ASCLA Mentoring Fact Sheet
Interface Volume 26, Spring, 2004. Interface is the newsletter published by the ASCLA division of the ALA. This is a short list of tips for mentors and mentees and how to maintain a positive relationship between mentor and mentee.
Volume 26, Number 2, Summer 2004
ASCLA Mentoring Fact Sheet
Mentor Tips
Getting Started:
Contact your mentee and explain who you are. He/she will be expecting your email/call.
As a mentor, it is your responsibility to arrange a time convenient to both of you for communication by chat, email,
phone or fax.
Start with an introduction about yourself: where you work, what you do, your professional interests.
Set up a regular time for communication or at least your next virtual or real meeting.
Be sure to maintain confidentiality.
If you are too busy at work, let your mentee know in advance. Be flexible and proactive.
A Good Mentor:
Helps the mentee learn about the library profession and ASCLA’s activities, people and events
Encourages and motivates the mentee as a valued colleague who desires new skills
Gives specific, constructive, respectful feedback
Focuses on helping the mentee to develop individual knowledge and skills
Assists in career planning within ASCLA and on the job. Encourages people with disabilities and other underserved groups
to enter the library field
Helps the mentee develop a network of ASCLA colleagues
Maintains confidentiality
Sets specific tasks
Provides alternative ways to consider issues
Helps mentees identify their assumptions
Encourages “what if” thinking
Provides the ASCLA vision and mission (the big picture for services for underserved populations, for state libraries,
for independent consultants)
Shares “tried and true” methods used within ASCLA and in the profession
Provides a mirror for the mentee to reflect upon past actions or situations
Acts as a role model with high standards
Mentee Tips
Getting Started:
Provide the mentor with a statement of professional goals and skills you want to improve.
If you need help or ideas, ask your mentor.
When asking for advice about a problem/question, give as much specific background information as possible. This will
assist your mentor to give appropriate advice since they may have a very different work environment
If the relation with your mentor does not help you, let the ASCLA Mentoring Committee know. Sometimes matches just don’t
work. The committee will assist you to find solutions, either with the same or another mentor.
A Good Mentee:
Is open to new ideas
Desires personal and professional growth and development
Has a positive attitude
Is receptive to feedback and coaching
Is considerate and recognizes that mentors are librarians who volunteer their time and expertise
Keeps information confidential since the mentor may share professionally sensitive knowledge
Adapts to fit with the communication styles or time constraints of the mentor
Proactively suggests ways to improve learning and communication with the mentor
ASCLA Mentoring Fact Sheet