MLA Mentor Program

The goal of MLA’s Mentor Program is to support career development by providing encouragement, support, and guidance to library science students, early-career librarians, mid-career staff looking to advance within their field or library staff looking to transition into another position.

Overview

The MLA Mentor Program was established to provide a method of introducing and encouraging librarians and other library professionals to work together and network within the community. After several successful years, and based on feedback from past participants, we re-launched the program in 2020 in order to be more inclusive, provide greater resources to mentors and mentees, and increase the overall impact.

Michigan Library Association will match partners. Participants will each receive a welcome packet identifying their partner. Mentees are expected to make first contact with their assigned mentors. Partnerships are expected to last for 6 months.

The Mentor Program is flexible and largely self-directed. Mentor and mentee pairs are encouraged to set goals, work out a schedule, and use communication methods that work for them.

Required Activities for Mentors and Mentees

Each pair will define their own goals and objectives at the beginning of their mentoring relationship
Establish a communication plan that both parties are willing to follow
Complete a check-in survey after two months, another after four months, and a final program evaluation after 6 months
Activities specific to mentee’s professional goals and interests

Apply to be a Mentor

Apply to be a Mentee

Mentee Applications windows will be open each February and August. Matching will take place in March and September for the Spring and Autumn groups respectively.

Spring Partnerships: April 1 – September 30
Autumn Partnerships: October 1 – March 31

Mentor Applications will be open all year. Your name will remain on the list of prospective mentors until you wish us to remove it. MLA will contact all prospective mentors in February and August of each year to confirm continued interest in the program.