Date: 4/18/86; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
If any difference should arise between the School’s policies and procedures and University policies and procedures (except where expressly allowed), University policies and procedures will take precedence.

PROCEDURE
SLIS policies will be formulated to ensure compliance with University policy. SLIS policies will be revised to conform to University policy whenever a conflict is identified.

Date: 5/6/86; Revised: 12/8/2017

Adjunct Faculty appointments are made to fill needs in the School when existing faculty are not available, or to teach unique areas of interest to students where existing faculty expertise is limited. Adjunct faculty appointments include, but are not limited to, doctoral students currently in SLIS, staff working within the University who teach a class outside of their normal duties, professionals currently working in the subject areas, and faculty from other institutions who fill unique needs.

The Director and Schedule Coordinator determine when there is a need for an adjunct. Required courses are usually taught by full-time faculty; however, exceptions will be determined by the Director. Doctoral student adjuncts hold the title of Graduate Teaching Assistant, while all other adjuncts hold the title of Part-time Teaching Faculty. An individual appointed as an Adjunct Faculty member serves as an honorary member of the faculty of the school.

Adjunct faculty are selected by the Director, the Schedule Coordinator, and the Committee on Instructional Quality with input from faculty. Adjuncts may be chosen from a pool of existing applicants or from a directed call for a certain subject area.

Adjunct faculty should have a demonstrable capacity for teaching or a record of successful teaching at the postsecondary level. Qualifications include expertise in and/or experience with the subject matter they are selected to teach. Potential adjuncts will go through an application process. Salary and compensation issues will be addressed between the Director and the adjunct.

Upon assignment to a course, all new adjunct faculty will be required to complete an orientation program, and will be provided with a support structure to promote continued excellence in teaching. Supports will include, but are not limited to, a faculty mentor and instructional resources. Adjunct faculty will undergo regular peer reviews of teaching, and reappointment is contingent upon successful peer reviews and student evaluations.

The Committee on Instructional Quality is responsible for designing, reviewing, and updating the procedures and documentation related to this policy: adjunct faculty appointment, onboarding and orientation, sustained support for quality instruction, evaluation, and reappointment.

Procedure for hiring, evaluating, and reappointing and adjunct instructor

1. Director and Schedule Coordinator recognize a need for a course to be taught. An adjunct instructor may be selected from known instructors in the field or submissions to a Call for Applications. Director initiates a Call for Applications. Doctoral student applicants are sponsored by their advisor or a faculty mentor.

2. Candidates submit an application consisting of a letter of interest, resume or CV, and a list of 3 professional references to the Director. Application materials should indicate previous teaching experience (content, level, and modality).

3. Director and Schedule Coordinator conduct initial screening of applications and the CIQ and faculty are invited to review the applications and provide formal input via a feedback form.

4. For the scheduling timeline, the hiring process for adjunct instructors ideally start 2 years in advance for special topics courses and 18 months in advance for all others. The minimum amount of time needed for a special topics course to get graduate school approval is 4 months for a campus course and 6 months for an online course (requires DED form).

5. A final hiring decision is made by the Director, who also makes any offer of employment. Director discusses compensation and the fact that onboarding activities are part of the compensation.

6. Director assigns a faculty mentor to the adjunct instructor and provides adjunct with contact information for mentor and Scheduling Coordinator.

7. The first semester that an adjunct teaches, they go through the Instructor Teaching Evaluation process and undergo a review of teaching by the mentor. Student evaluations of the adjunct instructor will be examined by the CIQ. An overall evaluation report will be shared with the adjunct instructor by the peer reviewer. The instructor will get a copy of their evaluation report.

Procedure for onboarding an adjunct instructor new to SLIS or new to a teaching modality

Note: Not all steps may apply to all situations; it will depend on the current status of adjunct (current staff member, doctoral student, etc.). All depends on the hiring time frame and whether they are teaching online or face to face.

1. Schedule Coordinator checklist:

• Schedule the course with time slot and location.
• Obtain syllabus and textbook requirements from instructor
• If adjunct instructor is new to USC or has been out of the system for 6 months, obtain a USC network name and password.
• Obtain other log-ins or licenses needed (Adobe Presenter, Camtasia, etc.
• Refer instructor to read and use the Orientation Blackboard site with faculty mentor – INSTRUCTOR GUIDELINES – for help with pedagogy, technology, and local practices.
• Refer doctoral students to TA Training course.

2. Faculty Mentor checklist:

• Give instructor access to an existing Blackboard course.
• Give help with syllabus and course planning if needed.
• Works with instructor to use the Orientation Blackboard site – INSTRUCTOR GUIDELINES – for help with pedagogy, technology, and local practices.

3. Adjunct Instructor checklist

• Stay in communication with the Schedule Coordinator as you navigate the new systems and go through the onboarding process.
• Meet with faculty mentor.
• Let SLIS contacts know what you need help with.
• Submit syllabus to Schedule Coordinator.
• Submit textbook order.
• Work with faculty mentor to use the Orientation Blackboard site – INSTRUCTOR GUIDELINES – for help with pedagogy, technology, and local practices

Date: 8/25/81; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
All MLIS, Certificate and Specialist students in the School will be assigned an academic advisor. Care will be taken to match stated career goals with faculty having an interest or experience in that area. Even though advisors are assigned to help students with course planning, the final responsibility of meeting degree requirements will rest with the student.

Advising Mission
SLIS MLIS advisors will empower their students to take charge of their education, careers, and professional development through a collaborative relationship between advisor and student.

PROCEDURE
Upon acceptance of the student into the program, the Student Services Office will assign each student an academic advisor. The student or faculty member may ask for a reassignment through the Student Services Office at any time.

Through interactions with the faculty advisor, students will:

• Create a Program of Study and be able to clearly articulate how course selection relates to professional and career goals;
• Make effective decisions concerning their degree and career goals;
• Give specific examples of how completed work demonstrates aptitude in the six competency areas:
  * Information and its organization
  * Provision of information services
  * Leadership and management
  * Research
  * Technology
  *Lifelong learning and professional development
• Utilize the resources and services on campus to assist them in achieving their academic, personal, and career goals;
• Make use of referrals to campus resources as needed;
• Create an end-of-program portfolio relevant to professional objectives;
• Graduate in a timely manner based on their educational plan.

Advisor Responsibilities

• Understand and effectively communicate the curriculum, graduation requirements, and USC and SLIS policies and procedures;
• Encourage and guide students as they define and develop realistic goals;
• Encourage and support students as they gain the skills to develop clear and attainable educational plans;
• Monitor students’ progress toward meeting their goals;
• Be accessible for meeting with advisees via telephone, e-mail, web access, or in person;
• Assist students in gaining decision making skills and skills in assuming responsibility for their educational plans and achievements;
• Maintain confidentiality;
• Contact advisees who have earned 12-21 hours to check on academic progress, career goals, areas of concern, and graduation/portfolio information;
• Review End-of-Program Portfolios and score using current rubric. Share feedback results with the student and with the Student Services Office for assessment purposes.

Advisee Responsibilities

• Schedule appointments or make contact with advisor during each semester;
• Be prepared for each appointment with questions or material for discussion;
• Be an active learner by participating fully in the advising experience;
• Ask questions if you do not understand an issue or have a specific concern;
• Keep a personal record of your progress toward meeting your goals;
• Organize official documents in a way that enables you to access them when needed;
• Gather all relevant decision-making information;
• Clarify personal values and goals and provide advisor with accurate information regarding your interests and abilities;
• Become knowledgeable about USC and SLIS programs, requirements, policies, and procedures;
• Accept responsibility for decisions.

Date: 4/18/86; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
The School will adhere to University, State, and Federal Affirmative Action policies in all matters concerning students, faculty and staff. For more information, consult the System Affirmative Action Policy in the University Policy Manual.

PROCEDURE
The Director will ensure that the School adheres to the appropriate Affirmative Action policies in all matters concerning students, faculty and staff.

Date: 4/18/86; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
Tenure and Promotion Committee members will review all faculty members annually. Note that The Faculty Manual of the University of South Carolina Columbia and the UCTP Guidelines take precedence over SLIS Policy A1.05

PROCEDURE

A. Annual Review of untenured faculty

a. Members of the SLIS Tenure and Promotion Committee will by each April review a summary of research, teaching, and service activities as “Tenure and promotion decisions require a record of accomplishment indicative of continuing development of the faculty member in research, teaching, and service, and appropriate progress toward
development of a national or international reputation in a field."
b. The faculty member who is being reviewed will submit materials using the Provost Office’s Primary File template.
c. The Committee will forward a written evaluation of the file to the Director for use by the Director in preparing the Director’s annual review of the faculty member. Note that there will not be a separate annual review of a faculty member during the year of a tenure and promotion action.
d. The written evaluation will address the unit criteria for promotion and tenure, which are contained in the SLIS Tenure and Promotion Criteria and Procedures. Note that it is within the scope of responsibility of the Tenure and Promotion Committee to make recommendations with regard to, for example, advancing a tenure and promotion file.
e. The annual review correspondence of the SLIS Tenure and Promotion Committee and the SLIS Director will be incorporated into Third Year and Tenure and Promotion Packages.
f. Copies of the annual review correspondence will be provided to the person being reviewed and incorporated into that person’s personnel file.

B. Annual Review of tenured faculty at the Associate Professor Rank

a. Members of the SLIS Tenure and Promotion Committee who are at the professor rank will each April review a summary of research, teaching, and service activities of faculty members at the associate professor rank. In the event that there are
less than four SLIS faculty at the professor rank, persons holding the rank of professor in another unit of the university, who have a general understanding of the information field  and the particular area of contribution of the faculty member being evaluated, will be invited to contribute to the annual review.
b. The faculty member who is being reviewed will submit materials using The Provost Office’s Primary File template.
c. The reviewers will forward a written evaluation of the file to the Director for use by the Director in preparing the Director’s annual review of the faculty member. Note that there will not be a separate annual review of a faculty member during the year of a promotion action.
d. The written evaluation will address the unit criteria for promotion and tenure, which are contained in the SLIS Tenure and Promotion Criteria and Procedures. Note that it is within the scope of responsibility of the reviewers to make recommendations with regard to, for example, advancing a promotion file.
e. The annual review correspondence of the reviewers and the SLIS Director will be incorporated into future Promotion Packages.
f. Copies of the annual review correspondence will be provided to the person being reviewed and incorporated into that person’s personnel file.
g. A faculty member who is within three years of retirement may ask for a waiver from the annual review process.

C. Annual Review of Tenured Faculty at Professor Rank
As faculty at the Professor rank have high achievement in research, teaching, and /or service as well as national and international reputation, and as the faculty member will be subject to university’s post tenure review requirement, an annual review will be waived unless such is requested by either the Director or the faculty member.

Date: 4/18/86: Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
Absence from more than 10% of the scheduled class sessions, whether excused or unexcused, is excessive and the instructor may choose to exact a grade penalty for such absences. Faculty are responsible for monitoring student attendance in their classes and for alerting both the student and the Director of cases in which a student's absences appear to be becoming excessive.

PROCEDURE
Instructors should notify students, specifically in the course syllabus, of the attendance policy for the course by the first day of class. The attendance policy cannot be more restrictive than the “10% rule.” Syllabi for distributed learning courses should also include a statement regarding how the instructor will assess attendance. Faculty should maintain records of student attendance.

Date: 5/7/96; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
None of the SLIS courses required for the MLIS degree (SLIS 701, SLIS 705, and SLIS 707) may be audited. SLIS 706 can be audited if the student met the technology competency requirements by successfully passing the Competency Exemption Exam.

Degree-seeking students always are given priority over students who are auditing. No record of audit shall appear on a transcript unless a student attends 75 percent (75%) of the classes. No course taken for audit may be used on a program of study to satisfy degree requirements.

Students who have registered for a course on an audit basis and who wish to change their registration to take the course for credit (or who wish to change from credit to audit) must do so no later than the last day to change course schedule or drop without a grade of W being recorded.

PROCEDURE
Students wishing to audit graduate courses must obtain permission from SLIS Director. The faculty shall ensure that policy on auditing courses shall be followed.

Date: 3/20/87; Reviewed: 2/23

F. William Summers Outstanding Alumni Award
POLICY
The faculty of the School will select a graduate to receive the F. William Summers Outstanding Alumni Award.

