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Analyses of Mentoring Expectations, Activities and Support in Canadian Academic Libraries
College & Research Libraries (2014)
  • Marni R. Harrington, University of Western Ontario
  • Elizabeth Marshall, University of Western Ontario
Abstract
Mentoring expectations, activities, and support in Canadian college and university libraries were investigated by surveying 332 recent MLIS graduates, practicing academic librarians, and library administrators. Findings indicate that the presence of a mentoring program will help attract new librarians, retain them, and aid in restructuring efforts that are currently facing many academic libraries. Preferred mentoring activities include those belonging to psychosocial support, career guidance, and role modeling themes. Other results find that librarians who were mentored as new librarians, have more than 10 years of experience, and work in large academic institutions are significantly more likely to mentor others. Although currently not well-supported by academic administrators, this research shows that mentoring programs could be sustainable. Mentoring improves the professional experience for librarians who are more satisfied and engaged with their careers, which in turn benefits the organization with less turnover. Practical information from this research will guide academic library practitioners in current mentoring relationships, and library leaders can extrapolate results to support planning and implementation of mentoring programs. Implications for LIS education are also discussed.
Keywords
  • mentoring,
  • academic librarians,
  • MLIS graduates,
  • college libraries,
  • university libraries,
  • library administration
Publication Date
2014
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.75.6.763
Citation Information
Marni R. Harrington and Elizabeth Marshall. "Analyses of Mentoring Expectations, Activities and Support in Canadian Academic Libraries" College & Research Libraries Vol. 75 Iss. 6 (2014) p. 763 - 790 ISSN: 2150-6701
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/marni_harrington/14/
Creative Commons license
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC_BY-NC International License.