The benefits of buy‐in: integrating information literacy into each year of an academic program

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the integration of information literacy into each year of a Bachelor of Arts and Science (BAS) program at the University of Guelph, Ontario, and to explain the role of librarian mentors in this program. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews the literature related to mentoring and librarians, explains the BAS program, and outlines the library's integration into the BAS curriculum. It discusses mentoring, assessment, and future goals, and provides some librarians' observations and advice. Findings The paper demonstrates the benefits of librarian‐student mentoring and of integrating information literacy into each year of an undergraduate degree program. Practical implications Since the mentoring of students by librarians is rarely mentioned in the literature, this description of our mentoring program may inspire other librarians to set up librarian‐student partnerships at their institutions. Our successful application of information literacy into every year of a degree program and our partnerships with faculty and students may serve as models for other libraries. Originality/value The experience of the University of Guelph library may show other libraries how to integrate information literacy into a program efficiently and effectively.