Charge:

1. Create a venue through which formal and informal mentoring relationships are fostered, allowing primarily Library Staff and student employees interested in a career in libraries, to observe, interact, and receive support and feedback from appropriate mentors.
2. Identify, compile, and make available resources that lend support to the pursuit of a career in libraries.

Roles:

• Mentor: Provides guidance, advice, feedback, and support to the mentee, serving variously as role model, teacher, counselor, advisor, sponsor, advocate, and ally, depending on the specific goals and objectives negotiated with the mentee.
• Mentee: Outlines the goals and objectives for the relationship and works toward their fulfillment using the guidance, advice, feedback, and support provided by the mentor.

Responsibilities:

Mentor

• Establishes, with the mentee, the mentee’s explicit goals and objectives for the relationship
• Takes the initiative in the relationship but allows the mentee to take responsibility for their growth, development, and career planning
• Commits to fostering the relationship for the specified period of time
• Commits to meeting with mentee on a regular basis, not normally during the mentee's work time, no less than one hour per month
• Actively listens to mentee
• Provides frank, honest, and constructive feedback
• Provides encouragement and assists the mentee in identifying professional development activities
• Maintains confidentiality
• Reviews goals and objectives of the relationship with the mentee midway and at the end of a formal, long-term relationship (those lasting 6-12 months)
• Follows through on commitments made to mentee
• Respects mentee’s limits
• Explicitly states own limits
• Recognizes and works through conflicts in caring ways, invites discussion on differences with the mentee, and arranges for a third party to assist if necessary
• Makes only positive or neutral comments about the mentee to others; if disagreement over behavior or values arise, differences are shared with the mentee; if necessary, takes steps to end the relationship and tries to find mentee another mentor
• Maintains a professional relationship, doesn’t intrude into the mentee’s personal life or expects to be close friends
• Ends the relationship at the agreed upon time
• Informs supervisor of mentoring activities

Mentee

• Explicitly states goals and objectives of the relationship
• Takes responsibility for their own growth, development, and career planning
• Commits to meeting with mentor on a regular basis, but no less than one hour per month
• Asks for feedback
• Actively listens to mentor, considers seriously all advice received, and shows evidence they have utilized the advice
• Maintains confidentiality
• Follows through on commitments made to mentor
• Respects mentor’s limits
• Explicitly states own limits
• Recognizes and works through conflicts in caring ways, invites discussion on differences with the mentor
• Makes only positive or neutral comments about the mentor to others; if disagreement over behavior or values arise, differences are shared with the mentor; if necessary, takes steps to end the relationship
• Maintains a professional relationship, doesn’t intrude into the mentor’s personal life or expect to be close friends
• Ends the relationship at the agreed upon time
• Informs supervisor of participation in program