Chapter 10: Empowering Library Employees Through a Mentorship Initiative: The Case of the University of the West Indies, Mona Library

This chapter gives an overview of the Mona Library Staff Mentorship Initiative (MonaLib SMI) – launch date, 23 June 2022. It highlights the initiative's goals of boosting staff morale, fostering professional growth, and aiding retention through mentorship. The process of establishing the initiative includes the creation of a needs assessment and the formation of a steering committee. There is an examination of the literature on mentorship in academic libraries and a discussion of the experiences and views of the participants regarding the initiative's effectiveness and areas for improvement.

The methodology utilizes a qualitative approach, incorporating a case study and components of action research. The researchers present the main findings of the initiative in six themes: expressions of gratitude, valuable knowledge and competencies gained, mentor competence, value of mentorship, positive mentor qualities, and time constraints. Decision-makers and library practitioners may evaluate the relevance, applicability, and transferability of the findings of this research to suit their unique context.