PROCEDURE
The following criteria will be considered in selecting the graduate to receive the F. William Summers Outstanding Alumni Award. This award:

a. is not necessarily given annually, but selectively,
b. recognizes the graduate’s commitment to the School,
c. recognizes the graduate’s contributions to the profession, and
d. recognizes the recipient’s continuing career excellence in library and
information science.

Faculty will nominate graduates for the F. William Summers Outstanding Alumni Award. Nominations will be submitted the Assistant to the Director who will copy these for presentation at an appropriate faculty meeting. Voting by the faculty will take place at this meeting.

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William M. Trafton III Outstanding Student Award for Leadership
POLICY
Each year the faculty of the School will select one student to receive the William M. Trafton III Outstanding Student Award for Leadership.

PROCEDURE
The following criteria will be considered in selecting the student to receive the William M. Trafton III Outstanding Student Award for Leadership:

a. efforts or activities by the student to promote a sense of community in the School of
Library and Information Science,
b. the student's participation in student organizations, e.g., LISSA,
c. the student's participation in school activities, and
d. the student's interaction with other students and faculty.

Each spring faculty and staff will nominate a student for the William M. Trafton III Outstanding Student Award for Leadership. Nominations will be submitted to the Assistant to the Director who will copy these for presentation at an appropriate faculty meeting. Voting by the faculty will take place at this meeting.

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Wayne S. Yenawine Distinguished Student Award
POLICY
Each year the faculty of the School will select one student to receive the Wayne S. Yenawine Distinguished Student Award.

PROCEDURE
Nominees for the Yenawine award will be those students who graduated with a 4.0 grade point average the previous calendar year. In addition to grade point average, the following criteria will be considered for selecting the winner:

a. the quality of the student's work,
b. the student's willingness to go the "extra mile," and
c. the quality of the student's class participation.

A list of eligible students will be presented to the faculty at an appropriate Faculty meeting.
Based on the accepted criteria, faculty will vote for three nominees, ranking them from highest to
lowest. The Wayne S. Yenawine Distinguished Student Award will be presented at an
appropriate occasion.

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John N. Olsgaard Distinguished Service Award
POLICY
Each year the faculty of the School will select one student to receive the John N. Olsgaard Distinguished Service Award.

PROCEDURE
The following criteria will be considered in selecting the individual(s) to receive the John N. Olsgaard Distinguished Service Award:

a. willingness to assist the School’s faculty, staff and students,
b. continuum of service to the School, and
c. exceptional contributions to the School.

Faculty will nominate an individual(s) to be considered for the John N. Olsgaard Distinguished Service Award. Nominations will be given to the Assistant to the Director who will copy these for presentation at an appropriate faculty meeting. Voting by the faculty will take place at this meeting.

The John N. Olsgaard Distinguished Service Award will be presented at an appropriate occasion.

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The Annual Literacy Leaders (ALL) Awards
POLICY
The ALL awards are presented by the School of Information Science at the University of South Carolina in the fall of each year to individuals and/ or groups that have had a statewide impact on literacy in South Carolina.

PROCEDURE
The following criteria will be considered in selecting recipients:

a. developing and implementing innovative and creative approaches to literacy education,
b. establishing models of best practices in literacy education,
c. providing service to underserved groups and communities,
d. providing funding and support for these kinds of programs, and
e. making other statewide contributions deemed appropriate by the Committee.

Recipients can be any individuals, agencies, organizations or corporations with a local presence in South Carolina, regardless of their primary place of residence or corporate headquarters. A Call for Nominations will be distributed in the spring of each year and the ALL Award Nominating Committee will select the recipients at an appropriate time. 

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POLICY 
The School of Information Science recognizes excellence in teaching by faculty through two different teaching awards: the Faculty Teaching Award and Adjunct Faculty Teaching Award. 

PROCEDURE 
Each year’s awardee must meet the following criteria: 

1. Exhibits excellence and creativity in teaching, as evidenced by nominations 
2. Supports the pedagogical efforts of the school 
3. Has not received the award in the previous 3 years 
4. Teaches full-time/part-time in the School of Information Science 
   
   

Students, faculty, staff, and administration may nominate any full-time faculty member to receive the Faculty Teaching Award (or part-time faculty member to receive the Adjunct Teaching Award), so long as they meet the stated criteria. The nominated faculty member will complete an application—including teaching philosophy, accomplishments, and brief CV—to acknowledge the nomination. An ad-hoc committee—composed of the Committee on Instructional Quality chair and the past three winners of the Faculty Teaching award—is responsible for maintaining the award process and determining, by vote, each year’s recipient. If a member of this ad-hoc committee is nominated for the award, they will recuse themselves from discussion and vote. Nominations typically open in February, and the CIQ chair announces the awards at the CIC Awards Event.

Date: 11/8/13: Revised: 4/15/16

The Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Library and Information Science is tailored to complement the Master of Library and Information Science program by providing post-Master's degree instruction designed to enhance the student's career opportunities in his or her chosen area of specialization. Completion of the Certificate of Graduate Study in Library and Information Science will acknowledge to the prospective employer the student's additional preparation for specific job responsibilities.

GOAL
To enable Certificate program graduates to perform effectively in the library and information science professions by demonstrating skills and/or knowledge in a specific chosen area of the field.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of their professional development goals.
2. Students will demonstrate an understanding of what specialized knowledge and/or skills are needed to meet their professional development goals.
3. Students will demonstrate specialized knowledge and/or skills in a specific chosen area of the field.

PROCEDURE
In order for a student to matriculate and graduate, the following conditions apply:

Admissions Requirements:

1. A USC Graduate School application and the non-refundable $50.00 application fee.
2. The School of Information Science Supplemental Application which is accessible through the Graduate School application. The Supplemental Application includes an essay requirement. Applicants must respond to the statements provided on the application.
3. Master of Library and Information Science degree earned from an ALA-accredited university. An official transcript with MLIS degree posted from a college or university accredited by a regional accrediting agency and ALA-accreditation. The recommended GPA is 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
4. An official transcript with baccalaureate degree posted from a college or university accredited by a regional accrediting agency. The required GPA is 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
5. Official transcripts from all other colleges or universities attended.
6. Two letters of recommendation. The recommenders should be in a position to evaluate (a) your academic performance at the undergraduate or graduate level (e.g. faculty or instructors) or (b) your job performance (e.g. supervisors or administrators). Letters from friends and relatives which speak only of the applicant’s personal attributes will not be
accepted. Applicants are required to provide contact information for recommenders who may be contacted by the School of Information Science.
7. Standardized test score report for either the GRE or MAT:

A. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Official score report for the GRE taken within the last five years must indicate:

i. A combined score requirement for the GRE must be 294 with at least 153on the verbal section.
ii. SLIS requires a minimum score of 4.0 on the writing portion of the GRE. The score is considered in the application process, particularly if the GRE score and/or GPA is weak or does not meet the minimum requirement.

B. Miller Analogies Test (MAT) Official score report for tests taken within the last five years must indicate a score of at least 410. For MAT information and testing center locations go to www.milleranalogies.com.

8. International Students: Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) International students whose native language is not English must also submit an official score report with a minimum score of 80 internet-based (IBT) or 570 paper-based (PBT). TOEFL scores are available from ETS for two years. Information can be found at www.ets.org/toefl.

Upon admission to the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Library and Information Science degree program, the Student Services Office will assign an advisor for each student. The student or advisor may, at any time, ask for a change of advisor. The advisor will assist in the development of the student's program but it is the responsibility of the student to ensure that all of the degree requirements are met.

Degree Requirements:
The certificate program consists of 18 credit hours of required and elective course work in a specific area of library and information science. A student may pursue the certificate simultaneously with the M.L.I.S. or following completion of the M.L.I.S. School of Information Science students who are admitted to the certificate program prior to completion of the M.L.I.S. are allowed to use 6 hours of M.L.I.S. credit toward the certificate provided the 6 hours are related to the proposed area of specialization for the certificate. If there is a lapse of time between completion of the M.L.I.S. and enrollment in the certificate program or if the student is a graduate of another ALA-accredited master’s program, 18 hours of course work will be required to earn the certificate. Courses which will be more than six years old at the time the Certificate is awarded may not be included on the student's Program of Study.

All students must complete an end-of-program portfolio. (See Policy A5.85, Portfolio, Student). Students must complete a minimum of 3 credit hours of internship (SLIS 794) and an additional nine or 15 credit hours, depending upon whether admission was prior to or following completion of the MLIS degree. Students may choose their elective courses in library and information science or a related discipline after consultation with an academic advisor. Each student’s program of study will be tailored according to prior course work and the student’s professional objectives.

Students must present a grade point average of at least 3.0 (B average) on all courses taken in the program at the time of graduation. Students who earn a grade below B on more than six hours of course work or who make a grade below C in any course will not be allowed to continue in the program. Students who receive a grade below C in a course cannot apply the course toward graduation. Students who receive a grade of D+ or D in a required course (i.e. joint program requirements or CAEP requirements) must retake the course upon reinstatement to attain a grade of at least C (see Policy A5.80, Grade Requirements for Degree Credit).

The student will apply for and be awarded the MLIS degree upon completion of the 36 hours required for that degree. Subsequently the student will be awarded the Certificate of Graduate Study in Library and Information Science upon completion of the additional 12-18 hours as specified above.

Date: 5/7/96; Reviewed: 4/16/16

POLICY
At the discretion of the faculty, people not registered for a course may attend selected class activities. Class visitors may not attend more than 10% of class sessions and attendance must be within the first month of the course.

PROCEDURE
Anyone who wishes to attend a class for which he/she is not registered may do so by obtaining prior approval from the instructor. Faculty may decline a request for visitor attendance for any reason.

Date: 5/7/96; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
Classes will meet at the time and place as published by the Office of the University Registrar.

PROCEDURE
Exceptions to this policy require the approval of the SLIS Director’s Office in consultation with the Schedule Coordinator. A unanimous vote by the students will be required to finalize any class schedule change.

Date: 8/23/96; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
All money collected in the School will be handled through the appropriate office and will be deposited to the appropriate accounts. All transactions will be conducted according to established University fiscal policy.

PROCEDURE
Money that is collected in the School is the responsibility of the office for which funds are received, e.g., Director’s Office and Continuing Education. Receipts of all deposit transactions will be kept in an orderly fashion for periodic internal audit inspection. The Director will insure that the handling of all funds will be conducted according to University policy.

Date: 12/8/06; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
An applicant whose credentials do not meet SLIS admission requirements may be considered for conditional admission by the Student Services Committee, once all required admission materials have been received. Removing the conditional admission is contingent on meeting the criteria below.

CRITERIA
Students who are conditionally admitted may only take two courses – SLIS 701 and SLIS 706. Students who pass the Computer Competency Exam may replace SLIS 706 with SLIS 707. A student may not take any other course until he/she completes SLIS 701 and SLIS 706 (or 707) with a grade of “B” or better. Students may take SLIS 701 and SLIS 706 (or 707) concurrently.

Once these courses have been completed with a grade of “B” or better, students will be fully admitted into the SLIS program.

Students who earn less than a “B” in SLIS 701 or SLIS 706 (or 707) may not continue the SLIS program. The student's admission to the SLIS program will be canceled. See SLIS Policies A5.80, Grade Requirements for Degree Credit, and A1.20, Technology
Competency Requirements.

Date: 4/18/86; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
Any outside consulting work performed by faculty of the School must have the prior approval of the Director. Faculty will not use University resources to support outside consulting work. Faculty must abide by all applicable University policies as stated in the Consultant Activity (Research) section of the Faculty Manual.

PROCEDURE
Faculty will follow procedure concerning consultant Activity as outlined in Faculty Manual.

Date: 8/22/96; Revised: 11/17/17

POLICY
The School has standing committees based on the needs or priorities of the School per the Director’s discretion. The Director as necessary will appoint ad hoc committees. The faculty may recommend the creation of other ad hoc committees as the need arises. Students participate on committees as specified in Policy A1.30. The Director will make appointments for each academic year subject to faculty review.

PROCEDURE
In August of each year the Director will appoint members to each standing committee. Faculty will be given the opportunity to express preference for committee service. Student involvement will be solicited by committee chairs by the second committee meeting of the academic year. Minutes of committee meetings will be placed on the shared drive/Community Blackboard site for review.

Date: 4/18/86; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
The SLIS Student Services Office will maintain a system in which faculty and staff may view or obtain copies of University records pertaining to SLIS students. Current students and alumni may also request access to their SLIS student records. Such records include both Graduate School and departmental files on students.

