Mentoring: a natural act for information professionals?

Provides some historical context for mentoring programs, including how mentoring has been used by the business world to develop potential future executives. Explains the benefits that can be gained from mentoring and what characteristics a good mentor should possess. This includes a list of the type of roles that they can be expected to assume when providing assistance to a mentee. Also notes the obligations of a mentee. Information professionals can also benefit from participating in mentoring programs. Describes examples of how several of the library associations have incorporated mentoring programs into the services that they now make available to their members.