Addressing Psychosocial Factors with Library Mentoring

The majority of articles on mentoring in the library and information science field address career development by emphasizing the orientation process for new librarians and building the requisite skills for a specific job. Few articles deal with the psychological and social challenges that many early-career and minority librarians face, which can affect their satisfaction with their work. This paper argues that a more personal approach to mentoring—one that addresses such issues as racial microaggressions, the impostor phenomenon, and burnout—is needed to create a more welcoming, inclusive organizational and professional culture.