The How and Why of Mentoring

Mentoring those in the archival field is critical to the development of any professional, or budding professional archivist. The mentoring relationship is one that has the potential to inform, nurture, encourage those on both sides of the relationship. This article explores that relationship and the frameworks that foster such mentoring programs. Discussed are mentoring to undergraduates, graduate archival program students, peer-to-peer mentoring of archivists at different institutions, as well as mentoring in the tenure process. This article is meant to be at once informative about such programs as well as offering guidance for those wanting to create a similar mentoring program or foster a mentoring relationship.