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

Mon Mar 30 11:44:07 PDT 2009

Another point is that it is not just or only the university's rules. Scholars from 
the discipline write the letters that give the thumbs up to research and 
academic profiles. As much of the change has to come from there as from the 
university. 

/Caroline

---- Original message ----
>Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:06:42 -0400
>From: "John McNutt" <mcnuttjg at netzero.com>  
>Subject: Re: [Air-L] Rethinking Promotion and Tenure Criteria in the Digital	
Age  
>To: <air-l at listserv.aoir.org>, <stuart.shulman at gmail.com>, 
<gonzalez at ischool.utexas.edu>
>
>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
>
>
>****************************************************************************
>**************************************************************
>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 
> 
>****************************************************************************
>************************************************************ 
>
>
>
>
>-----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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>>>
>>> Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
>>> 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/
>_______________________________________________
>The Air-L at listserv.aoir.org mailing list
>is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org
>Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at:
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>
>Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
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>
>_______________________________________________
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--------------------------------------
Caroline Haythornthwaite
Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 501 East Daniel St., Champaign IL 61820
haythorn at illinois.edu OR haythorn at uiuc.edu