PROCEDURE
Faculty and staff may examine student files for certification of grades, admission information or any other legitimate educational purpose. Student education records may not be disclosed to anyone unless the student has given written consent. A faculty member, staff member, or school official has a legitimate educational interest in accessing or reviewing a student’s educational records without the student’s written consent if he or she needs to review an educational record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.

Electronic files may be viewed via a secure, shared drive from the faculty or staff member’s wired computer within Davis College or in the Student Services during regular office hours (8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.). Files are not to be copied and/or saved to any other computer or storage device. Any changes, additions, or deletions to files must be done by the Student Services Office.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) afford students certain rights with respect to their education records. These are:

A. The right to inspect and to review their education records within 45 days of the day the University receives a written request for access.
B. The right to request amendment of student education records that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading.
C. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

Date 8/20/04; Revised: 4/15/16; 11/22/19;  3/27/20

POLICY
Course Instructors may request course assistants who will be readers or mentors (non-teaching) in courses that exceed 30 students. The ratio of students to Course Assistants may vary from one course to another based on the unique nature of instruction requirements; however, the general allocation will be 30 students per Course Assistant. Course Assistants for undergraduate and master’s level courses must have at least an MLIS or other master’s level completion or comparable level of expertise and cannot be current students in the program in which they are assisting. Course Instructors will evaluate their allotted course assistant/s each semester that they are employed. Each semester Course Assistants will provide feedback related to their experience, indicating whether or not they want to continue to be considered for future Course Assistant roles .

PROCEDURE

The Assistant director identifies and assigns course assistants (CAs) in consultation with the instructor for courses needing CAs. CAs are chosen from a pool of applicants who fill out a CA application form and meet eligibility requirements. Preferably, a CA is in place and begins training one week prior to course start.

CAs are trained out of the Assistant Director’s office. Training covers the most common CA duties, e.g. pre-marking, discussion monitoring, attendance.

The assistant director evaluates CAs for potential reappointment, with input from instructor.

Date: 5/7/96; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
Students enrolled in each course offered by the School, including experimental courses, independent studies, and internships, will be provided an opportunity to evaluate the course at its end. Evaluations are anonymous. Faculty will neither be present during the evaluation if given face to face nor receive the evaluations directly from the individual students either as hard copy or electronic format. The results of evaluations will be provided to instructors following submission of final grades each semester.

PROCEDURE
Prior to the end of each course, the Assistant to the Director will provide each faculty member with a Course Climate URL and a set of instructions. The Assistant to the Director will insure that access to the URL is made available to all students in each
course. The results from Course Climate will be forwarded to each faculty and the Director.

The Director will review the results and a copy will be provided to the Dean. Faculty should retain the evaluation results for each course for inclusion in their tenure and promotion files.

Date: 5/7/96; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
In accordance with the School's Goals and Objectives, the School will strive to provide for the continuing education and staff development needs of the employees of libraries and information centers through a flexible program consisting of short-term academic and non-academic workshops and seminars. The School will maintain contact with the field to identify, plan, and implement needed continuing education programs.

PROCEDURE
The CE/Alumni Coordinator and the Director have the responsibility to develop and approve all School-sponsored CE activities. CE activities may be initiated by: individual faculty members; the faculty as a whole; the CE Coordinator; the Director; or groups or individuals outside the School.

Date: 5/7/96; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
The School will maintain files of every course taught. The syllabi will be available on Blackboard Community and students are welcome to review them.

PROCEDURE
Course syllabi will include the following information:

1) Course title, course number, credit hours.
2) Prerequisites (if any).
3) Course description.
4) Course objectives and learning outcomes, written in terms of what is expected of student by end of course.
5) Course outline.
6) Assignment sheets as distributed.
7) Copy of class handouts.

At the midpoint of each semester faculty members will provide an electronic copy of all courses being taught to the Director’s office. The Assistant to the Director will contact each faculty member whose course syllabi have not been received to insure that ALL files for the semester are completed and filed.

Date: 8/23/96; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
The Committee coordinates the development of the SLIS curricula in all degrees and receives new course proposals and course change proposals, as well as any supporting documentation. The Committee reviews these proposals and makes recommendations to the faculty. The Committee examines degree requirements, course pre-requisites and curriculum-related issues. The membership of the Committee includes the Chairs of the Undergraduate Committee and Research and Doctoral Committee.

PROCEDURE

The Chair of the Committee will direct the activities of the Committee and appoint one member to record the minutes of each meeting.

Date: 8/20/04; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
The Distributed Learning Committee advocates for students and faculty on matters related to distributed learning, reviews related policies, and makes recommendations to the faculty as necessary.

PROCEDURE
The chair of the committee will direct the activities of the committee and appoint one member to record the minutes of each meeting.

DATE: 8/28/09; REVISED 4/15/16

POLICY
Official University email accounts are available for all enrolled students. SLIS students are expected to check their email on a frequent and consistent basis in order to stay current with University-related and course-related communications. Students have the responsibility to recognize that certain communications may be time-critical. "I didn't check my email," error in forwarding mail, or email returned with "Mailbox Full" or "User Unknown" are not acceptable excuses for missing official University, College, School, or course communications via email.

Faculty will determine how electronic forms of communication (e.g., email) will be used in their classes, and will specify their requirements in the course syllabus. This policy ensures that all students will be able to comply with email-based course requirements specified by faculty. Faculty can therefore make the assumption that students' official @email.sc.edu accounts are being accessed and faculty can use email for their classes accordingly.

If a student wishes to have email redirected from their official @email.sc.edu address to another email address (e.g. @yahoo, @gmail, etc.), they may do so, but at their own risk (please see the SLIS Technology Requirements on the website). SLIS will not be responsible for the handling of email by outside vendors or by departmental servers. Having email redirected does not absolve a student from the responsibilities associated with official communication sent to his or her @email.sc.edu account.

Date: 5/7/96; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
At the discretion of the instructor, enrollment in SLIS courses can be limited to students enrolled in in SLIS degree programs. Such restrictions will be indicated in the course bulletins.

PROCEDURE
The SLIS Scheduling Coordinator, after consultation with the instructor, shall designate with the Office of the University Registrar of the University which courses in a given semester will be limited to the School’s students.

Date: 11/17/98; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
Equipment will be provided to support faculty and instructors of all types by the IT staff. Equipment is not to be removed from its storage area except for instructional or professional use. University owned equipment may not be borrowed for personal activities. The user is responsible for the equipment.

PROCEDURE
Equipment that is to be used for instruction or professional activities must be reserved in advance through the IT staff. The equipment must be signed out each time it is removed.

During regular business hours (8:30 am to 5:00 pm), it is the responsibility of the borrower to return the equipment to Room 110. After business hours, the equipment must be secured by locking the equipment in a lab/conference room or by temporarily storing the equipment in the borrower's office. In regards to the equipment in lecture recording lab, Davis 216A, all items in the recording lab must remain in the room.

Date: 5/7/96; Revised: 2/1/2019

POLICY
An emerging topics course is a course which is intended to cover timely and new topics in the discipline. Special topics courses are courses which will be offered as a means of determining need and receptivity of students, or possibly as a one-time offering, covering topics of interest in the discipline. Honors College courses go through a different approval process. Only full-time faculty may propose an emerging or special topics course. The proposer may work with a subject expert or instructor outside of SLIS to propose a course on their behalf. The number “480” will be used to designate an undergraduate emerging topics course. The numbers "529," “795,” and "797" will be used to designate graduate special topics courses. 529 can be taken by undergraduate and graduate students.

PROCEDURE
A proposed emerging or special topics course should be submitted to the Curriculum Committee for review and determination that it is needed and does not conflict with or duplicate existing courses; the committee will confer with the BSIS committee when making decisions regarding undergraduate courses. Justification of the course and provision of necessary information to the Curriculum Committee is the responsibility of the proposer. The proposer will provide the Committee with a course proposal packet containing the following items:

1. Completed Special Topics Course form signed by the proposer, located at ????? url is 
2. A complete syllabus structured in accordance with the USC syllabus templates.
Undergraduate:
????
Graduate: ???

Syllabus must include:

a. Course number
b. Course title
c. Course description
d. Possible pre-requisites
e. Length (e.g., 8 weeks, full semester, etc.) and credit hours
f. Justification, including the anticipated audience and indication of how this course relates to other courses in the SLIS or University curriculum
g. Student learning outcomes that are stated using action verbs to characterize what students will be able to do as a result of successful completion of the class
h. Textbook and reading list
i. Course assignments
j. Grading scale
k. Course calendar, indicating topics to be covered
l. Any resource implications for the course (library resources, supplies and equipment, computer time, etc.).
m. If the course will be delivered online, a breakdown of Learning Minutes for Distributed Education Delivery must be included (see example at the end of this document). Also include an explanation of student-student, student-instructor, and student-content accommodations that will  be made in this version of the course delivery; including a statement that this version of delivery will accomplish the same goals as the face-to-face delivery.

If the Curriculum Committee approves the course, it will recommend this approval to the faculty for a full faculty vote. The approval will include the maximum number of times the course may be offered as an emerging or special topics course, the appropriate number of credits, and the course title and description. A course approval expires after 3 years from the semester it is first taught. After this time, the approval process must be repeated.

A special topics course must be approved by the Graduate School each semester it is offered. In general, the Graduate School does not approve the same special topics course to be taught more than three times. After a special topics course is offered three times, it must be put through the new course proposal process to be taught again.

After Curriculum Committee and faculty approval

1. Proposer gets the required signatures of the SLIS Director and CIC Dean on the STC form and submits a scanned PDF of the STC form and syllabus to the Scheduling Coordinator.
2. Scheduling Coordinator submits packet to the Registrar’s Office and/or Graduate School for final approval.

Deadlines
Emerging and special topics courses may be proposed at any time; however, the proposer cannot be guaranteed approval and scheduling for a particular semester. The following deadlines are based on the master schedule production calendar, and assume that the entire approval procedure has been completed.

• For emerging and special topics courses to be offered in the fall: October 31 in the previous year.
• For emerging and special topics courses to be offered in the spring or summer sessions: May 31 in the previous year.

Learning Minutes for Distributed Education Delivery
Each 3-credit primarily asynchronous course must have 6300 learning minutes. Of key importance is the identification of provisions for student-professor or student-student interaction.

The categories that can be counted as contact hours:

• Required/Mandatory: Participation in live sessions is required.
• Responsible: Participation in live sessions is not required but students are responsible for the material.

Some possibilities include live class sessions, guest lectures, recorded lectures, live discussion sessions or Blackboard discussion postings, supplemental content and activities, and lab sessions.

Note: Optional sessions (e.g., office hours, help sessions) are not counted as contact hours. Optional is defined as students are not responsible for the material. 

• Include a time allocation framework (week 1, week 2, etc. to include at least the number of weeks for a standard course session – e.g., 8 weeks, 14 weeks, etc.)

It is necessary to describe the percentages for methods of delivery. For example:
§ #% -- Lectures
§ #% -- Guest presentations
§ #% -- Discussions and in-class activities
§ #% -- Blackboard activities
§ #% -- Other instructional components

Example – Tally of Contact Minutes
Recorded lectures: 14 weeks x 90 minutes = 1260 minutes
Reading: 14 weeks x 180 minutes = 2520 minutes
Lesson activities, quizzes, and assignments: 14 weeks x 120 minutes = 1680 minutes
Participation via Blackboard discussion boards: 14 sessions x 60 minutes = 840 minutes
Total learning minutes: 6300 minutes

Date: 8/19/2005: Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
The School will have a faculty meeting at least once a month during the academic year. These meetings will be scheduled at the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters. Special faculty meetings, held in person or by electronic means, may be called by the Director or by a request of at least three tenure-track faculty members; all meetings of the faculty are open. The faculty may go into closed session for the discussion of personnel or student matters pertaining to confidential student information.

PROCEDURE
Dates for the regular faculty meetings will be established at the beginning of each semester. An agenda for the meeting will be distributed from the Director’s office prior to the meeting. Those wishing to have items placed on the agenda may do so by
informing the Director or the Assistant to the Director. Faculty meetings will be held and decisions made when a quorum can be present. A quorum will be at least 50 % of the tenure-track faculty plus one. Minutes of all faculty meetings will be recorded by the
Assistant to the Director and will be complete and available to all faculty and staff via Blackboard within 10 days following meeting date. An official file copy of the minutes with attachments will be maintained in the administrative office.

