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.