Successful Mentoring Programs: Examples from Within and Without the Academy

Abstract

There are numerous definitions of mentoring, but all emphasize a pairing of experienced professional with an employee needing guidance and advice in the workplace. Libraries are using mentoring to acclimate new hires, assist librarians through the promotion and tenure process, and to provide infonnation to those interested in advancement to different positions in the organization. There is a wide range of mentoring programs and a review of successful programs, within libraries and in several other organizations, can provide guidance in developing or refining a library mentoring program.

Building a Strong Foundation: Mentoring Programs for Novice Tenure-Track Librarians in Academic Libraries

“…3 Many examples of strong mentoring programs in the workplace exist, and most involve the sharing of knowledge and experience, a willingness to listen and nurture, and a mutual desire for the mentee's success. 4 In Kathy Kram's theory of mentoring roles and responsibilities, one of the most recognized among mentorship doi:10.5860/crl.76.7.914 crl15-687 literature, there are two aspects of a successful mentoring relationship: functions that enhance the mentee's career goals, and functions that are psychosocial, such as emotional support and role-modeling behavior. 5 For a successful mentoring relationship to exist, the mentoring program must then do more than orient the mentee to his or her new responsibilities and work culture-it must also provide the mentee with a supportive, nurturing setting as he or she adapts to those new duties and institutional environment.…”

The Mentoring Role of Professional Associations

“…Osif's (2008) review of mentoring programs (in academic and nonacademic settings) identifies some model programs and best practices. This article is an extension of Osif's (2006Osif's ( ,2007 reviews of the mentoring literature that are invaluable in updating the extensive bibliography contained in Wittkopf's (1999) survey of mentoring programs in large academic libraries.…”

Significant Value Found in Mentoring Programs for Novice Tenure-Track Academic Librarians

“…As the authors note, the implementation of mentoring programs in libraries or the mentoring effects on new tenure-track librarians are topics that have been covered extensively in the literature (Bosch, Ramachandran, Luévano, & Wakiji, 2010;Freedman, 2009;Ghouse & Church-Duran, 2008;Osif, 2008). However, the authors recognize that most of the studies only provide "isolated perspectives from specific libraries" (p. 917) rather than providing a broad overview.…”