Date: 8/25/81; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
The School has faculty representation on the Faculty Senate. Each spring semester, the Faculty Senate office calculates the appropriate senate representation for each college and school. The person(s) will serve for a three-year term.

PROCEDURE
The faculty of the School will elect the appropriate number of members to represent the School as Faculty Senator. If the person elected cannot serve the full term, another election will be held to select a replacement. The person(s) serving as Faculty Senator will make a report to the faculty at the next regularly scheduled SLIS meeting and may make such other reports as appropriate.

Date: 8/26/11; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
This policy and the procedures herein shall not extend to matters of grading student work where the substance of a complaint is simply the student’s disagreement with the grade or evaluation of
his/her work. Such matters will be discussed by a student and his/her instructor; final authority shall remain with the instructor.

Students have the right to be graded in an equitable manner, free from arbitrary bias or
capriciousness on the part of faculty members. The basis of a student grievance shall be a
violation of Teaching Responsibility policies contained in the Faculty Manual; or a violation of the policies on
Protection of Freedom of Expression or Protection against Improper Disclosure (see STAF 6.28),
as stated in USC Policies and Procedures.

Students who believe they have the right to grieve under this policy should, within 30 calendar days of receiving a grade, contact the SLIS Student Services Manager to review the appeals process.

PROCEDURE

1. Initiating an Appeal

a. Students must submit all appeals in writing to the SLIS Director.
b. The written appeal must clearly state the grievance as it relates to the documents listed above.
c. Students must initiate an appeal within 30 calendar days of notification of the grade or evaluation.

2. Appeal to the SLIS Director

a. The first level of appeal of a course grade is to the SLIS Director.
b. The Director may speak with the faculty member or the student regarding the appeal. The student and faculty member will receive notification of the Director’s decision within ten working days of receiving the student’s written appeal.

3. Final Appeal

a. If the Director’s decision is not favorable to the student, students may appeal the decision via an Ad Hoc committee.
b. Students must contact the Director in writing within ten working days of the notification of the Director’s decision requesting a committee be formed to review the appeal.
c. The committee will be appointed by the Director to review the appeal and shall include the Student Services Manager and the Chair of the Student Services Committee, along with two additional SLIS faculty members.
d. The Committee’s decision will be final. The student and faculty member will receive notification of the Committee’s decision within ten working days of receiving the student’s second written appeal.

Date: 3/7/91; Revised: 4/15/16 (For students who began their program Fall 2014 or later)

POLICY
A graduate student who receives grades of C+ or below on more than six hours of coursework, or a grade of D, F, WF, or U in any course, may not continue in a School of Information Science (SLIS) graduate program. The student will be suspended from SLIS and he/she will not be allowed to enroll in any further SLIS courses for at least one year. A student's
cumulative grade point average on all courses attempted for graduate credit must be at least 3.00 (B) in order for the student to graduate from the SLIS program.

Courses approved for graduate degree credit must have a grade of C or better. A student must complete all courses listed on the approved Program of Study with an average of at least B (3.0). The average on all courses numbered 700 and above must also be B or above. All courses taken for graduate credit at USC within the time period for the degree, whether listed on the Program
of Study or not, must average B or above. Graduate credits approved for transfer from other institutions are not included in calculating USC GPA.

PROCEDURE
When a student earns grades of C+ or below on more than six hours of coursework, or a grade of D, F, WF, or U in any course, a reclassification action sheet will be sent to the Graduate School requesting that the student's admission to the SLIS graduate program be canceled. A letter explaining the reasons for the request will accompany the action sheet.

A student who is dismissed from a SLIS program for academic reasons may request reinstatement to the program after one year. If three or more years have passed since dismissal, the student must re-apply through the Graduate School and go through the SLIS reinstatement process. The student is disqualified from enrolling in any SLIS courses for a minimum of one year from the date of his/her dismissal from the SLIS program regardless of the student's status in another degree program of the University.

Students who receive grades of C+ or below in a course will be sent a letter from the Director advising the student of their academic eligibility. A copy of the letter will be given to the advisor. These letters will be mailed at the end of each semester and each session of summer school.

Students who receive a grade below C in a course cannot apply the course toward graduation.

Students who receive a grade of D+ or D in a required course (i.e., SLIS 701, 705, 707; the Technology Competency Requirement course, SLIS 706; joint program requirements; or CAEP requirements) must retake the course if they are reinstated and must earn a grade of at least B. A course may be retaken only once.

Date: 5/7/96; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
It is the student’s responsibility to maintain and produce all graded work to support review for settlement of disputed grades.

PROCEDURE
The faculty will return graded work to students except final examinations. Copies of work graded "C+" or lower will be retained by faculty for at least six months. In the case of an incomplete grade, the work should be maintained for two years. Faculty are to
retain copies of exams for one semester after a course is offered.

Date: 11/13/92: Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
The School of Information Science will provide assistantships during the academic year and during the summer to eligible SLIS students. Any student enrolled in at least 6 hours during the fall and spring semesters is eligible for an assistantship; students must be enrolled in at least 3 hours in the summer terms to be eligible for an assistantship. An assistantship may be awarded for the entire academic year or for a single semester. The SLIS will comply with the University's affirmative action policy in the awarding of graduate assistantships.

Graduate assistants will be paid for a specified number of hours work per week (minimum 10 hours; maximum 20 hours) and may receive a tuition reduction according to Graduate School regulations. Students may be assigned to two faculty members for 5 hours of work per week each for a total of 10 hours. Retention of an assistantship will be contingent upon the successful performance of assigned duties, satisfactory academic progress, and the needs of the SLIS.

PROCEDURE
All applications for graduate assistantships will be submitted to the Student Services Office. The Director’s Office will award the assistantships. Consideration of all applications will be guided by evaluation of the applicant's undergraduate and graduate GPA, GRE or MAT score, letters of recommendation, letter of application, related work experience, related course and workshop experience, and other relevant factors. In the case of special graduate assistant positions, an interview may be conducted.

Graduate assistants are required to be enrolled in and remain enrolled in courses, which are appropriate for inclusion in a SLIS graduate degree or certificate program. Exceptions to this requirement may be made by the Director prior to the assistantship period. Any change in course schedule after the student begins the assistantship must be approved in advance by the student's advisor and the Director.

Each GA will be notified by letter of the award, the specific assignment, and the supervisor with whom he/she will be assigned. It is the responsibility of each GA to notify the Director’s Office in writing of acceptance of the award, and contact the faculty/supervisor to arrange the work schedule and plan duties to be performed. GA’s should notify the Director’s Office if they would like to resign from the position.

A faculty member awarded a grant, which includes the hiring of a graduate assistant, will be responsible for selecting a student to work as his/her grant-funded graduate assistant.

The Director’s Office will process the paperwork necessary for hiring the graduate assistant. Grant-funded graduate assistants will work only on the grant project; therefore, a faculty member with a grant-funded graduate assistant may also be assigned his/her School-funded graduate assistant. Grant-funded graduate assistants will be subject to the same evaluation procedure as those who are funded by the School.

Graduate assistants will be evaluated at the mid-point of each major semester using an evaluation that will be sent each semester by the Director’s Office.

Those GA’s who receive satisfactory evaluations and who are making satisfactory academic progress will be eligible for continuation of the award depending on the needs of SLIS. Those receiving unsatisfactory performance or academic evaluations will be notified that the award will be terminated. The position will then be open for reassignment by the Director’s Office.

Date: 4/18/86; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
The School has a grievance procedure to provide a means for the adjudication and resolution of student grievances. A grievable matter is defined as an allegation of failure of a faculty member to carry out teaching responsibilities as established in the Regulations and Policies section of the Faculty Manual. (Grievances about the assignment of grades are excluded from this policy.)

PROCEDURE
Any student feeling that a grievance exists shall first address the grievance to the faculty member involved and seek solution of the problem.

If, after conferring with the faculty member, the student feels that the grievance still exists, it shall be stated in writing in a memo to the Director containing the following:

• nature of the problem or complaint;
• reasonable evidence to support the case and background material;
• a description of what has been done to resolve the grievance.

The Director may confer with the involved faculty member to seek resolution, or appoint an ad hoc grievance committee to investigate the matter, or take both of these actions.

If the Director appoints a grievance committee, the committee will:

• conduct a full inquiry into the grievance.
• invite the student and the faculty member to appear before them to present evidence to be accompanied by a reasonable number of advisors of their choosing. The investigation shall be conducted under such rules and procedures as the committee may adopt, the intent being to conduct a full and impartial inquiry into the matter.
• to hear any witnesses requested by the student and the faculty member. Both parties shall have the right to cross-examine witnesses.
• to submit to the Director as promptly as possible, but in no case later than five days after the hearing, a report of the committee's investigations and a recommendation with respect to the grievances.

The Director will make a final decision in the case within two days of the receipt of the Grievance Committee's report and will inform the student, the faculty member, and the members of the Grievance Committee of the decision in the case.  The student may initiate further action through the administrative channels of the University. (See STAF630 0504).

See: Policy A5.90: Grade Appeal Policy

Date: 8/23/96; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
Guest speakers may be invited to classes at the discretion of the faculty. Faculty has the responsibility for any costs involved (i.e., honorarium, meals, etc.) unless prior approval is given by the Director for the expenditure.

PROCEDURE
Faculty may utilize guest speakers in their classes at any time. The faculty will make the arrangements for the speaker. At the faculty member's discretion, notices may be posted to invite those interested in the speaker's topic to attend. Unless prior approval is obtained from the Director, any costs involved in having a guest speaker will be paid by the faculty.

Date: 9/18/2009 Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY

The grade of I (incomplete) is a temporary grade assigned at the discretion of the instructor when, in the instructor’s judgment, a student is prevented from completing a portion of the assigned work in a course because of an illness, accident, verified disability, family emergency, or some other unforeseen circumstance. The student should notify the instructor without delay and request an extension of time to complete the course work, but the request for a grade of incomplete must be made to the instructor before the end of the term. The instructor will determine, according to the nature of the circumstance and the uncompleted requirements, how much additional time, up to 12 months, will be allowed for completing the work before a permanent grade is assigned. An Assignment of Incomplete Grade form is completed by the instructor as part of the usual grade submission process. The justification for the incomplete grade, conditions for make-up, a deadline for completion, and a back-up grade if the course work is not completed by the deadline should be communicated by faculty to the student via email with a copy to the Student Services Office for the student’s file. Re-enrolling in a course will not make up or replace an incomplete grade and students should not re-register for the course. A grade of I is not computed in the calculation of a student’s cumulative grade point average until the permanent grade is posted.

There is no automatic time period for completion of the work for which a grade of incomplete is given. The instructor should give the student a reasonable deadline, up to 12 months after the scheduled end of the course, to complete the work. After 12 months an I grade that has not been replaced with a permanent grade is changed permanently by the Office of the University Registrar to a grade of F or to the backup grade indicated by the faculty member on the Assignment of Incomplete Grade form. In the rare instance the instructor believes there is justification for an extension beyond the 12-month limit, a request for extension of incomplete time should be submitted to the dean of The Graduate School before the expiration of the 12- month period on the Extension of Incomplete Time Period Authorization form for approval. The Graduate School does not approve the make-up of I (incomplete) grades in courses which are already out-of-date for use on a student’s program of study or grant extensions of time without sufficient justification and/or supporting documentation.

SLIS students should have no more than three outstanding Incompletes at any time. Students are ineligible to enroll following a semester where all grades received were an I. That time period should be used to complete the work and students will not be able to register again until the I’s have been replaced with a letter grade. Students may not graduate from the MLIS program with a grade of I on their records, even if that course is not included on the Program of Study.

Date: 8/23/96 Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
The Information Technology and Policy Committee advises the Director, faculty, and staff in regards to the information technology needs of the School. The Committee examines new developments in technology, assesses the value of such developments, and recommends policies concerning the purchase, upgrading, and removal of equipment in the School. The Committee’s responsibilities encompass the technology needs of students, faculty, and staff.

PROCEDURE
The Chair of the Committee will direct the activities of the Committee and appoint one member to record the minutes of each meeting. See university policies for acceptable use (IT106) and IT security (IT300).

Date: 10/8/99; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
Internships are open to students admitted as candidates for the Master of Library and Information Science degree in the School of Information Science.

