ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 6 4 2 / C&RL News Model Statement for the Screening and Appointment of Academic Librarians Using a Search Committee Follow these procedures fo r y o u r next job opening I n colleges, universities, and other institu­tions of higher education, the selection and appointm ent of librarians rank am ong the m im portant and consequential decisions to be made. To im prove the decision-making pro­ cess many library administrators use a consul­ tative arrangem ent in the selection process. In some cases, the administrator chiefly respon­ sible for the final decision simply requests com­ m ents and evaluations from the appropriate individuals. In others, this process is formal­ ized by the establishment of a search commit­ tee.1 Consultation through a search committee solicits a breadth and range of opinion, and it facilitates objective consideration of the candi­ dates’ qualifications. It also prom otes a sense of participation in the selection process by in­ terested constituencies. Because selection is a two-way process, the benefits of using a search committee accrue to the candidates as well as to the institution. Candidates receive a clear and balanced view of the institution if they have the opportunity to be interviewed by several representatives of the institution. Search com ­ mittees provide a forum for discussion, includ­ ing an opportunity for the developm ent of con­ sensus am ong the interview ers an d for the consideration of varied representative viewpoints. The term “search comm ittee” as used in this docum ent designates a committee constituted for the purpose of performing any or all of the functions of compiling lists of candidates for o vacant positions, screening (and eliminating) candidates in accord with agreed-upon selec­ tion criteria, and recom m ending the list of can­ didates to fill the position. The following model is provided for those institutions that choose to use search commit­ tees. Institutions recruiting without search com­ smt ittees may also find these procedures useful. I. The ro le o f th e p e rs o n n e l o ffic e r If the institution is large enough to have a li­ brary personnel officer, that position w ould be responsible for administering the search for the search committee. Normally, the personnel of­ ficer sits on all search committees (either as a mem ber or ex-officio). II. F o rm a tio n o f se arch c o m m itte es Search co m m ittees m ay b e e le c te d o r a p ­ pointed. In either case, the immediate goal in the formation of such committees should be to create a body representative of the constituen­ cies affected by the position. Persons accepting appointm ent to the comm ittee automatically disqualify them selves as candidates for the position. The administrator to w hom the committee is responsible should instruct the committee in writing at the outset of the process as to the following: A.The approximate date for submission of a list of nominees and proposed date of appointment; B.The number of finalists to be recommended; C .The affirmative action/equal opportunity re­ quirements; D .T h e arrangements for financial and staff resources; Prepared by ACRL ’s A ca d em ic Status Committee a n d approved by the ACRL B o a rd o f Directors on J u n e 30, 1992. This statem ent replaces ACRL's "Guidelines a n d Procedures f o r the Screening a n d A ppointm ent o f A cadem ic Librarians, ” p u b lish ed on pages 2 3 1 -3 3 o f the September 1 9 7 7 issue o f C&SL N ew s N ovem ber 1992 / 643 E. The responsibility for docum enting com ­ mittee actions and for preserving those records; F. The need for confidentiality and discretion; G. The unique concerns w ith respect to the position. A copy of the position description should accom pany this information. III. D evelopm ent a n d use o f the position description o r position announcem ent A w ritten position description and a summary for advertising purposes should be prepared by the supervisor o f the position at the outset of the search and should serve as the standard against w hich candidates’ qualifications are judged. It should include a full account o f the responsibilities an d describe the educational background, experience, an d com petencies re­ quired or desired o f the candidate. Qualifica­ tions should be w ritten w ith equal o p p o rtu ­ nity an d affirmative action considerations in m ind. IV . Posting th e p os itio n The responsible administrator or the chairper­ son should file notification of the position with the local institution and in appropriate publi­ cations, taking care that all groups protected by equal opportunity/affirmative action legislation are m ade aware o f the vacancy. Notifications should include a brief description o f responsi­ b ilitie s , q u a lific a ­ tio n s , s a la ry , d e ­ The development of the statement In 1989 the ACRL Academic Status Committee (ASC) undertook a revision of the "Guidelines and Procedures for the Screening and Appointment of A ca­ demic Librarians" document, first promulgated in 1 9 7 / (C&RL News, Septem­ be r 1 9 7 7 : pp. 2 3 1 -3 3 ). Committee members wished to render the language o f the statement gender-neutral and to recognize the increasing use and im po rtan ce o f search committees in the recruitment of academic librarians. A t the same tim e, the committee recognized that the search committee approach to hiring, although desirable, should not be binding upon the profession and that other approaches may be used. Because "model statement" implies that the approach is optional, rather than the more mandatory "guideline," the committee felt it to be the appropriate status. The "M odel Statement fo r the Screening and Appointment o f Academic Librarians Using a Search Committee" is the result of the committee's efforts. Primary responsibility for the revision was assumed by ASC members Susan Kroll, Larry W ilt, and Larry R. O berg, although all ASC members for the period 1 9 8 9 -1 9 9 2 contributed to the revision. A draft of the revised document was reviewed by the Personnel Librarians' Discussion G roup and the ACRL Univer­ sity Libraries Section. Suggestions from both groups were incorporated into the revision. The new model statement was approved by the ACRL Board at the 1992 summer conference in San Francisco.