RILA Mentorship Program Guidelines 

For mentors

To become a mentor, you must:

1. Have worked in a library (or related organization) for five or more years.

2. Commit to at least one year (or nine months for library staff on nine-month contracts) with the program. Mentors and mentees can continue their relationship beyond the required time period if they choose.

3. Complete the mentor application.

4. Have good listening skills.

5. Have a desire to support, encourage and guide those new to the profession.

6. Be open to other viewpoints and professional goals.

RILA membership is required for mentors. 

What does being a mentor entail?

1. Initiating contact with your mentee.

2. Keeping in contact with your mentee on a regular basis by phone, email, web conferencing, or in-person meetings for the course of the year (or nine months).

3. Providing feedback and suggestions for your mentee’s professional development related to their stated goals.

4. Providing feedback to RILA at the completion of the year via a survey.

5. Adhering to the RILA Mentoring Guidelines

 

For Mentees:

To become a mentee, you must meet ALL of the following requirements:

1. Be a RILA member.

2. Currently be working in a library in some capacity (volunteer, paraprofessional, professional).

3. Commit to at least one year (or nine months for library staff on nine-month contracts) with the program. Mentors and mentees can continue their relationship beyond the required time period if they choose.

4. Complete the mentee application.

5. Be willing to share goals and challenges.

6. Be open to feedback and advice.

 

What does being a mentee entail?

1. Keeping in contact with your mentor on a regular basis by phone, email, web conferencing, or in-person meetings for the course of the year (or nine months).

2. Providing the mentor with a copy of your resume and goals for the year.

3. Seeking advice on professional issues.

4. Providing feedback to RILA at the completion of the year via a survey.

5.  Adhering to the RILA Mentoring Guidelines

 

What does the time commitment look like for a mentor?

During the one-year (or nine-month) period, you must be in contact with your mentee on a regular basis. This may mean sending an email, initiating a phone conversation, meeting via web conferencing software (such as Google Hangout or Skype) or meeting face-to-face. Beyond that, the duration and frequency of that contact is up to the individual mentor and mentee. The time commitment is determined by the mentor and mentee together and is based on the goals they mutually set for the year. The mentoring relationship can last longer than one year and contact can be more frequent if both mentor and mentee choose.

 

How do you match up mentors and mentees?

In the application, the mentor describes their experience and areas in which they feel comfortable mentoring. The mentee application asks the mentee to describe their goals and experience. We then do our best to match up mentors and mentees based on library type, experience and goals. We will look for a mentor whose expertise bets fits the mentee’s goals.

 

What if my mentor and I aren’t a good fit?

Occasionally, the mentoring relationship doesn’t work out. This can be a result of bad fit, a mentor or mentee who doesn’t actively participate in the relationship, or communication issues. If this happens, the best way to approach it is to first address the issue with the mentor/mentee. If this does not rectify the problem, contact the Mentoring Program Administrators at mentor@rilibraries.org who can try and help fix the problem.

 

What if I have questions?

Please contact the Mentoring Program Administrators at mentor@rilibraries.org with any questions or concerns.

Mentor Program Forms:

To become a mentor, click here to fill out the Mentor Application.

To be a mentee, click here to fill out the Mentee Application.