Rethinking Mentorship: A Practical, Evolving Workshop on Building Reciprocal, Academic Partnerships

Abstract

Rethinking Mentorship: Building Reciprocal, Collaborative Academic Partnerships. Presented at the 2026 NC ACE Network Annual Conference.

Speakers: Carrie Forbes and Rachel Priesman Marquez, East Carolina University.

Traditional mentorship models in academia often rely on hierarchical, top-down relationships that position one individual as the expert and the other as the learner. While effective in some contexts, these models can unintentionally limit open dialogue, reinforce power imbalances, and discourage early-career professionals from naming uncertainty or asking questions.

This interactive workshop explores an alternative approach: reciprocal or collaborative mentorship, in which two librarians at different career stages intentionally share leadership, learning, and professional responsibility. Drawing from a real-world partnership between two academic medical librarians; (one early-career and one more seasoned) this session examines how co-teaching, shared review work, and reflective dialogue foster mutual professional growth, reduce ego, and create psychologically safe environments for learning.

Rather than viewing mentorship as a unidirectional transfer of knowledge, this model frames mentorship as a shared, evolving practice rooted in collaboration and trust. Participants will: explore how reciprocal mentorship can support faster integration of new colleagues, strengthen departmental cohesion, refresh skills across career stages, and empower both individuals to develop confidence and leadership capacity.

Because the literature lacks a single term for this type of relationship, the workshop will invite participants to help articulate its defining characteristics and language. Through guided discussion and hands-on activities, attendees will identify practices that make collaborative mentorship work, draft shared mentorship norms or agreements, and develop criteria for identifying or cultivating similar relationships within their own institutions.

This session is designed for participants interested in reimagining mentorship as a tool for shared leadership, belonging, and sustainable professional growth.