Advocates – Offers sponsorship, provides exposure and visibility within the organization.
Acquires resources – Brings critical readings, opportunities, or experiences to the attention of the mentee.
Acts as a role model – Offers insight on how they felt successful in the organization.
Advises – Shares institutional and professional wisdom and makes suggestions.
Coaches – Helps a mentee learn new skills and practice new behaviors.
Protects – Helps a mentee find new and challenging opportunities within the organization.
Supports – Listens with a sympathetic ear, explains unwritten rules, and acknowledges disappointments and triumphs.
Consider setting an agenda for each meeting and share it ahead of time with your mentor for their input
Mentees can take the lead in their mentoring relationship, and you can establish that tone early on, in consultation with your mentor. They might appreciate it too. Mentors are there to guide and advise you, they do not direct or manage you.
Similarities and differences between your roles
Your perceived strengths and weaknesses
Challenges that you face in your day-to-day
Goals you have for your career
Skills you want to develop and what’s holding you back from them
How did you discover your professional/educational experiences?
What are you passionate about?
What led you to a career in librarianship?
Learn more about the culture of each of our units.
Discuss overall culture of the [X] department, as well how the unit fits into the larger goals of the library.
Have a time and place to discuss issues that may arise as a new librarian.
Explore potential synergies between mentor and mentee’s work.
Gain a better awareness of the recent history of MSU Libraries including changes in spaces, librarian roles, and relationship with the university as a whole.
Learn more about the on-campus networks of MSU, both within and outside the library.
Communicate with individuals and groups from different parts of the library to learn about current and future development in academic libraries.
Gain a better understanding of the intricacies of university and library policies, politics, and culture.
Identify, discuss, and reflect on various topics specific to leadership, supervision, and management.
Learn about library management, especially service point management. Specific topics related to management of interest include: Training, current reference policies and creating new policies, employee motivation, scheduling.
Learn about employee retention strategies/motivational techniques.
Learn how to effectively evaluate employee growth and respond accordingly (i.e., how best to both reward progress and potentially have more difficult conversations).
Provide support and a listening ear for dealing with work/life balance issues.
Learn strategies for balancing Criterion I (primary and secondary positions), II, and III work successfully.
Discuss opportunities for Criterion II and how to incorporate past and future interests into professional development activities.
Find more opportunities for Criterion II and III involving collections and liaison work.
Explore professional development opportunities as well as potential growth into emerging trends.
Learn techniques and resources for networking with librarians in professional organizations outside of MSU Libraries.
Develop a strategy for translating Criterion I work into meaningful contributions in Criteria II & III.
Learn more about librarian research and writing.
Discuss organizing my dossier ahead of time.