2024-2025 ABAA Gender Equity Initiative Mentorship Program Application Deadline May 6, 2024

Goals 

● Further the mission of the ABAA. 

● Provide dealers early in their careers with the opportunity to advance their professional development. 

● Build a recruitment pipeline for the Association that enhances the number of qualified applicants. 

● Advance the diversity of new members. 

● Allow mentees to build a relationship with an ABAA member. 

● Educate potential candidates about a career in the trade (for example, graduate students looking for a profession outside of academia). 

Structure 

With the assistance of the Gender Equity Initiative, mentors and mentees will be paired with consideration of a variety of factors such as any specific requests, specialization/area of focus, and business structure. Location could also be a point of consideration. 

Once paired, mentors and mentees will commence a one year period of mentorship (May 15, 2024-May 1, 2025). Over the course of the year, mentors and mentees are required to have face-to-face communication for a minimum of 1-2 hours each month (this could be completed electronically). The schedule structure to meet this requirement will be determined by the pair. 

We encourage mentees and mentors to meet at least once in person, though this is not required. An excellent opportunity for this meeting is at any of the ABAA Book Fairs. Mentees will be provided with complimentary passes to all ABAA Book Fairs. 

Mentors and mentees are responsible for clearly outlining their goals and expectations for the relationship; however, mentors and mentees will be provided with guidelines that outline a number of suggested topics (for example, developing relationships with institutions, suggested resources, business accounting practices, etc.). Mentors will not be compensated; it is a voluntary position of service to the organization and the trade. 

At the end of the mentorship year, mentors and mentees must submit feedback on their experience in the form of a brief written report. 

ABAA mentors will be recognized on the ABAA website. In addition, we will waive the ABAA application fee for mentees if, after completing the program, they apply within two years of membership eligibility. 

APPLICATION ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES 

Requirements for Mentors 

● Minimum of 3 years as a Full ABAA or ILAB member; minimum of 5 years as an Associate ABAA member 

● Experience selling to multiple customer bases (to other businesses, private clients, and institutions) 

● Preference in pairing may be given to those with additional specialized skills, such as conducting appraisals or business accounting. 

Requirements for Mentees 

● Minimum of 2 years in business on your own, a minimum of 3 years working for another seller, or a minimum of 3 years working in a related field, such as a rare books and manuscripts library, or have other evidence of interest and promise in the trade. 

● Letter of reference. 

● Completion of ABAA mentorship program application and interview, which includes a demonstration of commitment to the field and the length of the program. 

APPLICATION PERIOD: 

April 9th, 2024 - May 6th, 2024 

APPLICATION RESULT (for mentor & mentee): 

May 13th, 2024 

MENTORSHIP PERIOD: 

May 15, 2024 - May 1, 2025 

Apply today as a MENTEE! 

ABAA Gender Equity Initiative Mentee Application (google.com)

Apply today as a MENTOR

ABAA Gender Equity Initiative Mentor Application (google.com)

Please do not hesitate to contact ABAA's Assoicate Director Xin Yi Zhao (xin@abaa.org) if you have any questions

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Note:  These events are listed as a courtesy to members and friends of IOBA.  Every effort is made to post accurate information, but the most reliable information will obtained by contacting ABAA at the above link.