Hawaii Library Association Mentoring Program Committee

 

[About] [Suggestions] [Available Mentors] [Volunteering to be a Mentor] [Assessment]

 

Suggestions on how to be a good mentor or mentee:

Mentor:

If somebody contacts you to be his/her mentor, please contact the possible mentee by telephone or e-mail as soon as possible. Take a few minutes to “talk” to the possible mentee before the HLA annual conference and let the mentee know how he or she can contact you. Find out if the mentee has any questions and make arrangements to meet at the HLA annual or Spring conference. Things that you might want to discuss with the mentee are:

  • The mentee's professional or personal interests
  • How the HLA conference works--to help the mentee get the most out of the conference
  • How to become involved in HLA as a volunteer.
  • In addition, introduce him/her to other colleagues, check on him/her during the conference (especially at group social events), just to make sure he/she isn’t lonely, and make an effort to contact your mentee periodically throughout the year. 
  • One year after the mentoring relationship, please fill out anevaluation form which can be found at the HLA Mentor Program homepage.

Mentee:

If you do not hear back from the person you contacted, please contact HLA Mentoring Program Committee chair Keiko Okuhara to facilitate the communication. Either the chair or the possible mentor will contact you on the status of matching. If matching is done, your mentor should make arrangement to “talk” to you (by telephone or e-mail) before the HLA annual conference.  Be sure to ask him/her any questions you may have.  No question is too silly.  Some things that you might want to discuss with your mentor are:

  • Your interests (either professional or personal)
  • If you are attending the HLA annual conference, please try to contact your mentor before the HLA annual conference. 
  • How the conference works (although you may have already arranged your schedule, your mentor can help you get the most out of these sessions)
  • How to become involved in HLA as a volunteer.
  • Don’t be shy about asking to be introduced to other colleagues. If you feel the need, arrange to touch base occasionally throughout the conference.
  • It is not necessary to commit to spending all of your time with your mentor.
  • If you don’t hear from the mentor, feel free to contact him/her.
  • One year after the start of the mentoring relationship, please fill out an evaluation form.

 

Links to Related Literature on Mentoring

 

Feel free to contact the HLA Mentoring Program Committee chair Keiko Okuhara with any questions or comments.

This page last updated: 8 March 2008