Pub mentoring in Perth WA

The main activity for new graduates in Perth is attending pub mentoring sessions. Pub mentoring is very popular among newly (and not so new) graduated library professionals in Perth. The format is simple: a pub is selected, a time and date chosen by the WA Mentoring group, and an e-mail is sent to WAIN (an e-mail newsgroup that covers a large number of information professionals throughout Western Australia as well as students studying to become information professionals). Interested persons do not have to respond, they simply turn up on the night. Pub mentoring began in late 2002 and since its inception new graduates have been keen participants.

So what is pub mentoring, and why is it so popular with new graduates? Pub mentoring is an informal get-together that enables librarians and library technicians to network in a social situation with colleagues from a wide range of organisations. It involves talking to people involved in the profession about their jobs and careers and everything and anything in between. The pubs are always well-serviced by public transport, so not having a car is not a barrier for people, especially new graduates, attending these sessions. New graduates attend for a variety of reasons. Firstly, many of the pubs are popular with young people, which means that new graduates who may be feeling a bit overwhelmed with the prospect of attending a function with established information professionals can do so in an environment that they feel comfortable in. Secondly, pubs are networking-friendly zones. Attendees can move around easily and are not confined by seating arrangements. It is interesting to note that the new graduates who attend these networking sessions regularly move from group to group. The ability to meet a wide range of library professionals in a short period of time is clearly an advantage of the pub mentoring model. Thirdly, the sessions begin at 5:30pm. This time means that new graduates can drop in after work or on their way to dinner, and they choose when to arrive and depart.

The number of new graduates continue to rise as each pub mentoring session is held. I encourage all new graduates in Perth to come along to one of our sessions. They are a terrific way to meet other new graduates and mix with friendly information professionals.

Excerpted with permission of the author from:
inCite : July 2004 : Energise >> enthuse >> inspire: the new generation in the West by Simon Lewis, ALIA Western Australia New Graduates Group

Editors note: If you are interested in attending a pub mentoring session, the remaining sessions dates appear below.

Tuesday September 7 2004 - Floreat Hotel, Floreat
Tuesday November 2 2004 - Queens Hotel, Mt Lawley
Tuesday December 7 2004 - Little Creatures Brewery, Fremantle

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