Thing 11: Mentoring

I have had many mentors over the years.  Here are just a few of them: 

I participated in a long-term service project in a local school and relied heavily on the two teachers overseeing the program and on my colleague, who had been a paraprofessional in the school the year before and who was taking classes.  These ladies taught me more about the context of what I was doing, passed along tips and articles, and offered general life advice.  The experience was far richer for their friendship and input.


The staff members at the academic library I have worked in the past two years have also acted as mentors.  Through this position, I have been able to work on projects, such as copy editing for an open access journal, filling interlibrary loan requests, and researching the history of the college.  Through every day conversations, the staff members have related their stories, given advice, and listened to my thoughts.  Many of them have also passed along position advertisements that fit my future plans.  My supervisor has been a particularly valuable resource.  Knowing that after graduation I would be searching for my first professional position, the staff members have ramped up their efforts.  I am grateful for all their help!

One of the ladies at the public library where I recently began working has volunteered herself to be one of my mentors.  She frequently reminds me to tell the administration that I am interested in professional positions and to sell myself to them.  She has also discussed my future with me and has been very supportive as I have been applying to positions.

Seeking a more formal mentoring, I used this Thing as a prompt to sign up for the American Library Association's MentorConnect program.  As I have been applying to various positions, I have discovered areas in which I have little practice.  I found one person whose experience covered almost all of those areas-to-be-developed.  She cheerfully and promptly agreed to mentor me.  I look forward to getting to know her better.

Thank you to all my mentors--formal and informal, long-term or short-term; you have made me who I am!