One thing I have heard over and over is that the mentorship is just as enlightening for the mentor as the mentee. As a mentor, you develop practical interpersonal and leadership skills and strengthen your own expertise. As they say, you don’t really understand a topic until you can teach it to someone less experienced. Providing an inclusive and secure space for your mentee is psychologically beneficial for them, but being a source of encouragement and guidance for someone who needs it also promotes a sense of fulfillment and introspection for you. Becoming a mentor is a chance to reflect on yourself and your career, gain a new perspective, pick up new ideas, and reinvigorate your passion. The hard work of mentors fortifies the future of the Michigan library community.

For everyone, a lack of support is a major driver of burnout, and burnout is a serious problem and frequent discussion topic in many fields, including librarianship. In a healthy work environment, your colleagues offer support and a feeling of camaraderie while maintaining appropriate boundaries and workloads. Building new relationships is an essential part of mentorship, and gaining an outside opinion can help you better understand your own situation. We all need to feel like we are in community with others to flourish personally and professionally.

We are stronger together!

Interested in learning more about the MLA Mentorship Program? Visit milibraries.org/mentor-program! Mentee applications will be open from August 1 to 31 for the fall program cohort, and mentor applications are open all year. The next round of matching will be in late September.

Keeley Briggs
Membership and Program Coordinator