Guidelines for Law Librarian Appointment and Promotion 1. Law Librarian Ranks 2. Criteria for Appointment and Promotion 3. Promotion Procedures Introduction Rank among the professional staff of the Law Library is to be distinguished from job assignment. Rank is awarded in recognition of job performance, achievements and qualifications. No particular rank entitles a professional staff member to any particular job title. Job assignments may require a law librarian of a lower rank to supervise a law librarian of a higher rank. Salaries in the Law Library are determined by job assignments and, therefore, no salary range is attached to any particular rank. Rank in the Law Library does not confer tenure upon the staff member nor does it grant appointment to the Law Faculty. Denial of promotion does not mean termination of employment. Employment and dismissal of law librarians is controlled by the policies and procedures of the Board of Regents. The criteria listed under each rank indicate the level of achievement candidates must meet in order to be promoted to that rank. Prior service as a law librarian or in other legal professional activities entitles an individual to consideration for a rank, but does not guarantee promotion to that rank. Increasing levels of achievement based on these criteria are expected as a law librarian moves sequentially through the ranks. Appointment as a law librarian requires a Master's degree from an American Library Association accredited library school. Appointments of those with only a law degree and not a librarian's degree are non-academic professional appointments (e.g., legal research associate). These employees are classified employees subject to the jurisdiction of the Personnel Services Division. A Legal Research Associate is a member of the Law Library staff entitled to full participation in all activities of the Law Library except promotion.   A. LAW LIBRARIAN RANKS   LIBRARIAN I Definition: Entry level rank; used for persons with limited or no professional experience. Criteria: ALA-accredited master's degree in librarianship/information science. Exhibit the potential for successful overall performance as a librarian.    LIBRARIAN II Definition: Lower intermediate rank. Individuals with both the law and library science degrees may be initially appointed to this rank rather than Law Librarian I.   Criteria: ALA-accredited master's degree in librarianship/information science. Successful job performance which includes adjustment to the particular requirements of a Law Library. Initial professional growth as evidenced by involvement in any of the following three areas: (a) service to the law library, law school, legal community, university libraries or the university (b) professional activities; or (c) research and other creative activities pertaining to law librarianship. Service to the community may be used as additional support. Length of Service: Before meeting the criteria for promotion to Librarian II, an individual appointed as a Librarian I will have completed two years of professional library experience by the promotion application deadline. Candidates may be recommended for early promotion if they are exceptionally meritorious. Librarians with previous professional appointments (i.e. Legal Research Associates) may include their library experience in meeting the length-of-service criteria.    LIBRARIAN III Definition: Upper intermediate rank. Criteria: ALA-accredited master's degree in librarianship/information science Continued successful job performance.  The candidate is expected to demonstrate the potential for:  (a) performing or administering complex or highly specialized duties; or (b) for developing a high level of expertise in his/her specific areas of librarianship. Continued professional growth as evidenced by significant contributions selected from the following three areas: (a) service to the law library, law school, legal community, university libraries or the university; (b) professional activities; (c) research and other creative activities pertaining to law librarianship. Service to the community may be used as additional support. Length of Service: Before meeting the criteria for promotion to Librarian III, an individual will have completed a minimum of 5 years of cumulative professional experience by the promotion application deadline. Candidates may be recommended for early promotion if they are exceptionally meritorious.  LIBRARIAN IV Definition: Highest rank. Criteria: ALA-accredited master's degree in librarianship/ information. Consistently successful job performance. The candidate is expected to: (a) perform or administer complex or highly specialized duties; (b) demonstrate a high level of expertise in law librarianship. Recognition by colleagues as being outstanding in at least one specific area of law librarianship. A record of sustained professional growth as evidenced by extensive contributions selected from the following three areas: (a) service to the law library, law school, legal community, university libraries or the university; (b) professional activities; and (c) research and other creative activities pertaining to law librarianship. To attain the rank of Librarian IV, a condidate's professional activities must include service to the profession. Service to the community may be used as additional support. Length of Service: Before meeting the criteria for promotion to Librarian IV, an individual will have completed 10 years of cumulative professional library experience by the promotion application deadline. Candidates may be recommended for early promotion if they are exceptionally meritorious.   