Internships may be taken related to the following:

1. Type of library or other information agency
2. Clientèle
3. Function or service area (for example, administration, automation, children’s services, information resource management, reference, technical services)

An internship is designed to provide a student with opportunities to demonstrate competencies acquired during their program. Therefore, an internship should come at or near the end of the student’s program of study. Master of Library and Information Science students must complete the required courses (SLIS 701, SLIS 705, and SLIS 707) and fulfill the Technology Competency (through completing SLIS 706 or achieving a passing score on the Technology Exemption Exam) prior to taking an internship.

Students completing internships are also required to take relevant elective coursework either before or concurrently with the internship.

Students may take three or six hours of internship. Each credit hour requires forty-five contact hours of work in the internship setting. That is, three credit hours will be awarded for a minimum of 135 hours of internship work and satisfactory completion of objectives as described below.

The grade for the internship will be either S for satisfactory or U for unsatisfactory completion of the requirements for the internship. Evaluations for grades are objectives based. Working with the faculty instructor and site supervisors, the intern will develop a list of objectives that will provide specific learning opportunities. Failure to meet these objectives can result in an unsatisfactory grade. A grade of U is equivalent to a grade of F and will result in the student's dismissal from the program. The University of South Carolina provides equal opportunity and affirmative action in education and employment for all qualified persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or veteran status. The University of South Carolina has designated as the ADA, Title II, Section 504 and Title IX coordinator the Executive Assistant to the President for Civil Rights and Title IX programs.

The Host Site will be asked to demonstrate compliance in facilities and services with ADA for the following groups, whether clients or staff members: individuals who use  wheelchairs or other mobility devices, have difficulty using their hands, have visual disabilities, have hearing disabilities, have learning disabilities or other perceptual disabilities.

The site supervisor should have a graduate degree from an appropriately accredited or certified program (for example, ALA, CAEP, ARMA) or equivalent professional experience. Site supervisors must have at least one year of professional service in a library or other information agency. Internships will be arranged for applicants in the order in which requests are received.

Should an applicant be unable to take advantage of an offered site, the location may be offered to another applicant.

PROCEDURE
The student is to make no overtures or any arrangements for an internship prior to discussing the internship with their academic advisor and faculty instructor.

Each student requesting an internship will complete the following tasks:

1. Obtain a copy of the internship guidelines from the SLIS Student Services Office six months in advance of the planned internship.
2. Communicate with their academic advisor to request and discuss the internship.
3. Communicate with the faculty instructor (or in the case of school library candidates, with the Coordinator of School Library Field Services) and complete the following forms:
     • SLIS Request for Internship
     • Internship Contract
     • Personal Information Form
4. Make an appointment with the proposed site supervisor after the faculty instructor has made initial contacts.
5. Meet with site supervisor to develop a list of personal learning objectives for approval by the faculty instructor.

The final decision as to whether the student is eligible for an internship rests with the student’s academic advisor.

If the academic advisor approves an internship request, the student will be referred to potential faculty instructors with expertise in the requested specialization.

If the faculty instructor determines that the student is adequately prepared for the requested assignment, an appropriate internship site will be identified in consultation with the student and the prospective site supervisor.

The SLIS Student Services Office registers the student for the internship credit hours upon receipt of the appropriately signed Internship Contract.

Date: 8/25/81; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
There is to be no eating, drinking, or smoking in any laboratory/conference room in the School or in any other similar University space. Smoking or any tobacco use is not allowed anywhere on
the University of South Carolina campus.

PROCEDURE
The faculty will enforce the above policy and will set an example by refraining from the above
mentioned.

Date: 3 /10/17

POLICY
The School of Information Science (SLIS) uses email lists (listservs) to communicate regularly with current faculty and staff, students and alumni. The school uses

• SLISFS-L – a closed list that consists of current SLIS faculty and staff and CIC staff;
• BSIS – a closed list that consists of current undergraduate major and minor students;
• SLISMLIS – a closed list that consists of current MLIS, Certificate, and Specialist students;
•  SLISPHD – a closed list that consists of current doctoral students;
• COCKYREADS – a closed list of Cocky’s Reading Express volunteers;
• SLISALUM – an open list that consists of alumni;
• SLISJOBS – an open list that consists of interested subscribers; and
• SLM_NEWS – an open list for students seeking school library certification (new students are directed to self-enroll).

SLIS faculty and staff, CIC staff, and doctoral students may request to be added to a closed student list based on their interests or needs.

All students must be enrolled in their corresponding student list. USC email is used to add the students to the closed lists and to communicate with them.

PROCEDURE
One of the list managers adds faculty and staff to the closed lists when they are hired, and removes them when they resign or retire.

Each semester, the SLIS Student Services Office adds new students and removes students (due to graduation or dismissal) from the three students’ lists. Recent graduates are invited to subscribe to the SLISALUM list.

Requests by doctoral students to be added to a closed student list are sent to one of the list managers.
Any USC student, graduate, faculty or staff member who has given an e-mail address to the CRE Coordinator may join the COCKYREADS list.

Date: 8/25/81; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
Every effort will be made to ensure that the building is in good repair and that problems are resolved.

PROCEDURE
When faculty or staff observes maintenance problem areas (e.g., inoperable heat or air conditioning) in the building, the nature of the problem should be reported immediately to the Assistant to the Director. This person will notify the maintenance department and will follow up on the call to try to ensure correction of the problem.

Faculty and staff must remember that the maintenance department is not under the jurisdiction of the School and operates according to its own priorities.

Date: 12/4/98; Revised: 4/15/16

The Master of Library and Information Science degree is a program of basic professional education designed to prepare students for entry into positions in libraries and information centers in colleges, schools, communities, industries, and businesses.

GOAL
To enable MLIS graduates to perform effectively in the library and information professions by demonstrating knowledge of library and information science professions, institutions, programs, and their varied contexts.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of the MLIS program:

1. Students will demonstrate competency in information and its organization.
2. Students will demonstrate competency in the provision of information services.
3. Students will demonstrate competency in leadership and management in the LIS field.
4. Students will demonstrate competency in research in the LIS field.
5. Students will demonstrate competency in technology in the LIS field.
6. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the importance of lifelong learning and professional development within the LIS field.

PROCEDURE
For admission to the SLIS MLIS program, a baccalaureate degree or higher from a regionally or nationally accredited college or university is normally required. An applicant may be considered for admission to the Master’s degree program after submission of the following:

1. A USC Graduate School application and the non-refundable $50.00 application fee.
2. The School of Information Science Supplemental Application which is accessible through the Graduate School application. The Supplemental Application includes an essay requirement. Applicants must respond to the statements provided on the application.
3.  Official transcripts from all other colleges or universities attended. The required GPA is 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
4. Two letters of recommendation. The recommenders should be in a position to evaluate (a) your academic performance at the undergraduate or graduate level (e.g., faculty or instructors) or (b) your job performance (e.g., supervisors or administrators). Letters from friends and relatives which speak only of the applicant’s personal attributes will not be accepted.
5. Standardized test score report for either the GRE or MAT:
   A. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Official score report for the GRE taken within the last five years must indicate:
    i. A combined score requirement for the GRE must be 294 with at least 153 on the verbal section.
    ii. SLIS requires a minimum score of 4.0 on the writing portion of the GRE. The score is considered in the application process, particularly if the GRE score and/or GPA is weak or does not meet the minimum requirement.
   
   B. Miller Analogies Test (MAT) Official score report for tests taken within the last five years must indicate a score of at least 410. For MAT information and testing center locations go to www.milleranalogies.com.
6. International Students: Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) International students whose native language is not English must also submit an official score report with a minimum score of 80 on the internet-based (IBT) or on the 570 paper-based (PBT). TOEFL scores are available from ETS for two years. Information can be found
   at www.ets.org/toefl.oef

Applicants are only considered when all of the necessary documents are included in their files. Although applicants may present the GPA and/or standardized test scores as noted above, admission is not guaranteed. If applicants do not present a GPA and/or test scores as noted, the Admissions Coordinator will present their application to the SLIS Student Services Committee for further review. Through the Student Services Committee, applicants may then be recommended for full admission, conditional admission or declination. Any application may be subject to review by the Student Services Committee.

Upon admission to the master’s degree program, the Student Services Office will assign an advisor for each student. The student or advisor may, at any time, ask for a change of advisor. The advisor will assist in the development of the student's program but it is the responsibility of the student to ensure that all of the degree requirements are met.

Degree Requirements:
For the Master of Library and Information Science degree, an approved program of at least 36 semester hours of graduate course work must be completed with a minimum grade point ratio of 3.00 (B) overall. Nine hours of required courses (SLIS 701, 705, and 707) are designed to provide the student with an understanding of the information profession as is the Technology
Competency Requirement (SLIS 706 or the Competency Exemption Exam). Student may not exempt SLIS 701, 705, and 707. Students and their advisors will choose a minimum of 24-27 hours of elective courses. No more than six (6) hours can be below the 700-level and courses below the 600-level will not be accepted on the Program of Study. Elective courses in the School
of Library and Information Science and other graduate departments may be used to develop a specialization in one or more areas or to provide a broad, general preparation for the information professions. Additionally, all students must complete an end-of-program portfolio. (See Policy A5.85, Portfolio, Student).

A minimum of 24 graduate hours must be completed within the School. The remaining 12 hours may be taken in other related academic units of the University. Students have the option of transferring up to six semester hours of graduate course work from colleges or universities other than the University of South Carolina. (See Policy A5.75, Transfer Credit). No more than six
semester hours may be earned in independent study credit. Courses which will be more than six years old at the time the MLIS is awarded may not be included on the student's Program of Study.

Students must present a grade point average of at least 3.0 (B average) on all courses taken in the program at the time of graduation. Students who earn a grade below B on more than six hours of course work or who make a grade below C in any course will not be allowed to continue in the program. Students who receive a grade below C in a course cannot apply the course toward graduation. Students who receive a grade of D+ or D in a required course (i.e., SLIS 701, 705, 707; the Technology Competency Requirement course, SLIS 706; joint program requirements; or CAEP requirements) must retake the course upon reinstatement to attain a grade of at least C (see Policy A5.80, Grade Requirements for Degree Credit).

Date: 2/21/20

POLICY

Courses within the core of the MLIS are asynchronous. Faculty may have live sessions in these courses, and require students to view recordings of these sessions, but students are not required to attend. 

PROCEDURE

Faculty teaching courses in the core will ensure that the course is asynchronous and any live sessions are made available to students for later viewing.

Date: 5/7/96; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
Any change to the curriculum, either in the form of a new course proposal or as a change to existing courses, may be originated by faculty of the School.

PROCEDURE
The initiator will submit the required proposal and all supporting documentation through the Academic Programs Proposal System (APPS):.

The Curriculum Committee will review the proposal and present a recommendation to the entire faculty at the next scheduled faculty meeting. Faculty may approve the proposal in which case it will move forward to the appropriate Faculty Senate or Graduate Council committee. Faculty may also disapprove the proposal and refer it back to the initiator for revision.

Date: 10/16/98: Reviewed: 4/15/09

POLICY
Permission to enroll, as a non-degree student will be granted in the following cases:

1. Those public school teachers whose purpose in enrolling is for renewal of certificate only may be granted certification admission for six hours of credit once every five years. Students who have taken recertification courses and later seek full admission to the college must meet all of the published admission criteria of the School. No more than six semester hours of previous work may be presented for approval to be included in the MLIS degree.
2. Those students who already have a master’s degree from an ALA accredited program will be admitted as non-degree students for six credit hours. This privilege may be repeated or extended as circumstances warrant.
3. A transient student who is a candidate for a graduate degree at another ALA approved program and who has approval from
   his/her home program and the Dean/Director of that institution to take specific courses at USC for transfer to his/her institution, may be granted permission to enroll as a non-degree student. Transient status is granted for one semester.

PROCEDURE
Upon request, and in accordance with Graduate School application regulations, eligible students will be granted non-degree status to enable them to register for up to six hours of coursework in the School.

Applicants to degree programs will not be allowed to register as non-degree students in any course in Library and Information Science until their applications are complete and an admission decision has been made.

Date: 8/25/81; Revised: 10/4/16

POLICY
When space becomes available the director shall determine if the space shall be used for faculty offices or some other purpose (research space, staff functions, etc.) in consultation with faculty. Upon determining that a space is to be used for faculty offices, the director shall offer it first to the most senior member of the faculty by rank and time on faculty. This process continues, working down the list of eligible faculty, until all spaces are assigned.

