Administrative Review of Library Division Directors

I. Purpose of the Review

In the UM Libraries, administrative review covered by the following policy and process pertains to directors of divisions. This review is in accordance with the campus “Policy on the Review of Department Chairs and Directors of Academic Units,” at http://www.provost.umd.edu/Reviews/ChairReview.html (The review process for the library dean is also prescribed by campus policy and takes place through the Office of the Provost. Review of other library administrators, managers or team leaders is covered by policies set by the Faculty Annual Review Oversight Committee of the Library Faculty Assembly.) The administrative performance of directors is subject to recurrent formal comprehensive review at times that do not exceed five years between reviews. The purpose of the review is to evaluate how well the director is fulfilling his or her administrative responsibilities and to provide constructive recommendations for improving his or her success. A director whose appointment is expected to be considered for continuation shall be reviewed at the beginning of the last year of his or her current appointment, but no later than the beginning of the fifth year of his or her current appointment to the post of division director. A decision about whether the appointment will be continued will be formally considered upon the completion of the review. A director may request a review even if he or she is not contemplating a continuation of the appointment.

II. The Review Committee

The dean shall have primary responsibility for selecting an internal review committee, delivering the formal charge to the committee, and establishing a timeline for the review. Normally, the committee report should be delivered to the dean within two months of the first meeting of the committee. Committee membership should normally consist of 3-5 members and should include representation from within the unit and outside of it, and should encompass the constituencies within the unit. The committee should reflect the diversity goals of the university. The dean should consult appropriately before appointing members to the review committee.

III. Information Provided to the Committee

During the review process, the committee will interview the dean. In addition, the committee will interview members of the faculty and staff, and representatives from other teams in the Libraries as well as other units and offices on campus, with which the director has a significant liaison. The committee will send questionnaires to faculty members and staff in the division so that individual attitudes regarding the efficacy of the director may be polled. The committee should have access to all relevant documents (e.g., the division's work plan, strategic plan of the division, record of any grievances filed with the Senate against the director). The committee should initially meet with the director to receive a summary of his or her accomplishments, vision for the division, and plans for its future development. The committee should solicit information, either orally or in writing, from members of the division and from other constituencies as appropriate. The committee should ensure the confidentiality of information provided.

IV. Charge to the Committee

The committee is charged with reviewing the administrative performance of the director. The committee must establish specific evaluative criteria in light of the nature of the division. The committee should identify the relevant problems at the administrative level under review; should evaluate the particular situation that faced the director at the beginning of his or her appointment, the current situation, and the future prospects of the division; and should consider the administrative style of the director under review.

V. Guidelines for the Review

All proceedings of the director’s review are to be conducted in strict confidentiality. The following areas are suggested as a useful guide to considering the administrative and managerial effectiveness of a director:

1. Leadership

Demonstrating a strong commitment to advancing the excellence of the division.
Developing goals and strategic plans and ensuring their implementation.
Making difficult decisions to accomplish goals.
Developing and implementing procedures for the smooth operation of the division.

Taking a Libraries and university perspective, helping to meet library and university goals, contributing to the activities of the Libraries and the university.
Complying with Libraries and university policies on, for example, teaching, research, advising, academic freedom, diversity, and academic integrity.

Working effectively with constituencies within the division.
Serving as a positive role model for the division.
Supporting the professional development of members of the division.

Communicating information and decisions to members of the division.
Communicating the goals of the division to internal and external constituencies.
Fostering effective shared governance.
Keeping lines of communication open among members of the division.

Expending the effort to get the job done.
Completing tasks in a timely manner.
Responding appropriately to demands from above and below.
Responding appropriately to changes or crises.

Making budget decisions consistent with the division’s goals.
Making effective use of resources.
Maintaining fiscal responsibility and developing strategies for promoting greater efficiency.

Normally within two months of its first meeting, the committee shall submit its report to the dean. The dean shall provide a copy of the report to the director under review, and shall give the director an opportunity to respond to the report in writing. Should the director choose to respond, that response will be attached to the committee's report as a permanent appendix.

If reappointment is recommended, the dean shall submit to the provost a copy of the report and the division director’s response along with a request for approval of the reappointment. The provost's response to the request for reappointment of a director will be transmitted to the dean. Upon notification of the provost's action, the dean shall distribute a summary of the report to the members of the division. A copy of the dean's letter to the provost, the committee report, and the provost's reply will be kept on file in the Office of Faculty Affairs.

If reappointment is not recommended by the dean, the review report will be forwarded to the Office of Faculty Affairs where it will be kept on file.

The dean shall publicly announce the outcome of each administrative review.

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