B. CRITERIA FOR APPOINTMENT AND PROMOTION JOB PERFORMANCE The law librarian has a major role in the academic and legal communities. He/she assumes primary responsibility for developing the library's collections, for extending bibliographic control over these collections, and for assisting the law school community, the university community, and other scholars to utilize the library collections. The law librarian serves as a resource person for the law school and legal profession providing a wide range of services, but avoiding the practice of law. Without the services of highly skilled law librarians, research and the quality of teaching in the law school would be seriously impaired. Law librarians assume professional tasks that require a special background and education in at least one of the technical, public, or administrative areas of the law library; make independent judgments; and plan, organize, communicate, and administer programs of service to users of the law library's materials and services. Candidates must be judged on criteria appropriate to their assigned duties. In any of the ranks, responsibilities may include supervision or management; however, supervisory duties are not a prerequisite for any appointment or promotion. The performance of the law librarian in his/her assigned duties is a critical factor in the law library's continuing successful service to the legal community and to the university. Successful job performance, which is defined as performance evaluated at the “meets expectations” level or above on annual performance appraisals, is the single most important criterion for promotion in rank. The law librarian should have demonstrated the ability to carry out competently and independently the complete range of functions and duties relating to his/her particular assignment. Each position necessitates particular requirements and skills and these must be carefully considered. Job-related characteristics such as accuracy, judgment, ability to organize work, dependability, initiative, positive relationships with staff and patrons, written and oral skills, and understanding of the relationship of one's function to the more general goals of the law library and of the university should be considered in the overall performance.   DOCUMENTATION OF JOB PERFORMANCE All candidates are required to submit their current performance evaluations if available; earlier evaluations may be submitted if desired. Other evidence of effective job performance may come from sources including, but not limited to the following: Letters or other documentation from colleagues, subordinates, or supervisors. Letters or other documentation from students, faculty, or other law library users. Letters or other documentation from sources outside the university. Documentation should include items covering at least the minimum number of years required for the rank sought. SERVICE TO THE UNIVERSITY, LAW SCHOOL AND THE LAW LIBRARY The quality and extent of contributions to the law library and the law school as a whole will merit consideration for promotion. Contributions may include service on university, law school or Law Library governing bodies or committees or projects or involvement in any other way that would further the objectives of the university or the Law Library. Examples include participation in the development and training of staff, serving as a Law Library team leader or member, providing Law Library orientation sessions, and participating  in continuing legal education seminars. DOCUMENTATION OF SERVICE TO THE UNIVERSITY, LAW SCHOOL AND THE LAW LIBRARY Evidence of service may come from sources including, but not limited to those listed below: Brief descriptions of teams, committees, governing bodies, projects, workshops, or programs with copies of any reports or results appended Letters or other documentation from faculty, students, or other law library users  Letters or other documentation from colleagues, subordinates, or supervisors Letters or other documentation from sources outside the university. Documentation should include items covering at least the minimum number of years required for the rank sought. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES Participation in professional activities on the local, state, regional, and national levels will be considered in determining appointment and promotion. Examples of such participation include active involvement in professional and learned societies as a member, committee member or officer, as well as attendance at professional, scholarly, or technical meetings, workshops, and conferences; consulting services to other libraries or academic institutions; service as a professional advisor to special programs or projects sponsored by scholarly organizations, consortia, or interdisciplinary academic groups; and outstanding achievements or promise as evidenced by awards, fellowships, grants, teaching and lecturing, and editorial activity. Professional activities also include continuing education. Examples include: obtaining an additional advanced degree; completion of advanced courses relevant to law  librarianship  or courses relevant to the candidate's position; participation in continuing education programs including professional short courses, seminars, workshops, lectures, or conferences; or acquisition of additional skills relevant to the candidate's position such as a foreign language or computer programming; or participation in an internship program or other similar program outside the law library that is relevant to the candidate's position. DOCUMENTATION OF PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES Evidence of participation in professional activities may come from sources including, but not