Note that a change in rank or seniority does not guarantee a choice of a new office. New office assignments come only upon availability through retirements, new space openings, etc.

Date: 4/18/86; Reviewed: 4/15/09

POLICY
Faculty shall have a minimum of four office hours during the fall and spring semesters and during the summer session in which they teach.

PROCEDURE
At the beginning of each term, faculty will determine a minimum of four office hours and will post the hours on their office doors and provide a listing to the administrative office. Faculty should also be available at other veranda by appointment.

Date: 1/22/99; Reviewed: 4/15/09

POLICY
Peer review is a process mandated by the University as part of the requirements of performance funding. The purpose of peer review is to improve the quality of teaching in a department or college. Peer review is to be considered in the annual evaluation process conducted by the School Tenure and Promotion Committee and by the Director. Peer review will also be considered in the evaluation process that takes place at the time a faculty member submits her or her file for tenure or promotion.

PROCEDURE
A. All faculty, tenured and non-tenured, full-time, part-time, and adjunct will be reviewed, as follows:

1. Tenured: Once in the year before post-tenure review
2. Non-Tenured, Tenure-track: Once per year
3. Non-Tenure track, adjunct, & part-time: At least once every three years
4. Any faculty member may request an annual peer review

B. Each September the Director and the Chair of the School Tenure and Promotion Committee will:

1. Identify the faculty members to be reviewed that academic year
2. Appoint one or more reviewers for each identified faculty member to be reviewed. Reviewers must be members of the School Tenure and Promotion Committee.
3. The Director and the School Tenure and Promotion Committee Chair will notify reviewers and faculty to be reviewed of the appointments made.

C. Review Process

D. The instructor selects at least one typical class for review. This should include a normal, for that course, array of events. The reviewer(s)  should observe one or more standard classes, not one especially orchestrated for review.

E. The instructor and appointed reviewer(s) will agree upon the time for the visit and the time for the reviewer to deliver the critique.

F. Prior to the review, the instructor and reviewer(s) discuss goals and behaviors to be assessed. At least one week prior to the classroom visit, the instructor provides the reviewer(s) with the course syllabus and any other appropriate materials, including an outline of the materials and goals and objectives to be covered in the observed class or classes. The reviewer(s) thoroughly examines these materials prior to the classroom visit(s).

G. The instructor should notify students about the visit and its purpose.

H. Reviewers should adopt a warm, supportive and professional manner throughout the process of scheduling, observing, critiquing and reporting to the Director. In general:

1. their comments should be descriptive of behaviors associated with stated objectives;
2. they may identify areas for improvement;
3. reviewers take the initiative in planning pre and post-visit conferences;
4. reviewers should be present for an entire class; no partial observation may form the basis for the critique.

I. Within seven days of the classroom visit(s) the reviewer(s) and the instructor meet and discuss the review. This discussion should take place in a private, comfortable location.

J. When delivering the critique and issuing feedback, reviewer(s) should describe what they saw in relation to established goals and objectives for that class.

They should strive to issue clear and direct statements. Statements should be specific, concrete, and accompanied by examples. Both positive and negative critiques have  their place in peer review. The reviewer(s) should not feel compelled to find both positives and negatives in order to achieve some artificial or polite balance.

K. Instructors are advised to take an active role in the review process by accepting the review, performing self-evaluation, considering possibilities for change, resisting inclinations to act defensively, and by being open to describing problem areas in their teaching. This can be part of the discussion with the reviewer(s) prior to the visit.

L. Within two weeks of the visit, the reviewer(s) writes his/her observations and submits them to the Director. The observation report shall be based upon the specifics of the Classroom Visit Form (attached). In fact, the completed form may serve as the observation report.

M. Within two weeks of receipt of the written report of the reviewer(s), the Director synthesizes the comments of the reviewer(s) and presents them to the instructor. The instructor should place a copy of the reviewers’ comments and the Director’s synthesis in his/her annual review file.

O. A copy of the classroom visit form to be completed and signed by the reviewer(s) follows. This completed and signed form will be submitted to the Director.

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Date: 5/6/86; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
Faculty and staff may, in accordance with University policy, be involved in work outside the University for which pay is received. Additionally, employees may be engaged in work in which the benefit is principally to the individual, e.g., completion of a dissertation or publication of a book. The differentiation of activities which are personal from those which are part of the scholarly purposes of the University, is provided in the University's policies concerning copyrights and consultant activity, as set forth in the Research section of the Faculty Manual.

Work of a personal nature is not to be performed on University time or with the use of University resources or staff.

PROCEDURE
The Director will ensure that faculty and staff adhere to all USC policies and procedures concerning personal work.

Date: 4/18/86; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
Students may petition the School for any reason they think appropriate except in matters falling within the purview of the grievance policy (See Policy A5.30).

PROCEDURE
Student petitions should be presented in writing and discussed with the Director. The Director will present the petition to the faculty for consideration. The faculty will make a decision regarding the petition, and the Director will notify the petitioner of the decision.

Date: 12/4/98; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
The School will maintain a photocopy machine to support administrative, teaching and research activities.

PROCEDURE
The photocopier may be used for materials related to teaching, research, and administration. Use of the photocopier is limited to administrative staff, faculty, and graduate assistants performing specific tasks for staff and faculty. No other students will be allowed to use the photocopier. The photocopier will not be used for personal tasks.

The assistant to the director will oversee the use of the photocopier, including correction of routine problems such as paper jams, toner replacement, etc. Faculty and graduate assistants will not attempt to correct these problems, but will instead notify the assistant to the director that maintenance is needed. The assistant to the director will initiate service calls when necessary 

Date: 10/26/07; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation, each student will submit an electronic portfolio documenting learning and professional growth during the MLIS, Certificate, and Specialist program. The portfolio, to be submitted in the semester of the student’s anticipated completion of the program, will include a reflective essay and work samples (including, but not limited to, research papers, projects, and posters; professional briefs; and recorded presentations).

Portfolios submitted for the MLIS program will demonstrate evidence of student competency in six areas:

1. Information and its organization;
2. Provision of information services;
3. Leadership and management in the LIS field;
4. Technology;
5. Research;
6. Lifelong learning and professional development.

Portfolios submitted for the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study and the Specialist program will demonstrate:

1. An understanding of professional development goals;
2. An understanding of what specialized knowledge and/or skills are needed to meet professional development goals;
3. Specialized skills and/or knowledge in a specific chosen area in the LIS field.

Student graduation is contingent upon SLIS faculty’s evaluation of the portfolio as satisfactory.

PROCEDURE
Instructions on how to create a portfolio are available on the SLIS website. Completed portfolios should be shared with the student’s advisor and with the Student Services Office. Advisors will review their advisees’ portfolios, score them on a rubric, and share results with the student and the Student Services Office. The Student Services Office uses the rubric to sign off on graduation clearance forms and to compile assessment data. Data gathered from scored rubrics will be shared with the faculty at least annually.

Date: 9/25/98; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
The School of Information Science will review all tenured faculty as set forth in the regulations on post-tenure review established in the University Faculty Manual.

PURPOSE
The primary function of post-tenure review, an internal SLIS process, is faculty development. Post-tenure review is not a process to reevaluate the award of tenure.Moreover, although the failure of a faculty member to make substantial progress toward meeting the goals of a development plan established through the post-tenure review process may be evidence of “incomplete and/or habitual neglect of duty,” the post-tenure review process may not be used to shift the burden of proof in a proceeding to terminate a tenured faculty member for cause.

PROCEDURE
The procedures given below are in compliance with the regulations on post-tenure review established in the University Faculty Manual. If any question should arise between the procedures in this document and the regulations given in the University Faculty Manual, the University Faculty Manual will take precedence.

I. The School post-tenure review calendar will follow the calendar established for this purpose by the Office of the Provost.

II. Faculty Eligibility for Post-Tenure Review

Each tenured faculty member, regardless of rank and including those in departmental administrative positions (other than the Director), will be reviewed every six years unless, during the previous six-year period, the faculty member is reviewed and advanced to or retained in a higher position (e.g., Director or a chaired professorship). However, School-level post-tenure review will be waived for: any faculty member who notifies the unit chair in writing, prior to the next scheduled review, of plans for retirement within three years after the review would have been scheduled and any faculty member who has been successfully promoted to the rank of professor or associate professor within the previous five years. Post-tenure review will be conducted by tenured faculty members of equal or higher rank.

Tenured faculty members who hold joint appointments will undergo post-tenure review according to the criteria, and by the tenured faculty of equal or higher rank, of the primary unit. Input from appropriate evaluators (e.g. faculty, chair, dean) of the secondary unit including performance reviews, teaching evaluations, service and research evaluation must be solicited by the primary unit in reaching their determination.

III. The Post-Tenure Review Committee

The membership of the School Post-Tenure Review Committee (hereafter referred to as the Committee) will consist of all tenured full professors on the School Tenure and Promotion Committee, acting as a sub-committee of the School Tenure and Promotion Committee. Tenured full professors who are having a post-tenure review conducted will be excluded from Committee membership that year. The Chair of the Post-Tenure Review Committee will be the chair of the School Tenure and Promotion Committee. If the Chair of the School Tenure and Promotion Committee is being evaluated for posttenure review, then the Committee will elect a new chair for that year.

The Director is neither eligible to vote nor to serve on the Committee. In the event that there are fewer than five School faculty members eligible to serve on the Committee, the Director of the School will appoint a sufficient number of faculty members from other units within the University that do meet the eligibility requirements to make up a committee of five voting members.

IV. File Documentation

The faculty member who is being reviewed will submit a post-tenure review file to the Committee. While the faculty member being reviewed may include any documentation he/she believes pertinent, the faculty member must include at least the following material in the file:

A. Teaching

1. A listing of all courses taught in the previous five years. Teaching is defined as in the SLIS Tenure and Promotion Criteria under the heading "Definition of Teaching."
2. A numerical and descriptive summary of the student course evaluations for each of the courses listed (to be prepared by the Director’s Office);
3. A copy of a peer evaluation of teaching, conducted in accordance with the School’s policy on peer evaluations.

B. Scholarship
A listing and relevant copies of all scholarly activities conducted during the previous five years. Scholarly activities are defined as those listed in the School’s Tenure and Promotion Criteria under the heading "Definition of Scholarship."

C. Service
A listing of all service activities conducted during the previous five years. Service activities are defined as those listed in the School’s Tenure and Promotion Criteria under the heading "Service."

D. Annual Evaluations
A copy of all annual performance evaluations conducted by the Director and/or the School Tenure and Promotion Committee accumulated since the initial tenure review or since the last post-tenure review.

E. Sabbatical Reports
A copy of the official report of sabbatical activities (if one was taken during the review period).

V. Committee Procedures

A. The chair of the Committee will ensure that peer reviews (from within the College) of the faculty member’s teaching, and peer reviews of scholarly activities are conducted in a timely manner. It should be noted that the publication of refereed scholarship is an example of the peer review of scholarly activities requirement.

B. After review of the faculty member’s file, each member of the Committee will complete a written evaluation form for the faculty member. The form will rate the faculty member’s performance in four areas: teaching, scholarship, service, and overall performance. In each of the four areas, the committee member will rate the faculty member’s performance as either: superior, satisfactory, or unsatisfactory.

C. For purposes of post-tenure review, the following performance rating terms will be defined as:

1. ‘Superior performance’ means performance at the very highest level. Superior performance meets the definition of "superior" or "excellent" for any given evaluation area in the School’s Tenure and Promotion Criteria.
2. ‘Satisfactory performance’ means performance that meets the expectations of the School. Satisfactory performance meets the definition of "good" or "fair" for any given evaluation area in the School’s Tenure and Promotion Criteria.
3. ‘Unsatisfactory performance’ means performance, taken as a whole, that fails to meet relevant School standards. Unsatisfactory performance meets the definition of "unsatisfactory" for any given evaluation area in the School’s Tenure and Promotion Criteria.

D. In a meeting of the Committee, the Chair will collect the performance evaluation forms from the Committee members and tally the ratings in each evaluation areas defined in V.B. A majority evaluative rating is achieved when fifty-one percent of all eligible Committee members have cast a ballot with the same rating. In the event that a majority of Committee members do not rate the performance of a faculty member the same in a given performance evaluation area, the committee report will give a performance rating of "satisfactory, lacking majority opinion." A Committee member on leave may vote only upon written notification to the Director of a desire to do so before the beginning of the leave.

