Mentoring in Academic Libraries

Abstract

The authors, who have each engaged in mentoring in higher education, surveyed academic librarians in 2017 on their mentoring experiences. Those findings are placed alongside best practices drawn from the literature to discover what motivates academic librarians to participate in mentoring and how it impacts them professionally and personally. Based on this evidence, the authors encourage colleagues to seek professional development through mentoring opportunities.
 
 “Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light.” Dr. Albert Schweitzer

Mentoring Experience of Academic Librarians: A Pilot Study of Mentorship in Academic Libraries

“…Mentoring is an investment in the LIS profession's future as staff members of the library are considered as the most precious assets. 34 So, why were there such varying degrees of mentoring practices in academic libraries in New England? Let's look at the mentoring definitions applied.…”

“…Burke and Tumbleson noted that "mentoring is profitable at any career stage." 7 Benefits included succession planning in Harrington and Marshall's study, 8 recruitment and retention, 9 and facilitating learning. 10 The James, Raynor, Bruno study on informal mentorship found value as it is more accessible to mentees than formal MPs, flexible without requiring structures, and most importantly, available in the library.…”

Embedded librarianship and Greek academic libraries

“…The 2016 edition focused on more particular topics such as electronic resources, the librarian as content creator and copyright challenges. In their most recent survey, conducted in 2019, they reviewed the literature, methods and conclusions, encouraging librarians to evaluate their contributions and reassert their educational role (Burke and Tumbleson, 2019).…”