Imagine this: You’re a staffer at a bustling public library that provides critical services for its patrons. Or you’re a library associate learning how an academic library functions within a university. Whether you are just starting out in the profession or are a mid-careerist with years of experience under your belt, mentorship is a vital component of librarianship, just as it is in other fields.

For library workers who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color, creating successful mentorship relationships is more than a boon: It’s a necessity. This is especially true in a career where it’s difficult for women of color to see themselves among peers or draw inspiration and encouragement from leaders who share their identity, culture, and lived experiences. Creating a safe space where we can be vulnerable, support one another, celebrate our achievements, and simply be ourselves is critical to succeeding in our library, department, or work environment.

Though we, the authors, are engaged in the traditional one-on-one model, other library workers have found success in group mentoring, peer mentorship, and online mentorship through regional organizations and interest groups. We drew much of our inspiration from Jasmine’s relationship with her mentor, who is also a faculty librarian, and from Emily Joan Sartorius and Julia Maxwell’s “Mentee 501: How Mentorship Fits into the LIS Graduate Student Experience,” published as a chapter in Academic Library Mentoring: Fostering Growth and Renewal (ACRL, 2022).

The thought of implementing cross-status, cross-departmental mentorships may seem daunting, especially if they have never been tried at your institution before, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. First and foremost, identify like-minded individuals with common interests and similar aspirations for the profession’s future. This will allow an easier exchange of questions and ideas. Then cultivate safe spaces for mentees to be open with mentors. This includes creating options to meet virtually or in-person, perhaps even outside the library.

Identify like-minded individuals with common interests and similar aspirations for the profession’s future.

It can be challenging to contend with student–staff member workloads when introducing them to opportunities such as writing articles and columns (like this one!), poster presentations, and committee work. Regular check-ins with a mentee’s supervisor can help with transparency and allow the supervisor to give feedback and express concerns. The right strategies and support make this type of mentorship feasible and can lead to rewarding outcomes.

Although a one-on-one model has worked best for us, people should find a mentoring style that best suits their needs and career goals. A great example is the mentorship program that University of Michigan librarians initiated in 2017. In their chapter of Academic Library Mentoring, librarians Sheila García Mazari, Naomi Binnie, Jesus Espinoza, Denise Leyton, and Rachel Woodbrook were part of an omnidirectional mentoring initiative that focused on building a network of mentors and mentees not just among librarians but also among library staff and MLIS students. Their program connected library professionals in various sectors with others who provided valuable insights from their own experiences.

Over the past year and a half of our mentorship, we have recognized the importance of cross-status, cross-departmental mentorship opportunities for MLIS students. We hope to hear about more mentorships among librarians and staff, but we would also like to see MLIS students initiate them. Students may feel intimidated by the idea of contacting faculty with their research interests or inquiring about shadowing opportunities. But such mentorships can illuminate new opportunities, including scholarship collaboration, coteaching experience, and committee work.

Ultimately, mentorship can and should be mutually beneficial, keeping mentors up to date on the needs of aspiring librarians and providing mentees adequate guidance and support.

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