The ABAA Gender Equity Initiative is proud to announce the fourth year of the ABAA Mentorship Program, designed to further the ABAA’s mission to promote ethical standards and professionalism in the antiquarian book trade, encourage the collecting and preservation of rare and antiquarian books and related materials, and facilitate collegial relations within the trade.

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.