Being a mentor

Abstract

In 2009 one of the German library associations, the “Professional Library and Information Body” (Berufsverband Information Bibliothek (BIB)) started a mentoring programme for its members to promote their personal development. The author applied to become a mentor and the BIB looked for a matching mentee. The paper describes the start of the programme as well as the process, and concludes with results and the errors which should be avoided. It presents useful materials and describes the chosen communication methods of the teams of mentors and mentees.