ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 231 Guidelines and Procedures for the Screening and Appointment of Academic Librarians A pproved as policy by the Board o f Directors o f the Association o f C olleg e and R esearch L i­ braries on Ju ne 21, 1977. This statem ent is an expansion and extension o f the recom m enda­ tions on appointm ent in A C R L’s “M odel State­ m ent o f Criteria and Procedures fo r Appoint­ ment, Promotion in A cadem ic Rank, and Tenure fo r C ollege and University Librarians,” p ublished in th e S eptem ber 1973 and O ctober 1973 issues o f College & Research Libraries News and app rov ed as policy, with minor re­ visions, in July 1974. I ntroduction In colleges, universities, and other institu­ tions of higher education, the selection and ap­ pointment of librarians rank among the most important and consequential decisions to be made. To improve these decisions many library administrators are turning to a consultative ar­ rangement in the selection process. In some cases the administrator chiefly responsible for the final decision simply requests comments and evaluations from the appropriate individuals. In others this process has been formalized by the establishment of a search committee.1 In either case the goals and benefits of consulta­ tion are similar. Consultation through a search committee solicits a breadth and range of opin­ ion, and it facilitates objective consideration of the candidates’ qualifications. It also promotes a sense of participation in the selection process by interested constituencies. Because selection is a two-way process, these goals and benefits apply to the candidates as well as to the institution. Candidates receive a clearer and more balanced view of the institu­ tion if they have the opportunity to be inter­ viewed by several representatives of the institution. Search committees provide the op­ portunity for discussion, for the development of consensus among the interviewers, and for the inclusion of varied representative view­ points. The advantages of using search committees for regular full-time appointments at the senior level have been recognized by many institu­ tions. Use of search committees for other professional library positions is now also en­ couraged. The following guidelines are provid­ ed for those institutions which choose to use search committees. Institutions recruiting with­ out search committees may also find that many of these principles will be useful. T h e G u id elin es I. Formation of Search Committees The ultimate objective of the search process is to select the best possible applicant in a fair, equitable, and open manner. Search committees may be elected or appointed. In either case the immediate goal in the formation of such com­ mittees should be to create a body representa­ tive of the constituencies affected by the position. Persons accepting appointment to the committee should automatically disqualify themselves as real or potential nominees. II. Charge to Search Committees The administrator to whom the committee is responsible should instruct the committee in writing, at the outset of the process, as to the following: A. Approximate date for submission of a list of nominees and proposed date of appoint­ ment B. Number of finalists to be recommended C. Affirmative action/equal opportunity re­ quirements (In the absence of a clear un­ derstanding of these requirements, the committee should consult with the appro­ priate local officer at the outset of the search.) D. Arrangements for financial and staff re­ sources E. Responsibility for documenting committee actions and for preserving those records F. The need for confidentiality and discre­ tion G. Any unique concerns with respect to the position. The committee should have the prerogative of discussions with the administrator to whom the committee is responsible regarding any of the terms of the charge. III. Development and Use of the Position Description A written position description and a sum­ mary to be used for advertising purposes should be prepared at the outset of the search and should function as the standard against which candidate qualifications are subsequently judged. It should include a full account of the responsibilities of the position and should de­ scribe the educational background, experience, and competencies desired of the candidate. In the development of such a statement, care should be taken to ensure correlation among position requirements, committee and/or ad- 2 3 2 ministrative expectations, and salary range of­ fered. IV. Posting the Position T he responsible administrator or the chair­ person should file notification of the position in the appropriate offices of the local institution and in appropriate publications, taking care that all groups which are protected by equal opportunity/affirmative action legislation are made aware of the vacancy. Notifications should include a b rief description of responsi­ bilities, qualifications, and salary range. Such notifications should also reflect those criteria against which qualifications will b e judged and should indicate the information to b e provided about each nominee or applicant. All announce­ ments and invitations to apply for the position should be coordinated carefully. A closing date for receipt o f applications and approximate ap­ pointment date should be specified in these communications. V. E th ica l Considerations Committee members should b e receptive to all staff and outside comments, but all state­ ments em anating from the committee should b e stated or written by a designated spokes­ person for the committee. References should be solicited from individuals whose names are pro­ vided by the applicant, and the contents should be held in strict confidence within the commit­ tee. Additional professional references may also be consulted for those candidates in whom the committee is seriously interested. Should a visit to the candidate’s home institution b e consid­ ered essential, it should b e conducted in a pro­ fessional and discrete manner with adequate notification being given to all individuals in­ volved. At the time of the request referees should be advised as to whether or not the con­ tents of the references will b e made available to the candidate in accordance with local legis­ lation and practice. Upon request the candi­ dates should be entitled to a full list o f those individuals from whom references have been solicited. V I. Initial Communication with Nominators and Applicants All nominations and/or applications should be courteously and promptly acknowledged. To ensure the individual’s right to privacy, persons nominated fo r the position should b e promptly apprised o f their nominations and permission requested and secured in writing before refer­ ences are contacted and credentials scrutinized. Candidates who apply for a position should secure the permission o f referees before listing them. V II. Selection and Interview Procedures A. Selection Process E a ch comm ittee should establish its own plan for screening and evaluating nominees and ap­ plicants. Selection policies and procedures should b e consistent with those established on an institution-wide basis. W hatever procedures are employed, the entire committee is responsi­ b le for the legitim acy of the process. Every committee m em ber in every stage of the search should have full access to the names and files of all persons under consideration. A ll applicants