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ABAA Mentorship Program

About the ABAA

The ABAA is proud to announce the ABAA Mentorship Program sponsored by the Gender Equity Initiative, welcoming all early-career participants in the rare book trade. The program is aimed at furthering 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 to expand the scope 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:

Mentors and mentees will be paired with consideration of various factors such as 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-May 1). 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, public health advisories permitting, 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 several suggested topics (for example, developing relationships with institutions, recommended 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 as a brief written report. 

The ABAA will waive the membership application fee for mentees who, after completing the program, apply within two years of becoming eligible for membership. 

Requirements for Mentees:

  • Minimum of 2 years in business on your own OR a minimum of 3 years working for another seller OR a minimum of 3 years working in a related field, such as a rare books and manuscripts library, OR other evidence of interest and promise in the trade. 
  • Letter of reference. 
  • Completion of ABAA Mentorship Program Application and Interview, which includes demonstrating commitment to the field and the length of the program.

Requirements for Mentors:

  • Minimum of 3 years as a Full ABAA or ILAB member; minimum of 5 years as an Associate ABAA member 
  • Experience selling to multiple customer bases (to other businesses, private clients, and institutions)
  • Preference with additional specialized skills, such as conducting appraisals, business accounting, etc. 

The program would like to thank the following ABAA members for their valuable time serving as ABAA mentors (in alpha order):

John Thomson, Bartleby's Books
Stuart Bennett, Stuart Bennett Rare Books
John Durham, Bolerium Books
Michael Buehler, Boston Rare Maps
Taylor Bowie, Taylor Bowie
Joyce Kosofsky, Brattle Book Shop
Hélène Golay, Capitol Hill Books
Holly Segar, Caroliniana
Sheryl Jaeger, Eclectibles
Heather O'Donnell, Honey & Wax Booksellers
John Kuenzig, Kuenzig Books
Adam Schachter, Langdon Manor Books, LLC
Kara McLaughlin, Little Sages Books
Stuart Lutz, Stuart Lutz Historic Documents, Inc.
Ian Kahn, Lux Mentis, Booksellers
William Butts, Main Street Fine Books & Manuscripts
Kate Mitas, Kate Mitas, Bookseller
Tom Nealon, Pazzo Books
David Szewczyk, Philadelphia Rare Books & Manuscripts Co.
Walter Reuben, Walter Reuben, Inc.
Tom Lecky, Riverrun Books & Manuscripts
Kevin Royal Johnson, Royal Books, Inc.
Vic Zoschak, Tavistock Books
Andrea Tomberg, Tomberg Rare Books
Elizabeth Svendsen, Walkabout Books
Duane Stevens, Wiggins Fine Books
Lizzy Young, lizzyoung bookseller
Zhenya Dzhavgova, ZH Books