11.2 Library and Learning/Information Staff

The institution ensures an adequate number of professional and other staff with appropriate education or experiences in library and/or other learning/information resources to accomplish the mission of the institution.

Judgment

x Compliance o Non-Compliance o Partial Compliance

Narrative

UL Lafayette provides a sufficient number of qualified staff, with appropriate education or experience in library and/or other learning/information resources, to accomplish the mission of the institution. The library personnel are included in the Library’s Annual Report along with their titles and years of service.

Based on the criteria for adequacy of library staffing included in the 2018 revised Standards for Libraries in Higher Education developed by the Association of College and Research Libraries, the Library’s faculty and staff are sufficient in qualifications to accomplish the Library’s mission to support fully the instructional and research activities of the institution’s faculty, students, and staff. The Library implements many of the proposed indicators and sample outcomes of the Standards. For example, in Principle 8 - Personnel, one of the Performance Indicators, 8.6, states that library personnel keep current with library technology, applications, and infrastructure and participate in ongoing training. The Library faculty and staff participate in webinars and vendor training sessions; attend conferences such as the LOUIS Users Conference, the Louisiana Library Association Annual Conference (LLA), and the EBSCO Discovery Service Training; and present regularly on Library initiatives and share best practices.

Edith Garland Dupré Library employs eighteen full-time librarians, including a Dean and an Associate Dean. All library faculty possess an ALA-accredited MLS/MLIS, and some have additional subject master’s degrees. Librarians at UL Lafayette hold faculty status and rank. Three librarians have tenure: one at the rank of Professor, two at the rank of Associate Professor. Six librarians are at the rank of Assistant Professor and are also on the tenure-track. One librarian holds the rank of Senior Instructor, and seven librarians hold the rank of Instructor.

UL Lafayette accepts the Association of College and Research Libraries’ ACRL Statement on the Terminal Professional Degree for Academic Librarians as its defining standard. The ACRL states that the master's degree from a program accredited by the American Library Association, or from a program in a country with a formal accreditation process as identified by ALA’s Human Resource Development and Recruitment Office is the appropriate terminal professional degree for academic librarians.

Each librarian is assigned as a liaison to a particular department and/or academic college, allowing open communication between the Library and faculty and students. The adequate staffing of professional librarians allows for each faculty librarian to provide services such as collection development and library instruction to their assigned subject areas, departments, and/or academic colleges within the University. Position descriptions are updated and maintained by the Library Dean’s office. The position descriptions serve as a reference for new positions and/or for the reorganization of current positions to meet the needs of the Library and its users. A library organizational chart is also updated and maintained by the Dean’s Office. The Library faculty, degree qualifications, positions, and ranks are identified in the UL Lafayette Library Faculty Qualifications table.

Library faculty are appointed through the same process as other University faculty. The appointment process is outlined in the Faculty Handbook –Appointment Process (Section V). During the interview screening process, Library faculty candidates are asked to give presentations to demonstrate their ability to present effectively and professionally to faculty and at conferences, and to demonstrate their ability to instruct users.

Librarians are evaluated annually as outlined in the Faculty Handbook (Section V). Each faculty member's supervisor performs the annual evaluations, based on the faculty member’s self-reported workload report. There are three areas in which Library faculty are evaluated for merit, tenure, and promotion: Library Responsibilities, Research and Scholarship, and Service. The faculty member’s supervisor assigns a rating to the evaluation, based on a departmental rubric. The merit, tenure, and promotion process for the Library faculty is similar to that of tenure-track faculty in other academic units, as identified in the Faculty Handbook, Section V, pages V6-8, Tenure and Promotion Guidelines.

As with all members of the University faculty, the Library faculty members are obligated to participate in both professional development activities and University activities. The Library administration encourages participation and leadership in professional organizations. Because of this support, librarians regularly hold elected positions in national, regional, and state professional organizations, serve on statewide working groups, and produce books, papers, articles, grants, and poster sessions as part of their professional development and research. Through their membership on Listservs, forums and other online avenues, the Library faculty develop and maintain relationships with national peers, keep up-to-date with and share best practices and troubleshooting techniques, and resolve issues.

Librarians also serve on various committees throughout the University. Librarians are members of the Faculty Senate, serve on standing and ad-hoc committees, and participate in all University-wide faculty-related activities. The Library administration also participates on campus-wide decision-making committees. All Library faculty and staff attend in-house, on-campus, and off-site training sessions. Both Library faculty and staff are allotted time to take formal coursework at the University, and some employees take online courses at other institutions. All Library employees receive information about workshop and training opportunities, as well as other internal library news, via the Library’s Listserv, Library Council minutes, and departmental meetings.

