This document outlines the procedural steps for the five-year unit head review. The approved policy document outlining the general process is available at: Unit Heads and Associate University Librarians: Appointments, Evaluations and Administrative Components of Salary.
- Timetable: The review process takes approximately four months. Ideally, it should be begin in January so that it can be completed in April, however sometimes reviews occur off this cycle.
- To begin, four (4) members are chosen by the Executive Committee to serve on the review committee (one representative from each: EC (chair), AC, LSSC, and LCAP). All members must understand from the outset that this process is highly confidential and integrity of the review process is critical.
- The chair of the committee, typically the EC representative, should meet with the Unit Head to outline the review process and ask the Unit Head for the following documents, which the committee then reviews. (see “Sample Correspondence regarding 5-year Unit Head Review” in procedural folder):
- Unit Head expectations as set with the Dean upon last appointment (in absence of these, use job description)
- A current job description
- Unit Annual Reports for the past five years
- Current CV
- A brief (2 page) written self-evaluation
This brief report provides the Unit Head’s perspective on his or her accomplishments, challenges, and opportunities over the previous five years, as well as current goals and difficulties, and future aspirations for the coming five-year period. This report should be framed around the previously established Unit Head Expectations established by the Unit Head in collaboration with the Dean of Libraries and clearly address how those outlined expectations were met or unmet and why.
- [OPTIONAL] The chair (with or without the full committee) may choose to meet with the Assessment Coordinator to discuss modes of evaluation, to get feedback on survey construction, interview questions, and other performance assessment options.
- A member of the committee (chair or other designee) should send a message to the unit staff summarizing the review process and its purpose and asking them to respond to an anonymous survey. Sample questions are included in this EC folder. Questions should be modified, as appropriate.
- Identify individuals within the Library but outside the unit, as well as individuals outside the Library (when possible) who will be interviewed regarding the Unit Head.
- Ask the unit head for suggested names and select 2-4 to interview. Because this process is to evaluate efforts as a Unit Head, it is preferred to have names of individuals who are best situated to consider the unit as a whole, rather than just a particular subject area. (This can be done at the same time other information is requested above.)
- In some cases, it may be that only Library individuals (outside the unit) are consulted, such as the Division Coordinator, one or more AULs or Directors, and the appropriate personnel from Library HR. However, it is good to ask the Unit Head for names of individuals who may be able to speak to the overall efforts as a unit head and how the unit functions.
- Identify committee interviewers and set up times for face-to-face/Zoom interviews with external individuals (see sample questions also in this EC folder, but these should be modified, as appropriate)
- As a final step in the information gathering process, there should be an interview between the Unit Head and the full committee or just the chair (whichever is deemed sufficient) to address any outstanding questions or points of clarification. The committee develops points of emphasis and questions for the unit head interview based on the reviewed documents, survey and interview results. (See sample format in this EC folder.) The questions should be tailored to the unit head and attempt to explore further any questions/concerns that arose from reviewing the documents/survey and interview results.
- The committee will then write two reports, following the guidelines below, and submit to the University Librarian:
- A prefatory email that provides observations regarding the process and anything particular to note
- A summary report which the Dean will send to the Unit Head. This report should contain:
- An Overview which outlines the major activities of the review
- Interpretation of Data and Key Findings which should briefly highlight the major themes that emerged in the evaluation data
- Opportunities and Challenges – this section highlights key issues and opportunities for the unit over the next five-year period
- A full report which will be reviewed by the University Librarian. This report should contain:
- Committee charge & membership
- Summary of data gathered (statistical, where relevant, and qualitative)
- Observations regarding data gathered
- Opportunities and Challenges – this section highlights key issues and opportunities for the unit over the next five-year period. In some cases, the committee may recommend that the unit head and the unit staff meet with Library Human Resources staff to discuss and address ongoing challenges within the unit.
- Evaluative Summary – provides an overall assessment and impression of the evaluation committee
- Appendices this should include, at minimum, the previous Unit Head Expectation document, any possible aggregated data from the surveys, and list of external referee questions (submitted as separate pdfs).
Created February 11, 2016 and revised May 10, 2016, revised June 2021. Revised again and approved by EC October 4, 2021.