Publication Date
1-1-2016
Abstract
According to the nineteenth-century Massachusetts Senator John C. Crosby, “Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.” In a field where technology, priorities, and job responsibilities are constantly changing and challenging professionals, mentoring has become an essential tool to ensure the success of individuals at all levels of their careers. This article highlights the establishment of two regional archival organization mentoring programs that have taken the traditional model of mentoring relationships and expanded it to better fit the needs of their communities. The Society of Georgia Archivists Mentoring Program facilitates one-to-one relationships that are established on a self-serve model, ensuring that mentees are matched with mentors who really fit their needs and interests. With a high-touch level of involvement from the program coordinators, mentoring relationships remain on track through regular check-ins. In contrast, the New England Archivist’s Mentoring Program is a group mentoring model. A mentoring circle creates high impact for both mentors and mentees by bringing participants together for conversations in a group, either in person or virtually. Everyone brings something different to a circle, fostering conversations, sharing of professional lessons, and support from a number of perspectives. These new models of mentorship allow professionals to meet peers and colleagues at all levels and backgrounds, providing access to a diversity of perspectives perhaps unavailable through traditional channels.