TALL Texans Mentor
SELECTION GUIDELINES

The Leadership Development Mentor Selection Subcommittee is appointed each year at Annual Assembly by the Chair of the Leadership Development Committee. Six mentors are chosen to attend the Tall Texan Institute. 

When choosing mentors for the TALL Texans Leadership Development Institute, the mentor subcommittee shall use the following guidelines:

• Mentors shall be members of the Texas Library Association
• The president and president-elect of TLA shall always be invited to serve as mentors

• To be considered to serve as a mentor, a person should have demonstrated his or her leadership capabilities in one or more of the following ways:

  • as a present or former elected TLA officer, chair of a division, committee, round table or interest group;
  • as a present or former elected officer of the American Library Association, an ALA division or round table;
  • as a director of a major library institution within the state; or
  • as an elected official, community or business leader.

The mentor selection subcommittee shall work diligently to attract and select mentors that represent the diversity found in the state and in TLA. This includes geographic diversity, ethnicity, position(s) held, and diversity in library affiliation.

The mentor selection subcommittee tries to ensure that there is a continuing mentor each year. Normally, the president-elect returns a second year as president; however, if this is not possible, the mentor selection subcommittee attempts to select a mentor who has served in a previous year. If the president-elect returns for a second year, the subcommittee should try to recruit mentors who have not previously served as a mentor.

All costs for mentors attending the Institute are provided by TLA.