Academic libraries cannot function without student assistants who perform a great deal of work. These employees are supervised by librarians, but are they also mentored? This quick read is helpful for new managers who want to start with a good foundation, not only with mentoring but also with hiring and other related personnel practices for student assistants. But the author, Michelle Reale, also provides information suitable for seasoned managers who wish to focus on the needs and expectations of their student assistants.

Reale uses her experience as a supervising librarian to discuss mentoring at its most basic: “providing guidance.” Anecdotes scattered throughout the chapters provide humor and real-life glimpses into the work of mentoring and supervising students. On the one hand, the brief chapters allow this book to be read in short intervals, but on the other hand, the redundancy in some of the chapters seems to add unneeded filler in an attempt to make this book seem more than a series of related articles. The most practical knowledge comes in the discussions of disengagement (which, in this book, refers to the end of the student’s employment) and being “cruel to be kind.” In addition, a chapter on cultural considerations touches topics with which all managers should become familiar. Inclusion of practical documents, such as examples of desk rules and grounds for dismissal policies, provide helpful vocabulary to use at any library.

This book is the first to address mentoring of student assistants in a systematic way, and it fills a gap in the recent literature about mentoring in academic libraries. Recent articles on mentoring in libraries focus on piloting new internship programs or mentoring recently hired librarians. Reale’s management experiences emphasize mentoring as one of librarians’ most basic duties: the duty to educate. Her matter-of-fact tone is successful in conveying personnel management information without condescension.—