L I G H T I N G T H E W A Y

MentorshipToolkit

I N T R O D U C T I O N &P R O G R A M

G U I D E L I N E S

G E T T I N G S T A R T E D :T O O L S T O A

S U C C E S S F U LM E N T O R S H I P

M E N T O R S H I PR E S O U R C E S

INTRODUCTION & PROGRAMGUIDELINES

Lighting the Way is a new mentorship programdesigned to pair early career librarians withlibrary school students and recent graduates, tohelp expand access to opportunities within thelibrary profession. We’re defining early careerlibrarians as those who have not been in theirprofession for more than 5 years.

W H A T I S L I G H T I N G T H EW A Y ?

The mentorship seeks to help those who areabout to embark on the job hunt. Mentorswill assist library students and recentgraduates with some of the hurdles toaccessing the field like Civil Service Exams,lack of a professional network, and more.

W H Y M E N T O R ?

Mentor and Mentee will fill out amentorship survey in order to bestpair the mentors.

M E N T O R S H I P T I M E L I N E

Once selected for the program, the mentor will attend a on demandwebinar developed by NYLA in orderto gain the tools to be a successfulmentor. CEs will be awarded.

Mentors and Mentees will bematched and commit to meetingonce or twice a month for 6 months

Upon the completion of the program,mentors and mentees will fill out asurvey about their experiences.

IS MENTORSHIP RIGHT FORYOU?

A mentor is an experienced and trusted adviser. This can come inmany forms over the course of ones careers, from informal toformal.

W H A T I S A M E N T O R ?

This mentorship seeks to help those who are about to embark onthe job hunt. Mentors will assist library students and recentgraduates with some of the hurdles to accessing the field like CivilService Exams, lack of a professional network, and more. ForLighting the Way, we are looking for early to mid-career librarianswho are willing to help library students and recent graduatesnegotiate entering the library field. Access is at the core of ourprogram and we are passionate about making the library fieldmore accessible to new librarians.

W H Y M E N T O R ?

Contribute to the profession by helping new librarians gainaccess to the field. Gain skills in leadership Personal growth

B E N E F I T S

GETTING STARTED: TOOLS TO ASUCCESSFUL MENTORSHIP

The first step is attending the Mentorship Trainingpresented by NYLA. This training is on demand andwill give you the framework for becoming anamazing mentor!

Once paired by the Lighting the Way team, it is thementors responsibility to reach out to the menteewithin one week. Include an introduction and someinformation about why mentorship is important toyou. Work together to plan a time to meet virtually orin person at least 6 times over the course of the 6month program.

Throughout the program, the Lighting the Way teamwill check in through surveys and emails to makesure that the pairing is a good match!

H O W D O I G E T S T A R T E D ?

FIRST MEETING: PLANNINGWORKSHEET*

My mentee’s name is: Nickname (if any): Phone number(s):Email address: Best time to call/ contact: What would I like my mentee to call me?

G E T T I N G T O K N O W Y O U R M E N T E E

Typically, first meetings allow two people to get to know a little bitabout each other, attach a face to a name and gain a bit of comfort.To do so, you need to think about what setting would feelcomfortable for both of you, and plan out some conversationstarters — knowing that these are tools if you need them, not aformula.

T H I N K I N G T H R O U G H T H E F I R S TM E E T I N G

FIRST MEETING: PLANNINGWORKSHEET CONT.

1. Where might I meet with my mentee where we both wouldfeel comfortable?

2. What could I tell my mentee about me that would help us getto know each?

3. What about me and my professional life might be interestingand relevant to my mentee?

4. What questions could I ask my mentee to get to knowhim/her without prying?

5. What do I want to gain from mentoring relationship — whatare my hopes?

6. What questions might I ask to discover what my menteehopes to gain?

We recommend you look over these answers shortly before yourfirst meeting with your mentee. You might even bring it along tooffer it as a bit of a roadmap for you both to follow. Use yourjudgment.

Worksheet adapted from the "Learn to Mentor Toolkit" published by The National Mentoring Partnership

1600 Duke Street, Suite 3000 Alexandria VA 22314 703.224.2213 www.mentoring.org

Corporate Mentoring Tips: 7 Habits of Highly SuccessfulMentors & Mentorees

Mentoring Best Practices: A Handbook, by Tine Reimers

What the Best Mentors Do

M E N T O R S H I P *

FURTHER RESOURCES

For more information, or if you’re interested in signingup to mentor or be mentored, visitnypl.org/lightingtheway or email the team atlightingtheway@nyla.org

L I G H T I N G T H E W A Y

Adapted from Mentoring Resources & Best PracticesISU Library Mentoring Program - resources, guidelines, & best practices" Written by the Iowa University Library

https://instr.iastate.libguides.com/c.php?g=837540&p=6105488