E. After the performance evaluation forms have been tallied and the results announced to the Committee, the chair of the Committee will draft a report of the post-tenure review, which will include at minimum the Committee’s rating of the performance for each of the four evaluation areas defined in V.B, and sufficient comments to aid the faculty member in his/her professional growth and development. Individual vote counts in each evaluation area will not be revealed, and individual written evaluations will be destroyed by the Committee chair after the report is approved by the Committee.

F. A copy of the Committee report must be sent to the faculty member and to the Director of the School for inclusion in the faculty member’s personnel file. In the event of an unsatisfactory review, a copy of the Committee report and development plan must also be sent to the Provost.

G. If the performance rating for each evaluation area defined in V.B of the faculty member is either "superior" or "satisfactory," the evaluation of the faculty member is concluded with the distribution of the report. If the Committee determines that the faculty member’s overall performance is satisfactory but that his/her performance in either teaching, scholarship, or service areas is unsatisfactory, the Committee must include recommendations in its report that could assist in restoring the faculty member’s performance to a satisfactory level in that area. A review that results in an overall performance rating of satisfactory but includes an unsatisfactory rating in one of the other areas does not require a development plan.

H. An Unsatisfactory Review

1. If the Committee determines that the overall performance evaluation rating of the faculty member is "unsatisfactory," the Committee must include recommendations in its report that could assist in restoring the faculty member’s performance to a satisfactory level. The Committee will also act as the faculty member’s Development Committee. The Committee may recommend the inclusion of additional members to the Development Committee from outside the unit with a particular expertise that would assist the faculty member in reaching his/her development goals.
2. The Director of the School, in consultation with the Committee and the faculty member, will produce a development plan including an improvement timetable for the faculty member.
3. In accordance with the timetable established in the development plan, the Development Committee will review the faculty member’s updated file and will recommend to the Director of the School whether they believe the goals of the development plan have been met, in general or in any particular. The timetable is at the discretion of the Committee depending on the nature of the development plan, but in no case will the development plan timetable be less than one year or more than three years in duration.
4. The Director of the School will make the final determination on the progress, or lack thereof, of the faculty member in meeting the goals of the development plan, and whether or not further measures may be necessary. The Director will conform to the timetable established in the development plan and will file periodic progress reports with the Provost.
5. Failure to make substantial progress toward meeting the performance goals of a development plan established through the post-tenure review process may result in proceedings for termination of the faculty member.

VI. Appeal Procedures

A. A faculty member who receives an unsatisfactory review and disagrees with the evaluation or any aspect of the recommendations may appeal to the School Tenure and Promotion Committee, in general or in any particular. The findings of the School PostTenure Review Committee, together with its recommendations for action and a statement by the faculty member will be forwarded to the Director for final determination of the evaluation.

B. If the faculty member disagrees with the development plan produced by the Director of the School, he/she may appeal specific aspects of the development plan to the Provost. The Provost will make the final determination of the adequacy of an appealed development plan.

Date: 4/15/16

POLICY
All academic programs in the school should be systematically evaluated in order to improve the programs and gather data to ensure that the program is achieving its mission, goals, and objectives. Each program has its own learning outcomes and method of evaluation. The learning outcomes are reviewed regularly by the appropriate committee. The data gathered from the evaluations will be used to report annually to the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment for SACS accreditation.

PROGRAMS

Bachelor of Science in Information Science (BSIS)

The mission of the Bachelor of Science in Information Science (BSIS) degree at the University of South Carolina is to provide students with opportunities to acquire foundation and specialized knowledge in the field of information science, as well as essential core skills for career development, professional development, and life-long learning.

Goals

Goal 1
To enable the student to perform effectively in the information science field by demonstrating an understanding of the many ways in which information can be created, stored, organized, transformed, and communicated in order to benefit individuals, organizations, and society.

Learning Outcome
Students will describe the techniques and principles for creating, storing, organizing, transforming, and communicating information to various information seekers.

Goal 2
To enable the student to perform effectively in the information science field by demonstrating practical skills for analyzing, processing and managing information and developing and managing the underlying information systems in our knowledge-based society. These skills include problem solving and decision-making so that they will be able to both develop and utilize information systems and information tools effectively, thus establishing their leadership in our evolving information economy.

Learning Outcome
Students will demonstrate practical skills of information science and the use of information systems.

Goal 3
To enable the student to perform effectively in the information science field by demonstrating comprehension of the cultural, historical, economic, and social values of information and information tools for individuals, organizations, and the society at large. Students will be prepared to evaluate the role of information in a variety of industries, in different organizational settings, for different populations, and for different purposes.

Learning Outcome
Students will demonstrate the comprehension of the valuable role of information and information technology in society as well as the diversity of needs and uses for information.

Criteria
Students will take either SLIS 494 (Independent Study) or SLIS 496 (Internship) and will, as a requirement of the course, present to a faculty panel on their experience, demonstrating what they learned related to the learning outcomes. Students will be evaluated on a rubric and must score at least 80%.

Methods
Independent Study/Internship faculty supervisors will share the rubric with the students at the beginning of the semester. Students will create a presentation highlighting how the experience helped them meet the learning outcomes. A faculty panel (members of the Undergraduate Committee) will score the presentation using a rubric based on the learning outcomes. The Undergraduate Committee will compile the results, share results with the full faculty, and use the results to recommend changes.

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Master of Library and Information Science

The mission of the Master’s program in Library and Information Science is to provide students with opportunities to acquire foundational and specialized knowledge in the field of information science, as well as essential core skills for librarians, information managers, school library media specialists, and other related professionals in the areas of career development, professional development, and life-long learning.

Goal
To enable the student to perform effectively in the library and information professions by demonstrating knowledge of library and information science professions, institutions, programs, and their varied contexts.

Learning Outcome 1
Upon completion of the MLIS program, students will demonstrate competency in information and its organization.
Learning Outcome 2
Upon completion of the program, students will demonstrate competency in the provision of information services.
Learning Outcome 3
Upon completion of the program, students will demonstrate competency in leadership and management in the LIS field.
Learning Outcome 4
Upon completion of the program, students will demonstrate competency in research in the LIS field.
Learning Outcome 5
Upon completion of the program, students will demonstrate competency in technology in the LIS field.
Learning Outcome 6
Upon completion of the program, students will demonstrate an understanding of the importance of lifelong learning and professional development within the LIS field.

Criteria
All students will submit an end-of-program portfolio. Students will choose an example of their best work and will present a work sample related to each learning outcome. Work samples may include, but are not limited to, research papers, projects, and posters; professional briefs; and recorded presentations. Faculty advisors score the portfolio based on a scoring guide. In order for each learning outcome to be considered achieved, 85% of all graduating students should score proficient or higher in each category.

Methods
Learning outcomes are assessed at the end of the Spring (May and August graduates) and Fall (December graduates) semesters. Each graduating student submits a portfolio to their faculty advisor who scores it using the Portfolio Scoring Guide. All Scoring Guides are submitted by faculty to the Student Services Office and results are compiled by the Student Services staff. Results will be shared and discussed at the first faculty meeting of the new semester (i.e. December portfolio results will be shared at the January faculty meeting).

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Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Library and Information Science

The mission of the certificate in graduate study in Library and Information Science is to provide post-Master’s degree instruction designed to enhance the student’s career opportunities in his or her chosen area of specialization.

Goal
To enable Certificate program graduates to perform effectively in the library and information science professions by demonstrating skills and/or knowledge in a specific chosen area of the field.

Learning Outcome 1
Students will demonstrate an understanding of their professional development goals.
Learning Outcome 2
Students will demonstrate an understanding of what specialized knowledge and/or skills are needed to meet their professional development goals.
Learning Outcome 3
Students will demonstrate specialized knowledge and/or skills in a specific chosen area of the field.

Criteria
All students will submit an end-of-program portfolio that will highlight the specialized skills and knowledge gained during the Certificate program. Work samples may include, but are not limited to, research papers, projects, and posters; professional briefs; and recorded presentations. Faculty advisors score the work sample based on a scoring guide based on the learning outcomes. In order for each learning outcome to be considered achieved, 85% of all graduating students should score proficient or higher in each category.

Methods
Learning outcomes are assessed at the end of the Spring (May and August graduates) and Fall (December graduates) semesters. Each graduating student submits a portfolio to their faculty advisor who scores it using a scoring guide based on the learning outcomes. All Scoring Guides are submitted by faculty to the Student Services Office and results are compiled by the Student Services staff. Results will be shared and discussed at the first faculty meeting of the new semester (i.e. December portfolio results will be shared at the January faculty meeting).

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Specialist Degree in Library and Information Science

The mission of the Specialist program in Library and Information Science is to provide librarians, information managers, school library media specialists, and other related professionals the opportunity to refresh and update their knowledge and skills, gain greater specialization in their professional training, or redirect their careers from one specialization area to another.

Goal
To provide library and information science professionals the opportunity to refresh and update their knowledge and skills, gain greater specialization in their professional training, and/or redirect their careers from one area to another.

Learning Outcome 1
Students will demonstrate an understanding of their professional development goals.
Learning Outcome 2
Students will demonstrate an understanding of what specialized knowledge and/or skills are needed to meet their professional development goals.
Learning Outcome 3
Students will demonstrate specialized knowledge and/or skills in a specific chosen area of the field.

Criteria
All students will submit an end-of-program portfolio that will highlight the specialized skills and knowledge gained during the Specialist program. Work samples may include, but are not limited to, research papers, projects, and posters; professional briefs; and recorded presentations. Faculty advisors score the work sample via on a scoring guide based on the learning outcomes. In order for each learning outcome to be considered achieved, 85% of all graduating students should score proficient or higher in each category.

Methods
Learning outcomes are assessed at the end of the Spring (May and August graduates) and Fall (December graduates) semesters. Each graduating student submits a portfolio to their faculty advisor who scores it using a scoring guide based on the learning outcomes. All Scoring Guides are submitted by faculty to the Student Services Office and results are compiled by the Student
Services staff. Results will be shared and discussed at the first faculty meeting of the new semester (i.e. December portfolio results will be shared at the January faculty meeting).

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PhD in Library and Information Science

The mission of this program is to provide doctoral-trained teacher scholars for library and information science programs across the nation, and to promote the research-based foundation for these areas within the profession.

Goal
To enable graduates to master the knowledge and skills necessary for research and teaching careers in the LIS field.

Learning Outcome 1
Students will demonstrate an understanding of theory development and research methods and their application in the field of library and information science.
Learning Outcome 2
Students will demonstrate familiarity with seminal and contemporary scholarship involving major library and information science theories, problems, and practices.
Learning Outcome 3
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the theory, practice, resources, and technologies of college-level instruction.

Criteria
All students will write an annual review statement that updates their progress with course work, presentations, and publications. The review will also include narrative reflecting on how the student has or has not met the learning outcomes of the program. Doctoral and Research Committee members score the annual review via on a scoring guide based on the learning outcomes. In order for each learning outcome to be considered achieved, 85% of students should score proficient or higher in each category.

Methods
Learning outcomes are assessed at the end of the Spring (May and August graduates) and Fall (December graduates) semesters. Each doctoral student will submit an annual review to their advisor. The advisor will share the review with the Doctoral and Research Committee who will use a rubric based on the learning outcomes to score the statement.

Date: 4/18/86; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
The School will purchase and maintain supplies, instructional lab materials, and equipment necessary to support teaching, research activities, and professional interactions of the faculty and to enhance the learning environment of the students. These items will not be for personal use. Refunds for out-of-pocket purchases cannot be made unless approved by the Director prior to the purchase.

PROCEDURE
Requests for major pieces of equipment (over $200) should be made to the Director with a justification for the purchase. Priority will be given to equipment that will benefit the most people, enhance equipment already available, will not involve substantial added costs (supplies to use) and not duplicate what is available elsewhere. Anytime faculty recognizes a need for lab materials or supplies, the Director’s office should be notified.  

Date: 5/6/86; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
The School will recruit faculty with advanced degrees for vacant positions from diverse geographical and educational backgrounds. The School will adhere to all affirmative action guidelines of the University and to the University's policies and procedures regarding recruitment and appointment of academic personnel.

