The Mentor Monitor Program as a Supplement to Security and Resource to Staff

Description: Mentor monitors are a resource to support staff members and help keep the peace in a busy library. Ideally, they are members of the community who are able to relate well to others to help provide guidance and mentorship—especially to teen/tween patrons.. Through relationship building, the mentor monitor is able to act as a counselor, guide, teacher, advisor, and confidant to positively influence and reinforce good behavior and decision-making. In this webinar, participants will learn about the benefits of mentor monitors from staff of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Ohio, where the mentor monitor program has been in place for more than a decade.

Learning Outcomes: 

At the end of this webinar, the attendees will be able to:

• Define a mentor monitor;
• Understand the flexibility the position offers to supplement security personnel; and
• See the value of the mentor monitor position to a typical library environment.

Who Should Attend: This webinar is intended for public library directors and administrators.

Presenters:

Lane Edwards (he/him) has been working in libraries for over twenty-five years. Starting out as a page, he has worked for multiple library systems and is currently branch services director, south, at Cuyahoga County Public Library. He has worked in multiple locations with large after school crowds, and has managed branch staff and mentor monitors to promote library usage while encouraging positive customer relationships.

Ryan Grame (he/him) has worked in the security department of the Cuyahoga County Public Library for the last six years, first as a security coordinator and currently as security manager. Ryan leads the security team to maintain a safe environment for both employees and customers by training staff, coordinating with law enforcement, and overseeing the physical security information management (PSIM) and life safety systems. He graduated from Baldwin Wallace University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, and previously worked for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections and the Ohio Department of Mental Health.

Tech Requirements

Core Webinars are held in Zoom. Speakers or a headset for listening to the presentation are required. You may interact with the presenter and ask questions through text-based chat. Closed captioning is available in the Zoom platform. The webcast will be recorded and the link to the recording shared with registrants shortly after the live event.

CALL Training Partner for this Event: American Library Association