Outstanding Library Faculty Award Guidelines

THE PURPOSE OF THE AWARD

The application deadline has been extended to Thursday, October 24 at 5:00 PM. 

The Outstanding Library Faculty Award provides recognition to a member of the general faculty of the USF Libraries who demonstrates superior achievement in their professional duties, their research and creative activity, and in their service to the university, profession, or community. The recipient will receive a plaque and an award of $1,000. One award will be given per year.

SPECIFIC CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF APPLICANTS

• Must be a full-time member of the general faculty of the USF Libraries. USF Library faculty are defined in Article II of the Governance Document of the USF Libraries Faculty, as amended March 13, 2023. USF Health Libraries faculty also include members with the rank of Instructor Librarian as full-time faculty members. Full-time status is defined as 100 percent for 9 months or at least 75 percent for 12 months.
• Faculty members who hold administrative appointments beyond the department level (dean, campus dean, associate dean, or assistant dean) are not counted in the general faculty. Department chairs and directors of academic departments or units are members of the general faculty.
• Must have not received this award within the last five years.
• Must be employed by the USF Libraries for at least two years at the time the award is presented.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS AND REQUIRED MATERIALS

Applicants will submit a digital portfolio (a collection of electronic files combined in one single PDF file) comprised of the following items:

1. Application form
2. A two-page single-spaced essay describing the significance of the faculty member’s activities during the previous academic year that substantively contributes to the advancement of the USF Libraries’ mission and goals. Any document beyond two pages will not be considered. In their documentation, an applicant should include links to electronically available projects or research products (preferred). If it is not possible to link to a project or research product, an applicant may include an appendix with copies of the work or research deliverable. The following criteria should be addressed in the essay:
   1. Evidence of specific achievement and/or sustained excellence in professional duties as assigned.
   2. Evidence of strong achievement in research, scholarship, or creative activities: productivity may be measured by quality and quantity of publications, presentations, lectures, exhibits, or works of a scholarly or creative nature pertinent to their field, research, or liaison area(s).
   3. Significant contributions to the campus, profession, or community: recognized for significant contributions and service to the USF Libraries, One USF, the Tampa Bay community, the library profession, or professional associations relevant to liaison assignments.
3. Supervisor’s letter of recommendation, which certifies that the information presented by the applicant regarding assigned duties and scope of work is accurate.
4. The nominee’s Annual Work Assignment.
5. Evidentiary documentation of professional duties (e.g., excellence in performance of duties, embedded librarian, development of new services or programming, outreach, etc.)
6. Evidentiary documentation of research, scholarship, or creative activities (e.g., bibliometrics, impact factor)
7. Evidentiary documentation of service (whichever is applicable; e.g., deliverables, policies created, outcomes met)
   1. university service (department, college, campus, or system)
   2. service to one’s discipline or liaison area (office-holding in learned and professional societies, member of editorial board, etc.)
   3. service to the community (e.g., civic organizations; local, state, or federal agency workgroups; task forces, or committees that fall within liaison or professional practice assignments)

Evidentiary documentation should be representative, not all-inclusive, e.g., if a lengthy document is being offered as evidence, then the first couple of pages and/or the signature page is sufficient. Only items or activities that occurred within the award date limits, if applicable, should be included. Every piece of evidence should be clearly dated and labeled.

PROCEDURES

• The Libraries Dean’s Office will announce the award and make available the application and guidelines.
• Nominations will be accepted for work performed for the prior academic year. Nominations can be made by any member of the university community (including self-nominations).
• Upon nomination, applications in .pdf format (one file) can be submitted to the Libraries Deans Office via email. Submissions must be received by the posted deadline. The USF Libraries Dean, in consultation with the St. Petersburg Campus Dean, Director of USF Health Libraries, and Regional Vice Chancellor of Academic & Student Success for Sarasota Manatee, will select five members for the Library Faculty Award Committee. The committee will include representation from each library (Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota Manatee, and Health Sciences). An award winner is strongly encouraged to be a member of the following year’s Award Committee. Previous award winners are encouraged to participate. No member of the committee may also be an applicant.
• The Libraries Dean’s Office will forward the applications to the Library Faculty Award Committee; that committee will review the files and recommend a winner.
• The person chosen for the Award will receive a plaque and $1,000.

TIMELINE

Materials may be submitted up to 5:00 p.m. on the day indicated. 

• October 24, 2024: Applications are due to the Dean’s Office via email.
• Within two weeks: Award Committee sends its recommendation to the Dean of the USF Libraries. Please, enclose a link to an online bio for the awardee.

Outstanding Library Faculty Award Rubric
Download a copy of the rubric.

Revised Sept 2023