on past experiences; and for mentoring to be successful, and hence a good experience,
it must be managed to determine what makes it effective and satisfying.9
From an organizational perspective, Mathews found that the presence of mentoring
programs in higher education is also beneficial in terms of making professionals feel
more valued.10 This feeling of value is then translated into an increased commitment
by the professionals and may reduce turnover in the organization. Mentoring also
plays a role in transmitting and perpetuating the organization’s culture; and, when
the culture of an organization is understood, individuals are more likely to succeed.
Finally, several articles cite the benefits for women in academia who participate
in mentoring opportunities or program.11 Over fifteen years ago, Kirkland surveyed
135 female directors of academic libraries and found mentoring to be one of the most
highly ranked variables for career success.12 These findings are important for library
workers in Canadian academic institutions because females traditionally account for
a majority (70%–80%) of the workforce.13
Mentoring in Academic Libraries
Osif reviewed a variety of mentoring programs within academic libraries and beyond
to itemize program similarities and differences.14 The differences outnumbered the
similarities considerably. From the length of the mentoring program to what the
mentoring participants were called, a “magic mentoring program that is appropriate
for all libraries” was not evident. However, the positive outcomes associated with
mentoring were evident; because of this, Osif urges the development of mentoring
cultures within libraries. Recently, Shupe and Pung compiled a current and excellent
review on mentoring as an important factor in librarian development.15 Culpepper’s
work also reviews the literature on mentoring in academic libraries and highlights the
benefits for both mentors and mentees framed around career guidance. She discusses
the benefits of mentoring new librarians for successful integration into the institutional
culture and the benefits for more experienced librarians when mentoring is available
for support in leadership roles.16
Most of the literature on mentoring in academic libraries is based on case studies
or reviews concerning “how we did it at our institution or library.”17 Often, a case
study focuses on a particular problem or need within a particular library. Specific
problems include retaining librarians, or supporting librarians in the tenure and promotion
process. Retention rates for minority librarians have also been documented
to be problematic because of issues of lower pay, lack of advancement, and being
overlooked for important committees and projects.18 Olivas and Ma discovered that,
on average, minority librarians who did not have a mentor, or failed to keep in contact
with a mentor, rated job satisfaction quite low.19 In addition, many planned on leaving
librarianship as a profession within the next five years. Conversely, minority librarians
who had been mentored perceived many benefits, including greater job satisfaction,
and improved promotion possibilities within the organization.
Mentoring and New Librarians
Mentoring can play a role in the recruitment of the most qualified library candidates.
The importance of a mentoring plan for new hires was discussed in a 2002 Association
of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Task Force investigation.20 They found
that newer professionals may be more influenced by not just salary, job duties, and
professional development, but also mentoring. It may be the case that new librarians’
mentoring expectations are growing over time. Black and Leysen found that informal
mentoring was important to 75 percent of the 122 new librarians working at the ARL
libraries they surveyed and state that these mentoring programs are critical for the