should b e screened with refer­ ence to the qualifications and requirements stated in the position description. T he function of initial screening is to identify and eliminate, early in the search process, nominees and appli­ cants who are clearly unqualified. T h e list of persons who remain under consideration after the initial screening should b e those to whom the committee will be giving careful considera­ tion and about whom the committee may be seeking additional information. Responsibility for requesting such information should b e clear­ ly designated and its form clearly specified. Fair, objective, consistent, and equitable pro­ cesses should be used to narrow the field of candidates to the desired number of finalists, who should b e invited for interviews. B. Interviews Based on the candidate’s and the institution’s needs for information, the comm ittee and the appropriate administrative officer shall deter­ mine the nature (breadth, depth, length, num­ ber, e tc .) of the interview. Consideration for the candidate’s personal comfort should extend throughout the interview schedule. Adequate travel directions should b e given to external candidates. W hile maximizing the use of avail­ able time is important to both the institution and the candidate, interview schedules should acknowledge the personal needs of candidates. W henever possible the interview schedule should b e sent to the candidate several days before the interview occurs. Changes in the d a te (s ) of a confirmed interview should occur only as a last resort and with notification to all parties concerned. W hile internal changes in the interview schedule may b e necessary, these should b e kept to a minimum. Both the candi­ date and the interviewers should recognize the constraints of time during the interview process and should follow the announced schedule as closely as possible. Adequate time should b e ac­ corded the candidate to ensure that departure travel plans are fulfilled. C. Interview Expenses T h e cost of travel, meals, and lodging, if any, for candidates invited to the campus for inter­ views should be borne by the inviting institu­ tion. W hen this is not the practice, candidates should b e so apprised when an invitation is issued. I f an off-campus site is selected for the invited interview, the same financial arrange­ ments should prevail. Exceptions should be considered for interviews which occur at conferences where both the institutional repre- s en tativ e(s) and the ca n d id a te (s) are attend­ ees. 2 3 3 D. Fair and Uniform Treatment All candidates, whether they are external or internal to the institution, should be accorded the same treatment in the screening and inter­ view process. At the outset of its work the committee should decide the types of docu­ mentation (curriculum vitae, application forms, letters of recommendation, etc.) it will request of the candidates. Likewise, interviews should be similar in length, scope, format, and person­ nel. Candidates should be judged in terms of the criteria delineated beforehand for the posi­ tion in question. V III. Recommendation of Candidates The committee should consider and evaluate with all deliberate speed the information gar­ nered regarding the candidate in order to select a final list of candidates. The final list of candi­ dates should be communicated by the chairper­ son to the administrator to whom the committee is responsible. The committee or the adminis­ trator may wish to schedule a meeting for mu­ tual discussion of the list. IX . Advanced Communications with Candidates All nominations and/or applications should be acknowledged courteously, and so far as possible candidates should be apprised prompt­ ly of elimination from consideration. In turn, candidates should report to the committee any change in status such as acceptance of another position or reconsideration of candidacy. This mutual reporting should be undertaken period­ ically throughout the search process with those candidates still active, particularly if the de­ liberative period of time becomes extensive. Candidates should be advised of important an­ ticipated or actual institutional changes of con­ ditions. Once a decision has been 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 can­ didate. While the initial form of this communi­ cation may be oral, the official offer should be in writing and should include the specifics of the offer, i.e., title, salary, date of appointment, fringe benefits, et al. The successful candidate should be allowed a reasonable period of time, acceptable to both parties and agreed upon beforehand, to reach a decision on the matter.2 X. Extending Searches All candidates should be notified of the in­ tention to extend the search and to readvertise the position should the committee be unable to reach a decision based upon the applications received or should desired qualifications be changed during the search process. XI. Announcement of Appointment Upon selection of a candidate and his/her formal acceptance in writing, the chief admin­ istrative officer, the committee, or its designee should coordinate the announcement of the ap­ pointment with the successful candidate and should notify all other active candidates in writing of the appointment. An announcement of the appointment should be made locally and/or nationally as deemed necessary. X II. Records of Proceedings A. Filing of Affirmative Action Reports The responsible administrator (in collabora­ tion with the appropriate local officer) should instruct the chairperson of the committee as to what official reports are to be filed. The chair­ person should complete the necessary reports promptly and accurately. B. Preservation/Disposition of Files Promptly after the position is filled and all affirmative action reports are filed, but not until then, the chairperson should be responsible for reviewing all applicants’ files. The files should be stored or disposed of in accordance with laws, regulations, and practices currently ap­ plicable in the local setting. Personal materials (e.g., books, media, folios, etc.) supplied by applicants or other sources should be returned if requested. X III. Conclusion of Searches After the work has been completed, com­ mittees of an ad hoc nature should be disband­ ed while standing committees should turn to other business.3 No tes 1. The term “search committee” as used in these guidelines designates any committee constituted for the purpose of performing any or all of the functions of compiling lists of candidates for vacant positions, screening (and eliminating) candidates in accord with agreed-upon selection criteria, and determin­ ing the slate of nominees for submission to the administrator responsible for the posi­ tion. 2. See “Model Statement of Criteria and Pro­ cedures for Appointment, Promotion in Aca­ demic Rank, and Tenure for College and University Librarians,” C olleg e & R esearch Libraries News (September 1973 and Oc­ tober 1 973). 3. The ACRL Committee on Academic Status gratefully acknowledges the permission of the University of Minnesota to utilize some of the concepts and statements set forth in the document entitled “Senate Consultative Committee: Proposed Guidelines for the Es­ tablishment and Function of Search Com­ mittee for Filling Major Administrative Positions at the University of Minnesota.” ■ ■ C opies o f this statem ent a re a v ailab le upon requ est from th e A C R L Office‚ 50 E. Huron St., C hicago, I L 60611.