By Amy Dittmeier & Anna Coats
Amy
This sounds corny, but I truly lucked out when Anna was paired to be my mentor. I was in a part of my career where I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to go in and was feeling super lost. But Anna helped me find my direction and it’s led me towards some fantastic places! I also cannot stress the importance of having a fellow BIPOC person as a mentor. I could talk to Anna about things at my library that I didn’t feel comfortable sharing with my (mostly white) peers, and get frank feedback about my situations. Though we started our relationship during the height of the pandemic, we’ve been able to connect beyond our mentorship appointment. I not only got a great mentor, but also a great friend!
Bio:
Amy Dittmeier is a Reference Librarian for Des Plaines Public Library in Illinois. Her passion for readers advisory has led her to write book reviews, lead talks on genre fiction, and serve on committees, like RUSA CODES’ Reading List. Amy has one cat named Space Ghost and wishes that her cat could meet Anna’s.
Anna
When APALA connected Amy and me as protégé/mentor in 2020-2021, I was amazed by how much we had in common – we were both half South Asian and half white, both tarot readers, both public librarians, and while I live in NJ and Amy lives in Chicago, I had lived in Illinois while attending UIUC, and Amy has relatives that live near me in NJ. And because we worked together during the height of the pandemic, it was really fulfilling to connect with someone so easy to relate with. When we think about mentoring programs, we often think about the protégé benefiting, but I have often been inspired by my mentees. With Amy, I was inspired by her dedication to her book blog, cosplay costumes, and to this day we remain friends.
Bio:
Anna Coats is the Assistant Director of Public Services for Newark Public Library in New Jersey. She is also the incoming APALA President-Elect/Vice President and has previously served on the APALA Executive Board as Member-at-Large and Secretary. She served on a number of APALA committees including the Local Arrangements Task Force, Family Literacy Focus Committee, and Literature Awards Young Adult Committee. Anna has two cats named Twinkle and Lolo. Both Twinkle and Lolo wish they could meet Space Ghost.
Applications for the 2024-2025 APALA Mentoring Program will open soon. For more information on the program: https://www.apalaweb.org/about/committees/standing-committees/mentoring-committee/mentoring-program/