Promotion and Regular Appointment Committee

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

NOTE: Only Librarians covered by the Temple Collective Bargaining Unit contract participate in voting in the election of members of this committee.

In December of 1988, the Academic Assembly of Librarians approved a document entitled the Process of contract renewal, regular appointment and promotion. It was jointly prepared by the Steering Committee and the Promotion and Regular Appointment Committee (PARA). This “PARA document” which took effect in September of 1989, not only details the criteria for contract renewal, regular appointment, and promotion, but also spells out each step to be taken by both candidates and PARA. The PARA document should be used in conjunction with the procedures outlined in this document.

The Promotion and Regular Appointment Committee is a peer review body comprised of bargaining unit members of the Assembly who have regular appointment. Its purpose is to advise the Dean of Libraries in decisions regarding contract renewal, regular appointment and promotion of librarians covered by the collective bargaining unit.

The Committee is composed of four members. Two new members are elected in May of each year for a two year term. (Note: Only librarians covered by the TAUP collective bargaining unit contract participate in voting in the election of members to this committee). There are always two continuing members. The chairperson is usually one of the two people who are serving the second year of their term.

PARA’s first scheduled meeting should be held very soon after the elections as discussion on contract renewal and regular appointment begins in mid-September. The frequency of PARA meetings will vary by committee. The deadlines as set forth in the PARA document may influence the meeting schedule as well.

THE CHAIRPERSON

The chairperson of PARA is decided upon among the committee members. He or she is usually one of the continuing members. The chairperson is responsible for calling meetings, scheduling the meeting rooms, seeing that the committee receives the information from Administrative Services that it needs to proceed, and distributing the workload. In May of each year, the chairperson presents the PARA committee annual report to the Assembly. Also in May, the chairperson of PARA sends a letter to each committee member thanking them for their contributions. The Dean of Libraries consults with the PARA chairperson to determine the rank in which a new librarian at Temple Libraries should be hired. The chairperson should be aware of which appointments are under consideration-this information can be obtained from the chairperson of the Selection and Appointment Committee. The chairperson is expected to attend meetings of the AAL Steering Committee at the invitation of the Chairperson of the Steering Committee. The PARA chairperson is also responsible for maintaining the archives of the committee. This will be discussed later in this document.

PARA MEETINGS

As stated above, the frequency of meetings will vary. It should be noted, however, that because of the shortness of time in Sept./Oct., PARA must meet twice.

All further meetings are held after the deadline for application. At these meetings there is discussion on the candidates, and the committee votes. Minutes are generally not taken, but may be if a conflict arises. Minutes are always taken when, during its deliberations, PARA conducts interviews with a candidate or a peer. These notes are signed by all parties involved.

RECOMMENDATIONS AND LETTERS

PARA sends letters to notify librarians that they will begin considering candidates for contract renewal, regular appointment, or promotion. These letters may be distributed by hand, by campus mail, or by e-mail. In each letter the candidate is referred to the PARA document for criteria and guidelines. A request for the names of peers is also included in this letter. A deadline for submission is stated. In cases of promotion, the letter is sent to all librarians. In the other two instances, only those librarians included on the list from administrative services receive notification.

Besides its letters of recommendation, other forms of correspondence that PARA sends out are the peer review letters, and cover letters or notices to the Dean of Libraries.

PARA’s recommendation is based on the information provided by the candidate as well as information in his/her personnel file. All support documentation that is provided by the candidate to PARA directly is circulated among the committee once the file is complete. Committee members are also responsible for examining each candidate’s personnel file prior to deliberations.

Having seen all the above documentation, the committee takes a vote on each candidate. This is usually done orally, but may be by secret ballot. In the event of a negative decision, the candidate is notified and can request an interview with the committee.

All letters of recommendation reflect the results of the vote. If it is a 3-1 decision, it is stated in the letter as such. Letters are written to support PARA’s decision, stating definite instances of how the candidate meets the criteria, and supporting that with examples from the candidate’s documentation. Letters are written for negative and split decisions in the same manner.

The workload is usually divided up among the committee members. The letters are drafted by each individual, but final drafts are edited and approved of by the committee as a whole. In some cases, the chairperson of PARA drafts up all of the letters, but this is up to the individual chairperson.

All letters of recommendation are addressed to the Dean of Libraries, with copies going to the candidates. The letters are hand-delivered to the Dean of Libraries. A cover letter is included stating the names of the candidates, and what they have applied for.

All support documentation received and reviewed by the Committee is hand-delivered to the Personnel Files.

PARA retains copies of each letter that it produces. They are kept together with copies of the decisions from the Deanof Libraries, Provost…etc. in its own archives.

ARCHIVES

The Archives are maintained by the chairperson of PARA and are sent at the completion of their term to the Conwell-Templana Archives.

The Archives must contain the following documentation, either on paper or in electronic form (in the case of materials that are not confidential):

  1. The full text of the current editions of the PROCESS OF CONTRACT RENEWAL, REGULAR APPOINTMENT, AND PROMOTION and of the POLICIES AND PROCEDURES of PARA.
  2. The current “List of Eligible Staff for Contract Renewal and Regular Appointment” from Administrative Services.
  3. The current “Librarians Eligible for Promotion (Rank of L-3 and Under)” from Administrative Services.
  4. Memo(s) to the Archives confirming all interactions between the Chairperson of PARA and Administrative Services (or theDean of Libraries’ Office) concerning the hiring level of new librarians.
  5. Copies of memos from the Chairperson to PARA members.
  6. Copies of all letters and memos from PARA to Administrative Services or the Dean of Libraries.
  7. Copies of letters sent to librarians, notifying them of time tables, procedures, etc.
  8. Copies of letters to individual peers, requesting peer assessments.
  9. Copies of letters of recommendation from PARA to the Dean of Libraries and candidates, on contract renewal, regular appointment, promotion.
  10. Copies of letters from the Dean of Libraries, stating decisions on contract renewal, regular appointment, promotion. Copies of letters from the Provost, stating decisions on regular appointment and promotion.

November 1990, September 1994, January 1995, September 1999, February 2002, October 2013