Thing 11 - Mentoring

Hmm, not quite sure what’s required here, as I’ve never had a mentor or been a mentor to someone.

Do I think I’ve missed out by not having a mentor? Not really. I suppose it does depend a lot on the person who is the mentor, and the relationship you have with them, but I’ve always been very happy with discussing issues with colleagues. I was very fortunate in my first job to be working with people who supported me brilliantly. In my second job, I was a solo librarian in a city where I knew no-one. Yet the network of librarians there was great and before very long I was spending at least 2 lunch-hours a week with other librarians on campus to discuss issues. The University where I work now has a mentoring programme that I could access, but at present, I don’t feel the need for this. Since I job-share, I already have someone on hand to discuss problems, to reflect on issues, and to support (or sometimes to argue against) any decisions I might make.

I would be more than happy to be a mentor if I was asked. We do have a mentoring scheme at the university, and training is provided for mentors, which I expect would be useful not just for official mentors, but anyone who has a role in supporting and/or managing other members of staff.