Award-winning librarian shares the importance of faculty mentorship

The University Libraries welcomed Janet Clarke, associate dean of research and engagement at Stony Brook University Libraries, to its library faculty pre-tenure luncheon last semester. The event, hosted by Dean of Libraries Andrea Falcone, provided library faculty the opportunity to connect with each other as well.

Winner of the 2025 American Library Association (ALA) Medal of Excellence Award and named as a 2025 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, Clarke spent time with the faculty to connect as a colleague in the field and to discuss the importance of mentorship.

“My own mentorship experience has been uneven, to be honest,” Clarke said. “I had to seek out mentors, but I’m glad I persisted, because when I found a good mentor, they not only believed in me, but encouraged me to pursue my passion and helped me see the possibilities for joining the scholarly conversations happening in the field — Asian American literature.”

Clarke’s career is one of perseverance and a prime example of giving back to the community. She spent many years working on a grant project to improve student research and information literacy skills in disadvantaged high school students. Additionally, she helped develop a mentorship program for AAPI students at Stony Brook University in 2021 during COVID. Post-COVID, she founded the AAPI Heritages Committee to develop campus-wide AAPI programming. These accomplishments and more led to Clarke receiving the 2025 ALA Medal of Excellence Award and being selected as a 2025 Library Journal Mover and Shaker. Clarke’s inspiration for working in the library field stemmed from a passion of contributing to a public good and public education.

“More and more, and especially now, I am motivated to be contributing to a public good,” Clarke said. “I believe deeply in public education and the upward mobility that it provides to so many students. In the academic library setting, I feel very strongly that the library be an essential element of student success and belonging and faculty productivity. To me, that’s what defines the work of an academic library.”

The luncheon, held at the Binghamton University Alumni Center, provided a dedicated time and space for the library faculty to not only learn from Clarke, but each other.

“The University Libraries faculty receive generous professional development funds each year that provides opportunities to learn from and network with our peers through memberships and conferences,” said Amy Hathaway, director of access services. “Collaboration promotes innovative scholarship!”

Hathaway’s key takeaway from the luncheon should come as no surprise to anyone working in a library.

“Janet mentioned several times how important it is to read the literature about our research interests, and to regularly make time for reading,” she said. “Not only does it help us identify what publications are out there, but it helps keep us current on what’s going on in our areas.”

Taking the time to invest in future library leaders, to learn from field experts, is a priority the Libraries supports to help tenure-track faculty librarians not only succeed but thrive. Through mentorship and collegial collaboration, librarians can explore and expand their research interests on their way to achieving tenure.

“Meeting tenure-track faculty was the highlight of my visit,” Clarke said. “They are the future leaders of our profession, and I felt warmly welcomed by the library faculty. They were eager to engage with me and with each other in using our time together with intention and positive energy. It’s wonderful that the dean carves out a space and time for tenure-track faculty to reflect on and share about their research projects and ideas.”