Faculty receive supplemental travel funds to attend conferences and workshops. These include the American Library Association Midwinter and Annual Conferences, Association of College and Research Libraries Conference, LOUIS Users Conference (LUC), Louisiana Library Association (LLA) Annual Conference, Society of American Archivists, Electronic Resources & Libraries Conference, and others. The Library administration also provides opportunities for travel to consortia meetings and training workshops.

The Library employs three unclassified staff members: the Library IT Coordinator, the IT Systems Specialist, and the Executive Assistant to the Dean of Libraries. Position descriptions are updated and maintained by the Library Dean’s office. The Library’s unclassified staff members are listed in the UL Library Unclassified Staff Qualifications table.

In addition, the Library employs thirty-five civil service support staff members. All are classified as Library Specialists. All classified employees of the Library are appointed in accordance with State of Louisiana Civil Service Regulations. Each position has specific job requirements to determine proper classification or job title. The Department of Civil Service sets the minimum qualification requirements and the pay range to which the position is assigned. The following position classifications are used by the Library:

· Library Specialist 2

· Library Specialist 3

· Library Specialist Supervisor

All classified employees undergo a probationary period of two years from the date of hire. They are trained by the Library faculty or, in some instances, by Library Specialist Supervisors, and the supervisor of the classified employee must hold planning and evaluation sessions with the employee annually. Position descriptions and daily work schedules of staff are updated regularly by the employee, employee supervisor, and the Dean’s office. The Library support staff members are identified by name, title, and their Civil Service classification on the UL Lafayette Edith Garland Dupre Library Classified Staff chart.

As with all members of the University staff, the Library staff are able to participate in both professional development activities and University activities. The Library administration encourages participation and leadership within the Library and in professional organizations. Because of this support, staff regularly participate in library committees and professional organizations, serve on statewide working groups and attend conferences. The Library also conducts regular staff meetings and development activities, such as presentations on disaster prevention and new developments in library services.

Library services are augmented with nonprofessional staff who work throughout the Library assisting librarians and library specialists. The Library is assigned three graduate assistants (GA) who work in IT, Instructional Services, and Reference & Research Services. The University’s English Department assigns two GAs to the Ernest J. Gaines Collection. Forty student aides work throughout the Library assisting librarians and library specialists. Student aides work at both Circulation Desks, in Serials, Collection Development, Cataloging, and in Special Collections. According to the Standards for Libraries in Higher Education, indicator 8.7 states that library personnel engage with library student employees to provide mentoring and work that enhance the students’ overall academic experience. The Library’s GAs and student workers are often provided opportunities beyond their regular assignments to plan Library events, serve on library committees, and assist with research projects, such as the current QEP. Library personnel develop strong connections with the students and often serve as references for academic and employment opportunities.

In addition to the Library personnel, staff from the library’s consortium and other University departments also assist with IT for the Library. The staff at LOUIS, the academic library statewide consortium, supports and helps maintain the ILS, Discovery Service, consortial databases, and acquisitions, among other services. The University’s Information Technology services provide the Library with technical assistance such as networking, authentication, and server space. The Center for Louisiana Studies, the Department of English, and the Department of History, Geography, and Philosophy frequently collaborate with Special Collections. The Library instruction team works with various University departments across campus to plan, assess, and improve library instruction.

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) suggests that benchmarking can be used to demonstrate whether a library is staffed at levels comparable to similar institutions with related characteristics. For purposes of this analysis, UL Lafayette is compared to a peer group consisting of colleges and universities of similar size holding the Carnegie Classification Code of Doctoral High Research (R2). The data in Table 11.2 — 1 is from the ACRL Metrics Academic Library Trends & Statistics Portal.

Table 11.2 — 1: Library Personnel at Louisiana Board of Regents’ Selected List of Institutions

of Similar Size and Carnegie Classification of Doctoral High Research (R2)

Institution	Librarian FTE	Other Professional Staff FTE	Total Professional Staff FTE
UL Lafayette	18	38	56
Augusta University	8	16	24
South Dakota State University	13	17	30
University of New Orleans	6	12	18
University of South Alabama	22	41	63

In the last five years, the Library has added a new faculty member, two unclassified positions, and two civil service positions. The Library was also awarded two additional graduate assistants by the Graduate School. With the addition of a rear entrance/exit, the Library hired an additional 20 student workers. All public service access points are covered by library employees during operating hours.

Given the number of professional and other staff, their appropriate educational background and professional training, and the resources at their disposal, UL Lafayette ensures that the Library is adequately equipped to accomplish the mission of the institution.