limited to those listed below: Reports or other documentation generated from the activity Candidate's statement of membership in organizations or continuing education activity Evidence of courses or degrees completed Letters or other documentation from faculty, students, or other law library users Letters or other documentation from colleagues, subordinates, or supervisors Letters or other documentation from sources outside the university. Documentation should include items covering at least the minimum number of years required for the rank sought. CONTRIBUTIONS TO RESEARCH AND OTHER CREATIVE ACTIVITIES Contributions include research, publications, or teaching in the field of law librarianship or a related field. Specific endeavors which may fulfill the requirements in this area include, but are not limited to: Publication in professional literature Citations to the candidate's research Presentations of lectures, papers, or demonstrations Participation in other creative activities related to the librarian's specialization Development of substantial processes, computer programs, or apparatus useful in library   operations Membership on editorial boards reviewing publications, panels judging grant/contract proposals Substantial in-house publications, such as bibliographies, indexes, or catalogs for public distribution Receipt of fellowships, grants, awards or other special honors for research or instruction Teaching a course in one's area of specialization. DOCUMENTATION OF RESEARCH ACTIVITIES Evidence of contributions to research and other creative activities may come from sources including, but not limited to those listed below: Copies of publications or citations to publications Candidate's statement of participation in such activities Letters or other documentation from faculty, students, or other law library users Letters or other documentation from colleagues, subordinates, or supervisors Letters or other documentation from sources outside the university Documentation should include items covering at least the minimum number of years required for the rank sought. SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY Service to the community involves participation in activities outside the university that help to carry forth the university's service to the community, or that in any way enhance the image of the university to the community at large. Examples include: serving as a consultant, teaching, or otherwise extending one's knowledge to the public and participation in civic or community activities such as committee work, holding an office, or volunteer work. DOCUMENTATION OF SERVICE TO COMMUNITY Evidence of service to the community may come from sources including, but not limited to those listed below:- Reports or other documentation generated from the activity Candidate's statement of participation Letters or other documentation. C. PROMOTION PROCEDURES NOMINATION At the first Steering Group meeting in April, law librarians seeking promotion in the upcoming year must declare their intent.   COMMITTEE ON PROMOTION The Committee on Promotion, comprised of all law librarians except the Law Library Director and those applying for promotion, will meet by May 1 each year to select a chair and establish a timetable and the appropriate current procedures. The Chair will be chosen by the members and will vote only in case of a tie. The Committee on Promotion will review the professional competence and contributions of librarians being considered for promotion. The Committee is responsible for recommending action to the Law Library Director. In addition, the Committee is responsible for recommending to the Law Library Director the appropriate rank for a new appointee. APPOINTMENT OF NEW LAW LIBRARY FACULTY When a successful candidate has accepted a Law Library faculty position, the Committee will recommend to the Law Library Director the appropriate rank for the new appointee. The Committee will review the new faculty member’s full file as well as the information gathered during the interview. If in the course of its deliberations the Committee needs further information about the candidate’s previous professional experience, the Committee chair may contact the Search Committee chair to seek clarification. Decisions regarding the rank recommendation will be by majority vote. The vote and a written recommendation will be forwarded to the Law Library Director.  Because promotion plays an important role in the career of the law librarian, the Law Library Director will present these guidelines to each Law Library faculty member soon after employment begins. The Law Library Director will also be responsible during the annual evaluation process for reviewing the promotion process with the librarian and discussing opportunities to progress toward fulfilling the requirements. LETTERS OF REFERENCE The Committee will ask each candidate to supply a list of three to five references. The references should be able to address evidence of professional growth in any of the following four areas: a) job performance; b) service to the law library, law school, legal community, university libraries or the university; c) professional activities; or d) research and other creative activities. Service to the community may be addressed for additional support. The Law Library Director shall not be one of the persons supplying a letter of reference. DOSSIER Each candidate for promotion is responsible for organizing documentation of his or her readiness for promotion into a dossier. The candidate may use library resources such as photocopy equipment and office supplies to prepare the dossier. A typical dossier includes the following components: A letter of