Library Faculty

Library faculty members are provided job descriptions that list their responsibilities and the approximate amount of time they should devote to each. The job description is the primary basis for performance appraisal. Currently, the possibilities for job duties fall into the following categories: 

1. Practice of Librarianship: traditional library tasks, like information literacy instruction, cataloging, acquisitions, collection development, and reference, are covered in this category (typically 80%).
   
   
2. Scholarship: research, publications in librarianship or other areas, scholarly presentations and exhibits (typically 10%).
   
   
3. Service: consulting, service on library or university committees, organization of professional meetings (typically 10%).
   
   
4. Administration: supervising and managing library employees. 

Library faculty members undergo a periodic review process similar to the teaching faculty.  

1. The process involves an iterative process of peers’ recommendations to an administrator. Typically, this involves the general library faculty advising the department head, the Library Reappointment and Promotion Committee advising the Dean of Libraries, and, in some cases, the University Reappointment, Tenure and Promotion Committee advising the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Comments from all of these reviews are provided to the candidate. Following these steps there are reviews by the President and Board of Trustees.
   
   
2. Faculty members being evaluated must prepare packets in a prescribed manner to document their activities and to aid their peers’ evaluations.
   
   
3. Faculty appointed at the Assistant Librarian rank have annual reviews in their first and second years, a mandatory reappointment and fixed-term review in their third year, and annual reviews in the fourth and fifth year. Assistant Librarians are reviewed for promotion to Associate Librarian in their sixth year. The promotion review covers the faculty members’ entire careers at U.W. and includes outside review of their scholarship. Faculty appointed at the Associate rank normally have a three-year probationary period with annual reviews in their first and second year, followed by a mandatory reappointment and fixed-term review in the third year. 
   
   
4. Library faculty members may elect to come up for early promotion, though to be successful their cases must be persuasive. Librarians should consult with peers, department heads, and the Dean about the prospects for a successful early promotion. 
   
   
5. Library faculty are reviewed separately for fixed-term appointment and promotion to Associate Librarian. There is no scheduled point at which library faculty members are considered for promotion to Librarian.
   
   
6. Fixed-term appointments with rolling contracts are three years in length for Assistant and Associate Librarians and five years for Librarians.  

The Academic Affairs website is the official source of information for academic personnel undergoing review. 

• University Regulations and university-level Standard Administrative Policy and Procedure (SAPP) documents relevant to all fixed-term faculty. 
• Faculty review information
• Guidelines for promotion for library faculty (PDF)
• Implementing and Evaluating Fixed-Term with Rolling Contracts (PDF)

1. The Personnel Committee is concerned with nominations and elections, mentoring, new faculty orientation, and exit interviews.
   
   
2. The Reappointment and Promotion Committee reviews and votes on matters pertaining to reappointment, optional review, fixed-term appointment, and promotion.  Please speak to your department chair/assistant dean and the Associate Dean of Libraries about your proposal.