The T & P File: File Advisor #2

So I met with file advisor #2 and, putting my bruised ego aside, the result of this meeting was very insightful and productive. File advisor #2 was a great choice because of her intimate knowledge of the workings of the T & P committee (she chaired the committee not too long ago!). It is interesting that file advisor #2 picked up on things that file advisor #1 did not. File advisor #1 took a top down approach to the file. That is, looking at my my personal statement to guide the development of the file. On the other hand, file advisor #2 had a bottom up approach. She focused on looking at the individual documents and evidence to help form/shape my descriptions and statements (particularly my teaching statement). This is just an example as to why it is important to have different individuals consult your draft file.

I got some very valuable feedback from file advisor #2. Some include:

• CV: moving some things from my CV to the actual file (as evidence); be consistent with my tenses
• References: consider using a tenured librarian as a reference as opposed to another tenure-tracked librarian (I was a bit surprised by this as I didn’t see why it would make a difference, but I will incorporate this change, because file advisor #2 is very knowledgeable and I trust her candor)
• Information Literacy section: to include a separate page for each sample class I chose and in bullet form (to make it easier for the T& P evaluators) address the specific techniques or methods I used for that class
• for documents created with others or documents which are modified, I should include detail description of what I did
• for each section of the file, include the most recent examples first

The end looks like it is sight. I will be tackling all these issues and pray to complete the finalized draft of my file by the end of the week. I need a vacation!

The File: 2 weeks to go!

My subconscious mind has been playing tricks with me for the past few weeks. When I dream about working on my file and wake up at 3 am in the morning to jot down a thought, I know that I’m sweating this file thing! I feel as if I don’t have enough time! I have two weeks to go before the deadline for submitting the t & p file, but it is not complete yet! I was hoping to have the file completed by now so that I could show my draft to various file advisors. These are tenured librarians who have volunteered to discuss your file with you and offer any possible suggestions for improving it. I’ve showed my incomplete file to a file advisor outside my department. Her feedback was wonderful and it made we rethink including an information literacy philosophy statement. It is optional to include an IL /teaching philosophy statement (for librarians who do teach) and I decided that I wouldn’t include one (after an off-hand remark by another colleague). HOWEVER, after speaking with file advisor #1, I decided that the contents of my file and my CV warranted discussion of my approach to teaching information literacy classes and professional development in this area. I now realize that this is the best route. I did experiment a bit with different technologies and methods of teaching library classes over the past few years. The CV is very telling in this area, but they are scattered across the CV (some in presentations, some in materials created and published etc.). The IL statement will bring these scattered bits of information into one place. File advisor #1 also asked for clarification regarding certain parts of my file. Since she was outside of my department, she was able to look at my work history and accomplishments (via the file) with fresh eyes. I had to be a bit more explicit in my personal statement so that outsiders (i.e. the t&p committee members) who were not familiar with my work and responsibilities would be able to fully understand the file. Thus, I am partially grateful that I saw a file advisor before the file was completed.

Tip: If you have file advisors, show them your file before a draft of your file is completed. Their feedback might lead to a different approach to your file and save you a lot of time in the long run.

The file is about 98% completed. The only problem that I am having right now is deciding which course materials created for information literacy/library classes I should include. This should be samples of the types of different materials created for a class as well as the different approaches or methods I’ve used for classes. I’ve selected 2 classes, but I’m not sure if I should include more. I’m trying to follow the rule of 3s, but when you’ve taught over 100 classes in 3 years, this is a challenging task.  Should I include handouts created for an undergraduate vs graduate course? Humanities vs Social Sciences? Hands-on library session vs lecture hall session? ESL students vs high school students? Blogs vs traditional paper hand-outs? Materials from year 1 or materials from year 3? Should my hand-outs demonstrate the natural evolution of my teaching abilities or should I just stick with only the best ones (i.e. the most recent materials)? I have to remember that file documents provide evidence of your work. In the guidelines regarding documents supporting your file, it stresses that you should not include EVERYTHING, but this is easier said than done.

Next week, I will be meeting with file advisor #2 (complete opposite of file advisor #1) for feedback on my file. This meeting should prove interesting! In the meanwhile, I doubt those dreams will go away!