Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Unlocking the Mystery: What Academic Library Search Committees Look for in Filling Faculty Positions

2009; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 27; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/07317130903253449

1555-3337

Zhonghong Wang, Charles Guarria,

Library Science and Information Literacy

Abstract Employee recruitment and retention are keys to the overall success of academic libraries, library administrators, and search committees face challenges when filling new and vacant faculty positions. This article presents and discusses the findings of a survey on hiring in an academic setting, including subjects such as staffing, criteria for hiring, how search committees evaluate candidates, and length of the hiring process. This research study reveals answers from 242 survey respondents who shared their experiences and opinions regarding the hiring process in academic libraries. The aim of this study to unlock the mystery involving faculty searches by examining key factors affecting the odds of obtaining an interview and the outcome of an application. The findings help people on both sides of the job search equation form a better understanding of the hiring process. This information should be taken into consideration by those applying for a position to learn how to best present themselves and by search committees to reexamine the hiring processes to meet the challenges facing higher education. KEYWORDS: academic libraryemploymentpersonnelrecruitmentsearch committeesurvey Notes 1. Pixey Anne Mosley and Wendi Arant Kaspar. (2008). Making the good hire: Updating hiring practices for the contemporary nmultigenerational workforce, Part One. Library Administration & Management, 22, 92. 2. Kathleen L. Wells. (2004). Hard times in technical services: How do academic libraries manage? A survey. Technical Services Quarterly, 21, 29. 3. Mosley and Kaspar, “Making the good hire: Updating hiring practices for the contemporary multigenerational workforce, Part One, 92. 4. Gail Munde. (2008). Managing multiple vacancies: Ten library directors' suggestions for expediting multiple searches and mitigating the effects on staff. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 34, 153. 5. John A. Lehner. (1997). Reconsidering the personnel selection practices of academic libraries. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 23, 200. 6. Ibid., 200. 7. Munde, “Managing multiple vacancies: Ten library directors' suggestions for expediting multiple searches and mitigating the effects on staff,” 153. 8. Ibid., 154. 9. Mosley and Kaspar, “Making the good hire: Updating hiring practices for the contemporary multigenerational workforce, Part One,” 98. 10. Ibid., 98. 11. Munde, “Managing multiple vacancies: Ten library directors' suggestions for expediting multiple searches and mitigating the effects on staff,” 154. 12. Ibid., 154. 13. Ibid., 154. 14. Joseph S. C. Simplicio. (2007). A closer look at the truth behind the hiring process: How colleges really hire. Education, 128, 258. 15. Ibid., 258. 16. Ibid., 261. 17. Ibid., 261. 18. Munde, “Managing multiple vacancies: Ten library directors' suggestions for expediting multiple searches and mitigating the effects on staff,” 154. 19. Jeremy Cohen. (2003). Evaluating faculty candidates' teaching during the search. Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, 58, 203–206. 20. Jeremy Cohen. (2004). Failed searches … from romance to search committee scholarship. Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, 59, 207–210. 21. Munde, “Managing multiple vacancies: Ten library directors' suggestions for expediting multiple searches and mitigating the effects on staff,” 155. 22. Karl Bridges. (2002). The unbearable slowness of hiring. American Libraries, 33, 42. 23. Ibid., 42. 24. Bridges, “The unbearable slowness of hiring,” 43. 25. Thomas W. Leonhardt. (2006). Hiring for success. Technicalities, 26, 6. 26. Ronald E. Wheeler, Nancy P. Johnson, and Terrance K. Manion. (2008). Chosing the top candidate: Best practices in academic law library hiring. Law Library Journal, 100, 118. 27. Ibid., 126. 28. Ibid., 130. 29. Ibid., 130. 30. Mary Anne Kennan, Patricia Willard, and Concepcion S. Wilson. (2006). What do they want?: A study of changing employer expectations of information professionals. Australian Academic Research Libraries, 37, 33–34. 31. Sarah Nesbeitt. (2003). Librarian recruitment process at home in the wired nation. American Libraries, 34, 116. 32. Munde, “Managing multiple vacancies: Ten library directors' suggestions for expediting multiple searches and mitigating the effects on staff,” 158–159. 33. John A. Lehner. (1997). Reconsidering the personnel selection practices of academic libraries. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 3, 201. 34. Pixey Anne Mosley and Wendi Arant Kaspar. (2008). Making the good hire: Updating hiring practices for the contemporary multigenerational workforce, Part Two. Library Administration & Management, 22, 144. 35. Ibid., 144. 36. Philip C. Howze. (2008). Search committee effectiveness in determining a finalist pool: A case study. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 34, 340–353. 37. Ibid., 352. 38. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Retrieved May 5, 2008 from http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/classifications/index.asp