

Simply defined by MindTools (2024), “Mentoring is a relationship between two people with the goal of professional and personal development.” A mentor offers their mentee personalized guidance, confidence-building, and opportunities for career advancement that formal training alone cannot deliver.

Mentoring programs for librarians remains underdeveloped in many parts of Asia. In their longitudinal study “Cultivating leadership in Asian libraries,” Yang, Sidorko, and Woo (2016) noted that the University of Hong Kong Libraries launched its inaugural Annual Library Leadership Institute (HKUALLI)—one of the first leadership development programs in the region—in 2003. Yet, when they surveyed past participants, only 29.2 percent reported having mentored someone in the profession. By contrast, the recent International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) report Learning to lead: A scan of global library field practice reviewed 66 leadership programs worldwide and found that mentorship was integrated into 68 percent of them (Saleh et al., 2024, p. 67).

Introducing Emerging Library Leaders’ Summer School for Asia-Pacific (ELLSSA)

The Emerging Library Leaders’ Summer School for Asia-Pacific (ELLSSA), a leadership development program for early- to mid-career librarians and professionals organized by Singapore Management University (SMU) Libraries in partnership with SMU Academy (the professional training arm of Singapore Management University), offers a sustainable model for developing future-ready library leaders.

Launched in 2023 as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summer School for Library Leaders, the program, which I manage, was renamed in 2024 to reflect its broader reach across and beyond the Asia-Pacific region. Our collaboration with SMU Academy adds significant value. Participants receive an accredited executive leadership certificate from SMU Academy, and we are able to leverage the Academy’s learning management system, pool of facilitators, and marketing channels to co-brand and promote the program. Alumni also gain access to an expanded range of SMU Academy courses, further supporting their professional growth. ELLSSA is the first library program in SMU Academy’s catalogue of offerings, enabling them to reach a new industry sector.

The program, which is paid, lasts five days and is designed for a group of 20 to 25 participants. Using SMU’s active learning approach, ELLSSA blends theory and practice through seminars with experts, deep dives into key topics like AI literacy and open research, issue pitches, visits to leading libraries, and one-on-one mentorship from senior professionals. We collaborate with libraries, industry experts, and sponsors like Taylor & Francis.

Since its launch, over 50 professionals from 14 countries—including Brunei, Cambodia, China, Germany, Hong Kong, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, and Vietnam—have taken part. This diverse group has formed a strong network, encouraging collaboration and innovation across the region.

ELLSSA’s Mentoring Program

The foundation of ELLSSA’s leadership development approach is a mentoring program that offers sustained and personalized guidance extending well beyond the five-day course. The mentoring program aims to drive professional growth across Asia and underscores SMU Libraries’ commitment to equipping future-ready leaders to thrive in their evolving workplace.

Application Process

To set the stage for mentoring, applicants must submit a motivation statement, prepared with their supervisor, that identifies a current work challenge and explains how they plan to use what they learn from ELLSSA to solve it. This exercise keeps mentoring focused, practical, and relevant to real-world needs. The selection panel reviews applicants’ statements before confirming participation and awarding a limited number of scholarships to participants from selected countries in Southeast Asia.

Mentor Pool and Matching Process

The program brings together over ten experienced library leaders and senior professionals—both active and retired—who volunteer as mentors. Each works with one or two participants for six months through face-to-face or virtual meetings. To match mentors with career goals, mentees choose from profiles on a private LibGuide, a process introduced to provide greater inclusivity, based on feedback from past participants. Both mentors and mentees receive detailed e-introductions explaining roles and expectations. As part of the ELLSSA program, a seminar titled “What is Mentoring?” and a formal launch—led by SMU’s head of talent and organizational development—ensure everyone understands mentoring principles and best practices. Throughout the mentoring journey, I regularly check in with the mentors and mentees by email.

