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
Highlights
In a highly technological world in which academic librarians work, they desire to be seen and affirmed as people who make a positive difference on campus at their institutions
50% of academic libraries had neither (p.4). Based on these earlier works, the authors conducted their own survey in 2017 of academic librarians who had served as mentors or mentees or both
Mentors accompany the librarians they are mentoring in their professional journey and at their pace. They may affirm strengths, cultivate potential, and assist the mentee to navigate the profession of academic librarianship
Summary
In a highly technological world in which academic librarians work, they desire to be seen and affirmed as people who make a positive difference on campus at their institutions. They arrive with diverse backgrounds, subject expertise, and aspirations. Mentoring strengthens necessary planning to develop needed expertise to supply future skills as academic libraries continue changing. “...my library made a choice years ago to promote from within when leadership positions became available and fill vacancies with entry-level professionals This provided a career path for existing staff and allowed the library to attract individuals with skills we needed.” Mentoring in academic libraries has the potential to strengthen professional development, improve staff retention, prepare library leaders, and enhance job satisfaction
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