[Air-L] Rethinking Promotion and Tenure Criteria in the Digital Age

Mon Mar 30 10:06:42 PDT 2009

Off with his head :-)

I think there is an underlying assumption that if we change the criteria
that will solve the problem. I'm not so sure.

I've written quite a few RTP external evaluations over the past ten or so
years.  This requires that you look at other schools RTP policies. I found
many of them so broad that it's really not that hard to fit many forms of
unconventional scholarship within the standards if you want.  Years ago when
I was at IU they had a little document that showed you how to do that. True,
that's not true of some schools.

The big problem is the "if you want". Changing rules doesn't mean changing
behavior.  If you can't educate your colleagues and the administration, new
rules might not change very much.

Sadly, a some people really don't give themselves an even break. Most
universities expect you to be part of a national conversation. If you are
part of a niche, and you exist only in that niche, it is hard for others to
see how you are part of that larger dialog.  

Just my thoughts

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**************************************************************
John G. McNutt, Professor
University of Delaware
School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy
Policy Fellow, Center for Community Research and Service
298B Graham Hall
Newark, DE 19716
Voice:  302.831.0765
Fax 302.831.4425
mcnuttjg at udel.edu

www.policymagic.org

Be ashamed to die until you've won some victory for humanity-Horace Mann

The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.
Franklin D. Roosevelt

 Vox populi, vox Dei 

Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pitiful that it has
to be us. Jerry Garcia 

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-----Original Message-----
From: air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org
[mailto:air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Stuart Shulman
Sent: Sunday, March 29, 2009 2:20 PM
To: gonzalez at ischool.utexas.edu
Cc: air-l at listserv.aoir.org
Subject: Re: [Air-L] Rethinking Promotion and Tenure Criteria in the Digital
Age

Maria,

Sorry if my hastily drawn categories were cause for concern, but, since you
ask:

library-centric: researchers who conduct their work largely in brick and
mortar libraries and archives with non-digitized objects
actual librarians: people who work in libraries

my own situation: formerly library-centric and archival
http://shulman.ucsur.pitt.edu/dissertation.htm

but now increasing web-based. I'm not sure I intended to stereotype anyone.
As a political scientist who just spent four years working in a Library and
Information Science program at Pitt, I have no preconceptions. Nor was it
intended as a knock on anyone or any view. I have tremendous respect for my
task force colleagues. So much so, I am seeking outside help to make sure my
contribution is worthy of inclusion in the task force report.

Many of the comments made to directly to me have been incisive, invaluable,
and focused on the actual question at hand.

~Stu

On Sat, Mar 28, 2009 at 5:46 PM, <gonzalez at ischool.utexas.edu> wrote:

>
> Stu,
> And just what do you mean by "library-centric scholars" and "actual
> librarians" ?
>
> Please forgive me for bursting your stereotype, but we--librarians and LIS
> faculty--face the same brick walls of institutional rejection of our
> creative works, community and digital projects in consideration for tenure
> and promotion.
>
> If you look closely, you will see that resistance to expansive scholarship
> lies elsewhere.
>
> --
> Maria E. Gonzalez, PhD
> Assistant Professor
> Library and Information Science Program
> Wayne Sate University
> eb9414 at wayne.edu
> gonzalez at ischool.utexas.edu
>
>
>  A task force is preparing a document for the Faculty Senate at UMass
>> Amherst
>> on scholarship in the digital age. We talk about lots of vexing issues
>> with
>> respect to old and new or emerging reward structures, the economics of
>> publishing, etc. Most of the members are library-centric scholars, or
>> actual
>> librarians.
>> I find myself tasked with drafting the section on promotion and review
>> considerations. In particular, I have been asked to show some examples
>> where
>> universities, schools, colleges or specific departments have found new
>> types
>> of scholarly artifacts worthy of recognition. If you know of an example
>> where the traditional consideration of books and articles in top tier
>> journals is being augmented with other types of uniquely digital
>> contributions, please let me know directly.
>>
>> I will share the results of this survey with the list when it is
complete.
>>
>> Many thanks,
>> ~Stu
>>
>> --
>> Dr. Stuart W. Shulman
>> Assistant Professor
>> Department of Political Science
>> University of Massachusetts Amherst
>> 200 Hicks Way
>> Amherst, MA 01003
>>
>> http://people.umass.edu/stu/
>> stu at polsci.umass.edu
>> 413-545-5375
>>
>> Editor, Journal of Information Technology and Politics
>> http://www.jitp.net
>>
>> Director, QDAP-UMass
>> http://www.umass.edu/qdap/
>>
>> Associate Director, National Center for Digital Government
>> http://www.umass.edu/digitalcenter/
>> _______________________________________________
>> The Air-L at listserv.aoir.org mailing list
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>> http://www.aoir.org/
>>
>>
>
>
>
>

-- 
Dr. Stuart W. Shulman
Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science
University of Massachusetts Amherst
200 Hicks Way
Amherst, MA 01003

http://people.umass.edu/stu/
stu at polsci.umass.edu
413-545-5375

Editor, Journal of Information Technology and Politics
http://www.jitp.net

Director, QDAP-UMass
http://www.umass.edu/qdap/

Associate Director, National Center for Digital Government
http://www.umass.edu/digitalcenter/
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