Beyond Mentoring

A Guide for Librarians and Information Professionals

Dawn Lowe-Wincentsen

• Publisher: Chandos Publishing
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9780081012956
• Topic: Langues et linguistique
• Subtopic: Bibliothèques et sciences de l'information

Beyond Mentoring: A Guide for Librarians and Information Professionals looks at mentorship, mentorship programs, what works, what doesn't, and different techniques, such as group and peer mentoring. The book considers many aspects of mentoring, various programs, and their successes and failures, going beyond the usual types of mentoring by looking at newer models.

An example of the cohort model from the American Library Association Emerging Leader model is included as a case study. In addition, another case study on the Sunshine State leadership Institute provides a toolkit for building your own program.

The final section of the book offers perspectives and tools that people can use in designing their own programs.

• Provides case studies and perspectives from librarians who have been involved in mentoring programs
• Describes program types that go beyond traditional mentoring, including peer-to-peer and cohort or group mentoring
• Gives practical advice to help readers apply best practices to their own situations
• Offers a hands-on perspective of the program design process

Chapter 1

Introduction

What is Beyond Mentoring?

D. Lowe-Wincentsen,    Oregon Institute of Technology, Wilsonville, OR, United States

This book is called Beyond Mentoring. But what does that mean? When we talk about mentoring, we usually talk about one-on-one relationships formed through a program of some sort. As cochair of the American Library Association (ALA) Library Leadership and Management Association Mentoring Committee, I have seen how a traditional program works. One mentor is paired with one mentee. The pair is given some orientation, creates expectations, etc. There are best practices and many programs available at a variety of levels for the traditional mentoring relationship in information and library sciences. However, one size does not fit all for professional growth and development.

I have been privileged to have a variety of different mentoring relationships in my career so far. I have been part of formal programs as both a mentee and a mentor, I have been informally mentored by supervisors, coached by colleagues and peers, and mentored in a group setting. Each type of relationship offers something different. In addition to what current professionals have experienced, there seems to be a renewed interest in mentorship and mentorship-type programs. In the Fall 2015 Oregon Library Association Quarterly, Jenkins Lumpkin writes a rousing call to mentorship. It is a battle cry from the new librarian, for the soon-to-be librarian to join ranks with the more experienced professional, and to learn the ever-changing world of information science together.

At a convergence of being both a mentor, and a mentee, while working on two different styles of formal programs, and researching nonformal programs, while being a mentee to a volunteer position not related to the library sciences at all, I found myself wondering about what comes after mentoring. When someone has been a mentor, has been a mentee, has made connections with many people in many different ways, and is looking for the next way to share, what is available to them? What is there for the person just beginning, who does not know where to go yet, who may have received their degree from an online program with no personal contact with other professionals? What is there for the hands-on learner who has a project, get-’er-done focus, and who is looking for a partner? This book hopes to answer some of these questions and give options to those who are looking beyond the current paradigm. This book also looks at how to develop a program, and some best practices for successful programs. It even includes what to do when a program fails.

Laughlin and Moore (2012) discuss the importance of having a mentor and being a mentor at the beginning and the end, respectively, of one’s career. The connection that new professionals make with a mentor can last for their entire career and beyond. The article states, a key to good mentoring is learning your own learning and leadership styles.

I have an engineering colleague who is taking classes. This colleague reads the materials, takes notes in the lectures, and does the homework; but the times when the information clicks the best are when this person is talking through a problem, and finding a way to explain the process step-by-step to a nonengineer such as myself. There are multiple learning styles this colleague is using. A different person may learn the same material in a different way. This is why, when developing courses and classes, instructors, librarians, and teachers tailor to multiple styles of learning. Much like learning styles, there is no one-size-fits-all. Some of the beyond-mentoring styles talked about here track well with different learning styles. Additionally, a mentee may develop best with a mix of styles:

 Auditory learners may work well in the traditional one-on-one model

 Kinesthetic learners may work better in a peer coaching or team model where they are working together towards a common goal

 Visual learners may work well in an expert database or a single to few contact situation with a strong written record.

Another example comes from my own background. I and two colleagues at a large state university were all fairly new to librarianship at the time. We were each within the first 5 years of our professional careers. All three of us were among the youngest professionals at the university, and we seemed to get grouped together on multiple projects, even though we were all in different departments within the library. While it was informal, and in many ways, self-selected, this became our cohort model. For any one project a single lead, or mentor, assigned the task. Each of us within the cohort would then bring our areas of expertise and work together toward the project goal. All three of us have different learning styles and work differently together.

Leadership styles are something that is often discussed in upper management, but should also be discussed at the beginning of a career. Understanding how a leader works, and how to best guide them and work with them, will help new professionals as much as more experienced professionals. There seem to be as many leadership institutes and programs available as there are mentoring programs. In many cases, these types of programs work together. In the Emerging leaders program within the ALA, it is individuals who apply for the program. After acceptance, they are teamed up with a group. Each group has a project, and a mentor for that project. It is a cohort style of mentorship. The projects are often sponsored by the various round tables and divisions of ALA. The end products help these different round tables and divisions in various initiatives. Herold (2015) goes into much more depth on leadership institutes that this book does.

The learning style and leadership style discussions are just part of the conversation. Add into this a mix of generations, cultures, and backgrounds. You will see a whole world of people with different needs trying to connect with others on common ground, and reaching out, beyond mentoring.