The Pitch Tank: Mentors to the Rescue

The mentoring program reaches its climax during the “Pitch Tank” segment on the final day. Conceived by the university librarian and inspired by the popular television show “Shark Tank,” this innovative format challenges participants to present strategic solutions to the challenges they identified in their applications. Members of SMU Libraries’ Leadership Planning Team role-play as influential institutional figures—such as the provost, CFO, tech innovator, student success advocate, and library veteran—forming a panel of “Academic Sharks.” Each participant has five minutes to deliver a compelling evidence-based pitch. Participants are evaluated using a structured rubric, and winners receive monetary prizes, introducing gamification and healthy competition into the learning experience. Mentors attend their mentees’ presentations, strengthening the mentor-mentee relationship and allowing mentors to continue to guide their mentees as they address the challenges they’ve identified.

Post Mentoring Survey: Feedback and Suggestions

After the six-month mentoring period, mentors and mentees complete a post-program survey. The participant feedback we’ve received highlights the strong value of mentoring. One mentee described the mentorship program as “one of the best aspects of ELLSSA. “I truly appreciated the full support and motivation my mentor provided throughout the program,” the mentee wrote. “Their constructive feedback and valuable insights helped me significantly improve my initiative on Open Educational Resources, particularly in developing an indexer portal for open-access collections as a learning resource for the community … My mentor’s guidance was instrumental in refining this project and making it more impactful.” A mentee participating in a mentorship program for the first time described it as “a very interesting and helpful experience,” and noted they’d consider implementing a mentorship program in their own library. Such sentiments were common among the 2023 and 2024 cohorts.

Participants also suggested improvements, such as having a more structured meeting schedule, introducing regular feedback systems, and refining mentor-mentee matching based on career goals. Some mentors raised concerns about mentee engagement, recommending checks on commitment before assigning mentors.

Despite these challenges, the program has proven a meaningful and a unique leadership development initiative. Many mentors choose to stay in touch with their mentees after the official six-month period. They continue to share resources like articles, seminars, and conference updates and often build lasting professional relationships and friendships. ELLSSA alumni, like Joenabie E. Arevalo, now university librarian at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines, have credited ELLSSA as an important factor in their professional successes.

Lessons Learned

ELLSSA and its mentoring program are resource-intensive initiatives that require considerable time and effort to administer and manage. Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned:

• Leverage professional networks: My involvement in associations such as IFLA’s Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning Section (CPDWL), the International Association of Technological University Libraries (IATUL), and local library associations has helped me build rapport with senior librarians and leaders who willingly serve as mentors.
• Invest in training: Being trained in mentoring and coaching has deepened my understanding of its impact and importance.
• Keep relationships warm: Regular, informal email check-ins—both social and professional—help make the mentor-mentee relationship relational rather than transactional.
• Address practical challenges: Consider language barriers, time zone differences, and other technicalities when pairing mentors and mentees.
• Maintain your mentor pool: Avoid overburdening mentors and keep the pool refreshed.
• Continuous review: Gather feedback from participants for ongoing improvement.

Conclusion

ELLSSA’s mentoring program shows how personalized guidance can strengthen leadership development in libraries. By combining a well-designed curriculum, experienced mentors, and innovative learning tools, the program equips participants with the practical skills they need to become library leaders.

Mentoring is not an add-on. It is central to librarians’ professional growth. Global evidence and ELLSSA’s experience confirm that mentors can support transformative leadership, ground professional practice, and help emerging leaders build networks.

As Yang, Sidorko, and Woo (2016) note, successful mentoring in Asia-Pacific libraries requires institutional commitment, structured frameworks, dedicated resources, and careful planning. ELLSSA proves that embedding mentoring in a leadership program can build capability and capacity, empowering the next generation of library leaders to lead with purpose.

References

Mind Tools. (2024, May 17). Mentoring. Mind Tools.

https://www.mindtools.com/ahkej7i/mentoring

Saleh, E., Alsereihy, H. A., Ismail, H. M., & Hassan, R. E. (2024). Learning to lead: A scan of global library field practice. Tunis: Arab Federation for Libraries and Information. https://repository.ifla.org/rest/api/core/bitstreams/44f68e3d-8f24-4ed9-a846-5628eceb22f6/content

Singapore Management University Library. (2025). Emerging Library Leaders' Summer School for Asia-Pacific.https://library.smu.edu.sg/node/3716#about

Yang, T. T., Sidorko, P. E., & Woo, E. M. W. (2016). Cultivating leadership in Asian libraries: A longitudinal impact study. Library Management, 37(4/5), 243–264.

https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-02-2016-0012