The Ohio State University Libraries
GUIDELINES FOR FACULTY SEARCH COMMITTEES
Responsible Committee: AP&T
History: 9/00; rev. 6/05
- Affirmative Action: The Ohio State University Libraries are committed to creating a supportive environment that welcomes all individuals. To that end, the search committee will actively recruit and affirmatively act to enhance the diversity of the Libraries.
- Appointment of Search Committee:
- In consultation with the appropriate Assistant Director and department administrator, the Director appoints search committees to advise in the selection of candidates to fill faculty positions. To document fair and equitable participation of all faculty members in search committees, the Committee on Faculty Benefits, Privileges, and Responsibilities maintains an archive of search committee membership. The Director consults this list when appointing committee members.
- The search committee Chair should have had previous OSU Libraries search-committee experience.
- Each committee may consist of Libraries' faculty, A&P staff, Classified Civil Service staff, and representatives of academic units served by the position. At least one voting faculty member of the committee should be from the hiring unit or division. The majority of voting members shall be Libraries' faculty.
- To avoid conflict of interest, no person serving as a reference for a candidate shall serve on the search committee.
- The position supervisor and the Human Resources manager, who also serves as the Affirmative Action Advocate, are non-voting ex-officio committee members. Each serves to provide factual information, clarifying position needs or requirements.
Position Description: The supervisor of the position, in consultation with the Assistant Director and the search committee, revises the position description. The position description must describe job-related activities and will be used to screen applicants.
- Communication: The Human Resources office makes the following available on the OSUL staff
Web site (passworded):
- Position description.
- Letter of appointment of the members of a search committee, with names, position, rank, and
department affiliation.
- Interview schedules of candidates.
- Vitae of candidates along with their letters of application.
- Blank "comments form" that can be completed and returned to the Human Resources office.
- Confidentiality: Committee deliberations must remain confidential.
- Evaluation:
- The Search Committee discusses the candidates, solicits and considers comments,
including letters of reference, and identifies viable candidates with consideration for the position description, the committee
charge, and affirmative action guidelines. Letters of
reference shall not be accepted from members of the search committee.
- For
both external and internal candidates, only information directly relevant to the position may be
considered by the search committee.
- Telephone interviews used to make final
selection for on-campus interviews shall be conducted by the Human Resources
manager and the faculty member of the search committee who represents the hiring
unit or division.
- The Chairperson sends a letter summarizing the
discussion, with a recommendation, to the Director of Libraries and to the Assistant Director.
A ranked list is preferable when supported by the
candidates' qualifications and the interview experience.
- Appointment: The Director of Libraries reviews the search committee's report and makes a
decision in consultation with the Assistant Director, the department administrator, and the
position supervisor. In accordance with the Libraries' Pattern of Administration, VI.D.1., if a
candidate not recommended by the committee is selected for the position, the Director and/or
Assistant Director consult(s) with the committee to convey the reason(s) for the decision prior to
the offer being made.