References

1. Herold I. Creating leaders Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries; 2015.

2. Laughlin K, Moore H. Mentoring and leadership: A practical application for one’s career path. Journal of Adult Education. 2012;41(1):34–40 [Online]. Available from <http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ991443> Accessed 13.04.16.

3. Lumpkin J. #Why membership? Professional associations in the millennial age: A call to action through mentorship. OLA Quarterly. 2016;21(3):5–7 [Online]. Available from <http://commons.pacificu.edu/olaq/vol21/iss3/1/> Accessed 23.01.16.

Chapter 2

Mentoring Organically

K. Quinnell, Mercer University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Abstract

This chapter defines traditional and informal mentoring, identifies the principles and traits of good mentors and then combines two theories to provide a framework for mentoring organically through relationships. Munroe’s levels of friendships and Kram’s stages of mentoring are used to illustrate through anecdotal examples how organic mentoring can work.

Keywords

informal mentoring; phases of mentoring; flash mentoring; virtual mentoring; group mentoring; peer mentoring; reverse mentoring; situational mentoring

According to Zabel, “retirements will peak between 2015 and 2019” (2008, p. 349), but what happens if we do not have people ready to take over administrative positions when the exodus begins? Mentoring the next generation before administrative professionals retire becomes a serious part of succession planning (Zabel, 2008). Many organizations and institutions have set up mentoring programs to assist with this imminent change, but, in my 14 years as a professional I have never participated in a formal mentoring program. However, I have been both mentee and mentor in many wonderful relationships with other professionals. These relationships have typically happened organically to the benefit of all. We have shared issues, advice, and support though respect and collaboration.

According to Bynum (2015) mentoring is reciprocal, time intensive, and recurring. “A mentor relationship has the potential to enhance career development and psychosocial development of both individuals” (Kram, 1983, p. 613). Good mentors offer safe conditions and support for mentees to investigate new ideas with confidence and become independent leaders who are able to support and advocate for their decisions (Bohannon & Bohannon, 2015; Lipscomb & An, 2010). And Mijares, Baxley, and Bond found that “mentoring is a resonating phenomenon where those who were mentored will mentor others” (2008, p. 23).

Lipscomb and An (2010) state that each “mentoring relationship is unique [in which] both parties should take the time to get to know each other, share information about their backgrounds, and establish a foundation of trust” (p. 1004). Bohannon and Bohannon (2015) also found that the best mentoring relationships occur between people with similar backgrounds and Yamada, Slanetz, and Boisell (2014) found that mentees who self-select mentors instead of having them assigned rated their experiences better overall. Self-selection also shows the mentor the protégé is worthy of their time investment in the relationship (Ensher & Murphy, 2011). This literature supports the idea that mutual respect and liking the person you are learning from is important to a mentoring relationship.

I have found that mentoring can happen naturally with the people around you. Individuals are drawn to those who are similar to them or who possess some quality they admire. In both circumstances the individuals can develop a rapport or friendship that can lead to learning and mentoring. In 1983, Kram identified four phases of mentoring; initiation, cultivation, separation, and redefinition and in 2004, Munroe identified four levels of friendship: acquaintance, work, social, and intimate. I have found these phases and levels to be extremely similar and think that they mirror each other. In this chapter, I will show through literature and anecdote how Munroe’s levels of friendships can illustrate Kram’s stages of mentoring and serve as a valuable informal mentoring process to those who are willing to extend themselves into the relationship.

2.1 Defining Mentoring

Before explaining how Kram’s (1983) and Munroe’s (2014) theories work together, it is important to examine the traditional and current definitions of mentoring. Traditional definitions of mentoring are very experience centric. Mijares, Baxley, and Bond (2008) define mentoring as an interpersonal interaction where the experienced mentor provides guidance, instruction, encouragement, role modeling, and emotional support to a younger person. Osif found “guidance, knowledge, experience, and contacts … [as] essential to quality mentoring” (2008, p. 336). Traditional mentoring typically happens via a program where a mentor and mentee are assigned to each other to work on the mentee’s goals and adjustment, with the mentor being the more experienced individual who helps guide and train the new protégé. While traditional mentor programs are guided, timely, and have specific goals, a less formal type of mentoring has begun to be recognized in the past few decades.

Informal mentoring is more nebulous then traditional mentoring. James, Rayner, and Bruno stated “new librarians initially thought that we simply did not have mentors, yet once we started identifying informal mentorship we realized that there were people within our library who acted as mentors when needed” (2015, p. 532). Magan found that “mentoring generally brings colleagues together vo...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Dedication
• List of Contributors
• Author Biographies
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1. Introduction: What is Beyond Mentoring?
• Chapter 2. Mentoring Organically
• Chapter 3. Inorganic is Still Good for You: Building a Structured Group Mentoring Program for Librarians
• Chapter 4. Informal Mentorship Matters: One Librarian’s Leadership Journey
• Chapter 5. My Year(s) as a Mentoring Committee Chair
• Chapter 6. Developing Future Mentors and Mid-Career Librarians: A Look at the Full Cycle of Faculty Librarian Mentoring
• Chapter 7. #TwitMentoring: Librarians Using Twitter in Forming and Cultivating Mentoring Relationships
• Chapter 8. Cross Institutional Peer Coaching: A Case Study
• Chapter 9. Critical Friendship for Librarians: Striving Together for Scholarly Advancement
• Index