application that explains why the candidate believes he or she is qualified for promotion. In the letter of application, candidates may include a statement granting the Committee permission to see previous evaluations from the candidate’s personnel file. A Curriculum Vitae. The candidate's current job description and last evaluation. Highlights of the candidate's professional experience. A chronological description and documentation, covering at least the minimum number of years required for the rank sought, of: the candidate's service to the Law Library including committee activities, workshops presented, publications, etc. the candidate's professional activities including continuing education courses, workshops, and professional organization affiliations. the candidate's contributions to research and other creative activities. If the candidate desires, the following may be included: A chronological description of the candidate's service to the community. Letters of appreciation ** Although a dossier is required for the internal, Law Library, consideration of applications for promotion, the dossier is not necessarily part of the documentation forwarded for review at the University level.  Consequently, candidates should consult the current University guidelines for Librarian Promotion (as of 2007, a 5/28/2007 Memorandum from the Provost) for a list of what documents are reviewed at that level; and they should prepare those documents with the realization that they must stand alone, without the dossier, at the University level of review.  Copies of completed dossiers that can be used as models are available in the closet of Room 272. COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION The Committee, in strict confidence, will review all documentation and vote on all candidates.  A Committee member who feels that he or she cannot vote in an individual case because of a conflict of interest will abstain. Voting will be by written ballot, and the decisions will be determined by majority vote. The Committee chair will vote only in the case of a tie. For each candidate the Committee will forward its recommendation, the vote tally, and a narrative supporting the recommendation to the Law Library Director. After formal approval of the promotions, the Committee chair will request authorization from the Steering Group to destroy all ballots and return dossiers to the candidates. Original letters of reference will be retained according to the University of Georgia retention standards. The Law Library Director will review the documentation and notify the candidates in writing of his or her decision along with the recommendation and narrative of the Committee. The Law Library Director will also notify the Committee of his or her decision regarding each candidate. In the case of negative recommendations from both the Committee and the Law Library Director, the Law Library Director will confer with the candidate and specify the reasons for the denial. If the candidate decides against appealing the denial, the matter of promotion will be closed for the academic year. Unless both the Law Library Director and the Committee have recommended against promotion, the Law Library Director will forward the dossier and the letters of recommendation along with the Director's recommendation and the recommendation of the Committee to the Dean of the Law School. A candidate may see his/her dossier at any time while it remains with the committee or Law Library Director, but may not see confidential letters of recommendation. APPEALS A candidate, in the case of two negative recommendations, may file a written appeal with the Law Library Director within five working days of the notification. Within ten working days of the appeal the Law Library Director will establish an Appeal Committee to review the promotion decision. The Committee will consist of three law librarians selected as follows: One designated by the appellant. One from the Committee on Promotion designated by the Committee. One designated by the Law Library Director. The Appeal Committee will select a Chair from among its members. The Chair will arrange for the appellant to have a hearing before the Committee within ten working days of the Committee's establishment. At this hearing the appellant may: Explain omissions or inaccuracies in the evidence presented to the Committee on Promotion. Present documentation of a failure on the part of the Committee on Promotion to apply the guidelines correctly. Outline procedural irregularities that may have affected the dossier's review. The Appeal Committee will review the above aspects of the process only. Its purpose is not to evaluate the substance of the dossier. It will have access-to relevant records and can call any witnesses that it deems necessary to complete its deliberations. Committee proceedings will be conducted in strict confidence. Voting will be by written ballot, and decisions will be determined by majority vote. The Chair will be a voting member. The Chair will destroy ballots at the end of the appeals process. Within five working days after the hearing, the Appeal Committee will notify the candidate, the Committee on Promotion, and the Law Library Director of the recommendation. The Director and the Chair of the Appeal Committee will meet with the appellant to discuss the decision within ten working days following notification of the appellant. When the Appeal Committee has recommended that the candidate be promoted, the decision will be transmitted by the Law Library director to the Dean's Office along with supporting evidence. If the Committee recommends denial, the matter of promotion will be closed for the academic year.