University Library
The evaluation criteria for personnel reviews of regular Library faculty are stated in Chapter 4 of the University’s Administrative Manual under “Faculty Personnel Policies” and are reprinted annually in the Faculty Handbook at § XVII.2.9.2, as approved by the Board of Trustees. The four criteria, in order of importance, are: 1) Professional effectiveness; 2) Professional achievement; 3) Unit and University service; and 4) Community service.
While the evaluation criteria for academic librarians are roughly parallel with those for the regular teaching faculty, there are distinct differences between them that should be kept in mind during any personnel or performance review for contract renewal, tenure, or promotion. Academic librarians, in the course of their University and professional careers, perform widely disparate and very different duties that cannot easily be codified into a rigid framework of expectations that will be relevant to each specific case. At the University the Librarians have dual duties that consist of overseeing at least one functional area in the Library and of sharing responsibilities as library faculty, such as reference, collection development, bibliographic instruction, etc. Consequently, evaluation criteria for regular Library faculty should be construed with the widest possible latitude and have the broadest of interpretations.
The evaluation criteria below are based upon the personnel policies approved by the Board of Trustees. For purposes of clarification, these criteria have been enhanced and amplified. It is expected that all regular Library faculty shall be evaluated on the same criteria and shall be expected to demonstrate that they meet the same level of performance expectations. The burden of proof that performance warrants the personnel action under consideration rests with the regular Library faculty member under review. It is the responsibility of the University to process the requested personnel action.
The University Library values excellence in professional effectiveness, and considers the demonstration of it the first priority for all Library faculty. By the very nature of library and information science, expressions of professional effectiveness for regular Library faculty vary widely, as do the means, formats, and venues by which these expressions can be made. However, unlike their teaching faculty counterparts, librarians are not normally evaluated by students or other library users; nor are other traditional evaluation measures generally applicable, e.g., course syllabi, classroom observation, and samples of student work.
Professional effectiveness of the Library faculty can be measured through:
The University Library strongly encourages its Library faculty to engage in professional activity that reflects their intellectual, professional and/or scholarly interests. Expressions of professional achievement will vary widely in form and content, and can be addressed or demonstrated to a diverse audience that can include students, colleagues on and off the campus, community members, or other groups.
Unlike faculty from academic divisions and professional schools who have 9-month contracts (and therefore have time for research and scholarship), the contract year for Library faculty is 12 months. Because of this dissimilarity in the contract year, regular Library faculty are not expected to engage in traditional research activities, but rather in “scholarship” as broadly defined by Ernest Boyer.† Disseminating the results of such scholarship can be accomplished through a variety of methods, both traditional and nontraditional. Scholarship for Library faculty may include, but is not limited to:
The University Library considers service to the unit and University to be important responsibilities. Library faculty are expected to participate in University faculty governance as well as in the functioning of the University Library. Library faculty may participate by holding elective positions, or through less official contributions. Effective unit and University service may include, but is not limited to:
Library faculty can contribute to the larger community by participating in community service, but appropriate balance between professional responsibilities to the University Library and this last category is important. Professional and community service may include:
Contract Renewal
Each Library faculty member is expected to invest significant effort in becoming an excellent academic librarian and to clearly demonstrate progress towards that end. In all personnel decisions, the most important evaluation criterion is professional effectiveness; however the other three criteria (professional achievement, unit and University service, and professional and community service) are also valued by the Library and considered as well.
If significant problems with a Library faculty member should be identified by Library colleagues during initial contract renewal discussions and evaluations, it is expected that the Library faculty member in question will address and make efforts to correct or improve her/his area(s) of deficiency.
Promotion / Tenure
As described in the Faculty Handbook, to be promoted from Instructor Librarian to Assistant Librarian the candidate should prove to be an effective academic librarian. This can be done by consistent professional effectiveness, progress toward professional achievement, and contributions to Library, University, and community service.
As described in the Faculty Handbook, to be promoted from Assistant Librarian to Associate Librarian the candidate must display consistent professional effectiveness, show evidence of professional development, and have made contributions to the University and the profession. The extent of participation in these areas will be affected by a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the stage of the Library faculty member’s career and the program objectives of the University.
As described in the Faculty Handbook, to be promoted from Associate Librarian to Senior Librarian the candidate must display consistent excellence in academic librarianship, demonstrate creative activity or scholarship in the profession, show professional development, and have made vital contributions to the Library, University and community. The extent of participation in these areas will be affected by a variety of factors, including the stage of the Library faculty member’s career and the program objectives of the University.
The granting of early tenure and/or promotion should only occur in exceptional cases when the record of a Library faculty member shows a consistently outstanding performance in the first three areas of the Evaluation Criteria, namely, professional effectiveness, professional achievement, and unit/university service, as well as some in the fourth area, community service. In cases where the record of the Library faculty member is strong enough for early tenure, it may also satisfy the requirements for early promotion as well.
As stated in the Faculty Handbook, sabbatical leaves are “intended primarily to encourage and promote the professional growth” and such leaves “are a part of the University’s responsibility in relation to faculty growth and development.” Library faculty, in formulating a proposal for sabbatical leave, will follow the guidelines, instructions, and timetable given at §XVIII.2.3.4 of the Faculty Handbook.
It is anticipated that proposed sabbatical leave activities for Library faculty will cover a diverse field of professional interests, educational opportunities, library and informational science development, scholarly research, and many other activities. Those applying for sabbatical leave shall clearly demonstrate how their proposed leave activities will contribute to or enhance their professional effectiveness, professional achievement, or be of value to the University Library or University community.
Approved by University Library
Faculty,
† Ernest L.
Boyer, Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate.