OPP: ALA 2026 International Librarians Mentorship Program
Aisha Conner-Gaten, MSLIS
The International Librarians Networking Program (ILNP) is open to any library professional or student who wishes to collaborate with and learn from other library professionals from around the world.
The International Librarians Networking Program uses a peer to peer model. Peer mentoring is a partnership between two or three members who share similar levels of work experience, or similar interests, goals, and skill sets. These networking partnerships have been shown to increase motivation, support and resourcefulness in professionals.
In order to participate in the International Librarians Networking Program, you must be able to:
Commit to 3-4 months of regular communication with your assigned partner
Communicate with program partners and the ILNP in a respectful, courteous and professional manner
Establish regular communication guidelines with partner (e.g. Respond to emails from your matched partner within a week)
Meet regularly with your partner through an online call, email thread, or virtual chat.
ILNP will suggest a discussion prompt or activity regularly.
Mentorship groups may also choose a collaborative project to develop together (ex: culture exchange program with library staff and patrons)
Share a reflection of the program or the results of a collaborative project on our blog.
To be eligible for the program, participants need to meet the following requirements::
Have access to the Internet
Able to communicate at least once a week
Willing to build professional connections
Be able to fulfill a 3 month commitment (March to May 2026, about 1 hour per week)
English proficiency
A willingness to work collaboratively to produce an informal poster by the end of the program and share it with the cohort of participants (template and guidelines will be provided)
(Prior participants are welcome to apply but preference will be given to new applicants)
If you meet these requirements and are interested in participating in the program, please fill out this application form: https://forms.gle/LYR864F3i7q99gBP9
The deadline for submitting applications is January 31, 2026.