Mentorship: Creating a fertile ground for character growth and academic advancement at DCU Library

Congratulations to Lorcan Cahill from Dublin City University Library, whose blog post was highly commended in the CONUL Training and Development Library Assistant Blog Awards 2025

Mentorship involves the guidance of individuals or groups towards a common goal. Mentors are those in a position of influence who adopt an attitude of forward thinking. They achieve this outlook by placing value on an individual or group’s trajectory in life. They understand that confidence breeds competence. Mentors empower others by delegating opportunities for character growth and possess the skill of anticipating the future by setting forth a vision that is grounded in the realities of today.(Burnison. 2012. Chap 6) 

At DCU Library, we are aware of the importance of mentoring students and staff. We hold the personal and academic development of our library users in equal measure. (DCU Library Strategy. 3) We endeavour to facilitate an engaging environment that simultaneously encourages people to academically succeed and grow in character. This culture is not born out of passive activity, but rather it is born through high-contact engagement and meaningful relationships with our users. 

The front-facing library assistant, who assists in identifying educational resources, is fundamental to mentorship. The initial interaction at the front desk is crucial as it can either positively or negatively impact the individual’s future relationship with the library. Moreover, the library’s greatest asset is its staff, especially those who are front-facing. Library users must feel comfortable asking for help. To seek assistance is to make oneself vulnerable to a lesser-known concept. It is the library assistant’s job to be conscious of that and address the user’s needs. These include explaining the use of an online search catalogue, showcasing the use of an online journal database, providing advice on a reading list, resolving library account queries, or even giving directions to a lecture hall. 

Patrick Dennan, DCU Library Assistant at Cregan Library, assisting students at our library reception

Credit: Kyran O’Brien

At Dublin City University, we value a shared mindset ‘to transform lives and societies.’ (DCU Strategy 2023 - 2028) This mindset permeates all positions within the library and is keenly felt at library assistant level as the help desk is where active engagement is most evident. The advantage of a front-facing role is that participation and interaction are inevitable. Similarly, the potential for authenticity and connectivity to flourish is paramount. Authenticity and connectivity, in this context, mean removing excessive individualism and favouring a shared sense of purpose. (Goffee & Jones.2015. Introduction) Once these conditions are evident, an environment is made fertile for not only academic advancement to occur, but for character growth to materialise. 

To achieve this climate of personal and academic development, DCU Library remains collegial and collaborative. (DCU Library Strategy 2023 - 2028. 3)We understand our geographical importance of being situated on the northside of Dublin and the close proximity we share to local primary and secondary schools. Mentorship at DCU Library, therefore, is not exclusive to DCU staff and students, but it is extended to the local community. Our outreach initiatives such as Leaving Certificate students availing of a study environment in the lead up to their examinations is illustrative of this. The library also offers Leaving Certificate students an opportunity to avail of free masterclasses in subject areas like English, Irish and Mathematics. Similarly, community engagement is fostered through long-standing campaigns including regular creative writing workshops and competitions, art exhibitions, and inviting members of the community to celebrate cultural heritage on Culture Night. 

Dave Rudden introducing a Leaving Certificate masterclass on English, Seamus Heaney Lecture Theatre, DCU St. Patrick’s Campus

Credit: DCU Library

As well as building engagement, mentorship is primarily provided to our students and staff. This provision is made possible by forward thinking. Forward thinking, in the context of an academic library, means drawing upon the real-life experiences of our users and implementing new strategies to improve their overall experience. It means, in other words, leveraging our user experience by enlarging and evaluating the already existing experience of our users. 

Woodlock Hall Library, DCU All Hallows Campus (Mahon and O'Neill)

                                    Credit: Kyran O’Brien 

Forward thinking occupies the liminal space between the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of an organisation. At DCU Library, we are particularly committed to championing and empowering users with neurodivergent needs. Woodlock Hall Library, which was opened to our users in 2021, was initially designed as a quiet alternative library. It has since become popular with patrons in need of a sensory-friendly study space. Consequently, the quiet study environment is frequently promoted via our social media channels. This is reflective of our commitment to mentor our diverse community by eliminating educational barriers and anticipating their needs. It is also illustrative of our adherence to value our people. 

We are aware that by valuing our users, DCU Library, as an organisation, grows in value itself. There is a symbiotic relationship between the library and our patrons. If one augments in value, the other follows. By committing to our purpose of mentoring both the academic success and wellbeing of our users, DCU Library remains inwardly sound and outwardly engaged. Mentorship is extended to our users by offering a study and social environment that encourages collaboration, engagement and participation. Furthermore, our ultimate goal is to equip users with self-confidence. By building confidence, the ground is made all the more rich for our patrons to gain self-awareness and thrive both academically and socially. 

Bibliography
PRIMARY MATERIAL 
DCU Strategy 2023 – 2028, Dublin City University (accessed 05/06/2025). 
DCU Library Strategy: 2023 – 2028, Dublin City University (accessed 05/06/2025), 
pp. 1-14. 

SECONDARY SOURCES 
PUBLISHED WORKS 
Burnison, Gary, The Twelve Absolutes of Leadership (New York, 2012, eBook edition). 
Goffee, Rob & Jones, Gareth, Why Should Anyone Be Led by You? With a New Preface by the Authors: What It Takes to be an Authentic Leader (Boston, 2015, eBook edition). 
O’Neill, Alana Mahon, & Shanahan, Rosemary, ‘All Hallows Campus and Woodlock Hall Library’, LibFocus, 18 July 2024 (accessed 05/06/2025). 

INTERNET RESOURCES 
Definition of Mentorship, Merriam-Webster Dictionary (accessed 05/06/2025).