— Larry R. Oberg, chair, Academic scription o f benefits, d a te p o s i ti o n is available, a p p lic a ­ tion deadline, name o f th e p e r s o n to w hom applications sh o u ld b e su b m it­ te d , a n d a list o f items to be submit­ ted by the candidate. V . R eferences A candidate’s refer­ ences are those in­ dividuals w h o th e c a n d id a te lists to s p e a k o r w rite in s u p p o r t o f h is o r her candidacy. Ref­ eren ces sh o u ld be req u ested only for Status Committee th o s e c a n d id a te s under active consideration. References should be solicited from individuals w hose nam es are provided by the applicant, and the contents should be held in strict confidence by the com ­ mittee. The nam es o f references subm itted by candidates should be limited to those individu­ als w ho can provide substantive information about the candidate’s professional qualifications and should include, w henever possible, an ad­ ministrator in the direct reporting line. Candi­ dates are entitled to receive u p o n request a full list of those individuals from w hom references have b een solicited. Additional references may be solicited w ith the prior perm ission o f the candidate. At the time of the request, referees should be advised w hether or not the contents o f the references will be made available to the candidate in accordance with local practice. V I. F a ir a n d u n ifo rm tr e a tm e n t All candidates, w hether external or internal to the institution, should be accorded equal treat­ m ent in the screening and interview process. The search comm ittee should be aware of in­ stitutional guidelines w hen developing ques­ tions to ask the candidate before the screening and interview process. V II. Selection a n d in te r v ie w p rocedures A. Selection Process Each committee should establish its ow n plan 6 4 4 / C&RL News for screening an d evaluating nom inees and a p p li c a n ts c o n s i s t e n t w ith lib r a r y a n d institutionwide policies. All applicants should be screened w ith ref­ erence to the qualifications and requirem ents stated in the position description. The purpose of initial screening is to identify and eliminate, early in the search process, nom inees and ap­ plicants w ho are clearly unqualified. A letter should be sent to unqualified candidates stat­ ing that they will no t be considered. The list of persons w ho rem ain under consideration after the initial screening should be those to w hom the committee will be giving further consider­ ation and from w hom it will be seeking addi­ tional information. Fair, objective, consistent, an d equitable processes sho u ld be u sed to narrow the field of candidates to the desired num ber of finalists, w ho will be invited for in­ terviews. B. Interview Process Based on the candidate's and the institution’s needs for information, the comm ittee and the appropriate administrative officer shall deter­ mine the com position of the interview sched­ ule. Before the interview, the candidates should be sent information about the library and its p arent organization. Such information could include guides to the library, prom otion and tenure guidelines, organization charts, and by­ laws. T h e in te rv ie w s c h e d u le s h o u ld b e s e n t to th e c a n d id a te s e v e r a l d a y s b e fo r e th e in te rv ie w o c c u rs . B o th th e c a n d id a te a n d th e in te rv ie w e rs s h o u ld re c o g n iz e th e c o n ­ s tra in ts o f tim e d u rin g th e in te rv ie w p r o ­ c e ss a n d s h o u ld fo llo w th e s c h e d u le as c lo s e ly as p o s s ib le . The cost of travel, meals, and lodging for candidates invited to the campus for interviews should be bo rn e by the inviting institution. W hen this is not the practice, candidates should be so apprised w hen an invitation is issued. If an off-campus site is selected for the interview, the candidate’s expenses should be paid by the inviting institution. V III. R e c o m m e n d a tio n o f c a n d id a te s The comm ittee should consider and evaluate in a timely m anner the information gathered regarding the candidates in order to select a final list of candidates. The final list o f candi­ dates should be com m unicated by the chair­ person to the administrator to w hom the com ­ mittee is responsible. N ovem ber 1 9 9 2 / 6 4 5 IX . C o m m u n ic a tio n s w it h c a n d id a te s O nce a decision has b e e n reached to offer the position to a particular candidate, the chief ad­ ministrative officer or his/her designee should convey this information to the successful candi­ date. While the initial form o f this com m unica­ tion m ay b e oral, the official offer should b e in writing and should include the specifics o f the offer. The successful candidate should be allowed a reasonable period of time, acceptable to both parties, to reach a decision on the matter.2 A letter should be sent to unsuccessful a p ­ plicants thanking th em for their interest in the position an d indicating that th e candidate se­ lected possessed attributes w hich are more con­ g ruent w ith the n eed s o f the departm ent. X . E x te n d in g s e a rc h e s If th e com m ittee is unable to reach a decision b ased o n the applications received o r if the position is readvertised w ith a n ew set o f d e ­ sired qualifications, all active candidates should be notified of th e intention to extend the search. X I . A n n o u n c e m e n t o f a p p o in tm e n t U pon receipt o f th e successful candidate’s for­ mal w ritten acceptance, the chief adm inistra­ tive officer, the committee, or its designee should coordinate th e ann o u n cem en t o f the ap p o in t­ m ent w ith the successful candidate an d should notify all o th er active candidates in writing. X I I. R e p o rts , file s , a n d re c o rd s o f p ro c e e d in g s T he responsible adm inistrator sho u ld instruct the chairperson of the com m ittee as to w hat official reports are to be filed. The chairperson should com plete the necessary reports prom ptly a n d accurately. T he responsible adm inistrator should discharge the com m ittee a n d thank the m em bers for their service. The files relating to the search should b e stored o r disposed o f in accordance w ith laws, regulations, an d prac­ tices currently applicable in the local setting. N o te s 1See “M odel Statem ent o f Criteria an d Proce­ dures for A ppointm ent, Prom otion in Academic Rank, an d T enure for College an d University Librarians,” C&RL News (May 1987). 2Ibid. C opies o f th e statem ent are available u p o n request from the ACRL office, 50 E. H uron St., Chicago, IL 60611-2795. ■