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Strengthening a Library Association Through Multi-Year Province Wide Mentorship
The British Columbia Library Association leads the library community in advocacy, professional development, and support of intellectual freedom. They ensure that all British Columbians have equitable access to information, ideas, and works of the imagination.
Duration
2 Years
Format
Pairs
Effort
1 hour/month
Participants
72 total
Audience
Virtual
Industry
Library
The Challenge
BCLA had offered a volunteer-run mentorship program since 2012, but the manual matching process limited the program’s size and scope.
With growing demand for connection across the library sector, BCLA needed a more scalable way to support knowledge exchange between new and experienced professionals.
Our Solution
Pollinate helped BCLA expand the program with a custom-branded mentorship platform, tailored intake form, Knowledge Transfer Index assessment, and advanced matching algorithm.
Matches were built around key topic areas, shared lived experiences, and insights from the BCLA Mentoring Committee. Participants also received access to a launch webinar, eLearning resources, and mentoring supports.
The Results
CLA created 73 high-quality mentorship matches and increased program participation by 250% in the first year.
The program helped participants build meaningful connections, expand their professional networks, and support career growth across different library roles and settings.
Testimonials & Custom Content
Testimonials
“Pollinate has been a wonderful partner for us and has enabled us to elevate and expand our mentorship program beyond what we imagined was possible. As a small, values-driven nonprofit organization, we were grateful not only for their deep knowledge and technological capabilities, but for the passion they brought to our shared work – their commitment to the value of mentorship and their genuine interest in what makes our sector and organization unique shone through in all of our interactions, and was manifested in the resulting program our members experienced.”
Rina Hadziev
Executive Director, British Columbia Library Association
“I have been so impressed by the Pollinate team and their services. They are attentive to our feedback, responsive to requests, and have created a quality product that has elevated our mentorship program to new standards, helping us to ensure a meaningful experience for both mentees and mentors. Obviously, library workers value resources and the addition of activity modules, templates, and video training on the platform have been much appreciated.”
Natalie Porter
Professional Development Coordinator, British Columbia Library Association
“My mentee was fabulous. I loved chatting with her and learning from her job experience. It was fascinating hearing about her workplace and community, which inspired me to think about my own community more. She also gave me some tips in return and the whole process felt reciprocal, not one sided.”
Mentor
BCLA Mentorship Program
“In the end, I think we both learned things from each other’s [career] journey. As we were both newcomers to Canada, we connected a lot about the newcomer experience both in and outside of [career], which I think strengthened our bond and ability to discuss challenging topics.”
Mentor
BCLA Mentorship Program
Custom Content
“Pollinate has been a wonderful partner for us and has enabled us to elevate and expand our mentorship program beyond what we imagined was possible. As a small, values-driven nonprofit organization, we were grateful not only for their deep knowledge and technological capabilities, but for the passion they brought to our shared work – their commitment to the value of mentorship and their genuine interest in what makes our sector and organization unique shone through in all of our interactions, and was manifested in the resulting program our members experienced.”
Rina Hadziev
Executive Director, British Columbia Library Association
“I have been so impressed by the Pollinate team and their services. They are attentive to our feedback, responsive to requests, and have created a quality product that has elevated our mentorship program to new standards, helping us to ensure a meaningful experience for both mentees and mentors. Obviously, library workers value resources and the addition of activity modules, templates, and video training on the platform have been much appreciated.”
Natalie Porter
Professional Development Coordinator, British Columbia Library Association
“My mentee was fabulous. I loved chatting with her and learning from her job experience. It was fascinating hearing about her workplace and community, which inspired me to think about my own community more. She also gave me some tips in return and the whole process felt reciprocal, not one sided.”
Mentor
BCLA Mentorship Program
“In the end, I think we both learned things from each other’s [career] journey. As we were both newcomers to Canada, we connected a lot about the newcomer experience both in and outside of [career], which I think strengthened our bond and ability to discuss challenging topics.”
Mentor
BCLA Mentorship Program
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