PROCEDURE
When there is a faculty vacancy, the Director will appoint an ad hoc search committee made up of at least three members of the faculty. The Director will designate one member of the Search Committee as the Chair. With the advice and consent of the Director, the Search Committee will seek qualified applicants for the vacancy through traditional means such as The Chronicle of Higher Education, professional journals, graduate schools, and professional societies. Additionally, the Search Committee and the Director will attempt to identify possible candidates by monitoring the professional literature and by personal contact. Throughout these proceedings, the policies and procedures of the University's Affirmative Action program will be followed.

The entire faculty will be invited to review and comment on the credentials of prospective candidates. Following the application deadline, the Search Committee and the Director will select two or three candidates who appear best suited for the position. The Search Committee and the Director will then determine if any of the candidates shall be invited for interviews. The Chair of the Search Committee will extend the invitation to the candidate(s). An appropriate schedule will be arranged by the Chair of the Search Committee to ensure that the faculty has an opportunity to see the candidate(s) in a variety of roles and that the candidate(s) have an opportunity to assess USC and Columbia from both a personal and professional position. A candidate's interviews will include individual and/or group meetings with faculty, a presentation to faculty and students, contact with others in the profession (e.g., personnel from the State Library, the State Department of Education, and the University Libraries), an individual conference with the Director to discuss appropriate personal considerations, contact with University administrators, social interaction with the faculty, and a chance to see Columbia (housing areas, schools, etc.). After the campus interviews, those who have interviewed the candidate(s) will be asked to provide evaluative comments.

The Search Committee will recommend to the faculty whether an appropriate candidate should be forwarded to the Director for appointment consideration. With the advice of the faculty, and the consent of the Director, the Search Committee may elect to reopen the search; or, the Search Committee may elect to recommend a candidate to the Director  for appointment. If a candidate is recommended to the Director for appointment, the Director will determine whether: (1) a formal offer should be extended to the candidate; or (2) that the Search Committee should continue the search process. If so determined by the Director, the Dean in accordance with the appropriate University policies and procedures regarding appointment of academic personnel will extend an offer to a candidate. Once an appointment has been successfully made, the Director will dissolve the Search Committee.

Date: 10/16/98; Reviewed: 4/15/09

POLICY
Faculty may agree or decline to serve as an employment reference for students or alumni of the School. Faculty may base this decision on any reason they deem appropriate. Letters of reference will be invalid after three years and removed from the placement file.

PROCEDURE
Faculty may provide references for students in any of several ways: through the placement service maintained by the School, through the University Career Center, or by completing individual letters of reference or reference forms. Faculty are under no obligation to continue to serve as a reference and may cease at any time.

Date: 11/8/13; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
A graduate student who is dismissed from a SLIS program for academic reasons may request reinstatement to the program after one year. If three or more years have passed since dismissal, the student must also re-apply for admission through the Graduate School. The student is disqualified from enrolling in any SLIS courses for a minimum of one year from the date of his/her dismissal from the SLIS program regardless of the student's status in another degree program of the University.

Once a student is reinstated they may receive no grade lower than a B in any course. If a student receives a grade below a B after being reinstated their academic record will be reviewed by the SLIS Student Services Committee to determine their eligibility to continue in the program.

Students who are dismissed from SLIS a second time are not eligible for reinstatement. A student's cumulative grade point average on all courses attempted for graduate credit must be at least 3.00 (B) in order for the student to graduate from the SLIS program.

PROCEDURE
To request reinstatement, a student must write a formal letter to the SLIS Director. The letter
must include at least the following information:

• Why the student is seeking reinstatement into the program;
•  An explanation of what happened to cause the student to be academically dismissed;
• A statement indicating the changes the student will make to ensure future success in the program;
• An academic plan that outlines which courses will be taken and when.

Send the letter to:
Director SLIS
University of South Carolina
1501 Greene Street
Columbia, SC 29208

The letter will be presented to the SLIS Student Services Committee. If the Student Services Committee cannot reach an agreement or if the decision is made to not reinstate the student, the letter will be taken in front of the full SLIS faculty. Once a decision has been made, the Graduate School and the student will be notified in writing.

Date: 4/18/86; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
Released time will be granted to faculty for the purpose of conducting research funded by an outside agency. Since released time for this purpose involves budgetary and scheduling considerations, the proposer must confer with and gain approval from the Director for funded released time.

PROCEDURE
As part of the process of formally seeking outside funding, the proposer will confer with the Director concerning the issue of released time.

Date: 5/8/92; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
All SLIS courses are eligible to be considered for revalidation in accordance with the Graduate School Course Revalidation Policy and Procedure (PRE/GS04 Form). However, no course in the SLIS master's or specialist degree programs may be revalidated after ten years.

A faculty member currently teaching the course in question will be designated by the Student Services Manager to determine if the course may be revalidated and to determine the appropriate revaluation activity (e.g., examination or portfolio). In deciding whether a course may be revalidated, the faculty member should take into account the stability of course content and student content retention. If the course content has substantially changed since the student's enrollment, revalidation should not be undertaken. The revalidation activity should confirm that the student's retention of course content is comparable to that of current students who have just completed the course. Decisions of the designated faculty member regarding eligibility of a course for revalidation and evaluation of the revalidation activity are final.

PROCEDURE
1. A student requesting revalidation for a SLIS course contacts the Student Services Manager.
2. The Student Services Manager designates an appropriate faculty member to determine whether the course may be revalidated.
3. If the course is eligible for revalidation, the student follows the procedure outlined on the Graduate School Form PRE/GS04.
4. The designated SLIS faculty member administers and evaluates the necessary revalidation activity.
5. The designated faculty member (examiner) returns the completed and signed Form PRE/GS04 to the Student Services Manager, who sends it on to the Graduate School reporting the revalidation results.
6. The student requesting revalidation is informed by the Student Services Manager of the results of the revalidation activity.
7. If the student does not satisfactorily complete the revalidation activity the current version of the course must be taken for credit.  

 Date: 4/18/86; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
Each year the School will award the scholarships administered by the School to students who have a demonstrated record of academic excellence and/or who have a strong indication for outstanding work in the profession. Scholarships may be awarded in addition to an assistantship.

PROCEDURE
All students who apply for financial assistance will be considered for the School's scholarships. The Director’s Office will use the same evaluation process used for decisions on assistantship awards, taking into consideration the specific selection criteria set forth for some scholarships.

The students receiving scholarships will be notified in writing by the Director.

Normally, one-half of the amounts of each scholarship will be paid to the recipient at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters. 

Date: 4/18/86; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
Every effort will be made to keep the building and all space in it properly secured. Security measures will be taken to guard against fire and personal item theft. Electronic sensor security alarms will be used in the Director's office, Distance Education office, Student Services, conference room, computer classroom and the computer laboratory.

PROCEDURE
Faculty will lock classroom and office doors and windows when leaving the room. Faculty will be responsible for the security of University equipment made available to them, and will make sure the area where equipment is used is secure.

Faculty and staff observing suspicious situations or persons in the building will report them to the Director's Office or to the University Police Department. Faculty and staff will lock desks and/or offices when they leave them unattended even if they will only be away for a short while.  

Date: 4/18/86; Reviewed 4/15/16

POLICY
Faculty will report illness whether scheduled for class or not since sick leave is accrued on a monthly basis. Sick leave for staff will be in compliance with University and State personnel regulations.

PROCEDURE
When a faculty or staff member will be absent due to sickness or medical appointments, she/he will notify the assistant to the director. Appropriate information will be sent to the Personnel Office to record the absence.  

Date: 8/23/96; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
The South Carolina Center for Children’s Books and Literacy (SCCCBL) is an important resource maintained and operated by SLIS. Officially designated as a resource center for the state by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education in 1992 and named the B.E.S.T Center (Books, Evaluation, Selection, and Training) Center. In February 2005 the B.E.S.T Center was renamed as SCCCBL.

The purpose of SCCCBL is to provide for review a collection of new and award-winning books and to provide direct and indirect services related to these books to a target audience consisting of faculty and students in teacher education and library science, classroom teachers, librarians, and parents statewide. The South Carolina Center for Children’s Books and Literacy is operated under policies and procedures for planning, implementing, and evaluating activities developed by the School of Information Science and the National Advisory Council (NAC).

PROCEDURE
The Director of SLIS will oversee the operations of SCCCBL and will direct and evaluate the performance of the Executive Director of SCCCBL. The Executive Director of SCCCBL will provide a progress report to the Director of SLIS and NAC.  

Date: 8/23/96; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
Special Events (i.e., all social activities of the School) are the responsibility of the Director working with the Continuing Education/Alumni Coordinator, Special Projects Committee (as needed), and the Assistant to the Director, who will coordinate those events with the appropriate sponsoring groups and select committees. Examples of such activities include the annual Deans’ and Directors’ Lecture, anniversary celebrations, orientations, convocations, and alumni teas.

PROCEDURE
Depending upon the event, a select committee may be appointed by the Director to plan, advertise, implement, staff, and assess it. The Chair of such Committee is responsible for directing the activities of the Committee.  

Date: 8/23/96' Revised: 4/15/16

The School will offer a Specialist Degree in Library and Information Science program with competitive and selective enrollment to serve the needs of librarians and other information professionals needing advanced training.

GOAL
To provide library and information science professionals the opportunity to refresh and update their knowledge and skills, gain greater specialization in their professional training, and/or redirect their careers from one area to another.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of their professional development goals.

2. Students will demonstrate an understanding of what specialized knowledge and/or skills are needed to meet their professional development goals.

3. Students will demonstrate specialized knowledge and/or skills in a specific chosen area of the field.

PROCEDURE
In order for a student to matriculate and graduate, the following conditions apply: Admissions Requirements:

1.  Official transcript showing possession of a master's degree in library and information science from an American Library Association (ALA) accredited or National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) approved program. (Applicants with a master's degree from an NCATE approved program must also have current certification as a librarian or school library media specialist.) The required GPA is 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

A. Applicants with a master's degree in library and information science that is not from an ALA accredited or NCATE approved program may also be admitted to the program upon satisfactory exemption of SLIS 701, 707 and the Technology Competency Requirement (SLIS 706 or the Competency Exemption Exam). Any of these courses not exempted must be taken as part of the Specialist degree program in addition to the required 30 hours.

B. Applicants without an ALA accredited or NCATE approved program degree but holding a master's degree in a library and information science related field may be accepted into the program upon satisfactory exemption of SLIS 701, 707, and the Technology Competency Requirement (SLIS 706 or the Competency Exemption Exam). Any of these courses not exempted must be taken as part of the Specialist degree program in addition to the required 30 hours.

2.  Generally, a minimum of three (3) years of full-time experience in a library, media center, or information agency. Requirements for work experience, however, may be waived at the discretion of the School.

3.  Standardized test score report for either the GRE or MAT:

A. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Official score report for the GRE taken within the last five years must indicate:

i. A combined score requirement for the GRE must be 294 with at least 153 on the verbal section.

ii. SLIS requires a minimum score of 4.0 on the writing portion of the GRE. The score is considered in the application process, particularly if the GRE score and/or GPA is weak or does not meet the minimum requirement.

B. Miller Analogies Test (MAT) Official score report for tests taken within the last five years must indicate a score of at least 410. For MAT information and testing center locations go to www.milleranalogies.com.

4. Two letters of recommendation from persons able to comment on the applicant's professional performance and potential.

5. A statement of professional purpose indicating the specialization the applicant seeks to develop. A resume outlining the applicant's educational and professional record should be attached to the statement.

6. International Students: Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) International students whose native language is not English must also submit an official score report with a minimum score of 80 internet-based (IBT) or 570 paper-based (PBT). TOEFL scores are available from ETS for two years. Information can be found at www.ets.org/toefl.

Upon admission to the Specialist Degree program, the Student Services Office will assign an advisor for each student. The student or advisor may, at any time, ask for a change of advisor. The advisor will assist in the development of the student's program but it is the responsibility of the student to ensure that all of the degree requirements are met.

Degree Requirements:
1. Each student's program will consist of a minimum of 30 hours of course work.

A. Of these 30 hours, 18 must be taken within the School of Information Science.

B. Of these 30 hours, 3 must be Internship hours (SLIS 794) and 3 must be Independent Study hours (SLIS 796).

C. Any student who has not taken SLIS 705, Introduction to Research in Library and Information Science, or shown evidence of having completed its equivalent, will be required to satisfactorily complete it (with a grade of B or better) in addition to the 30 minimum required hours. (A research methods course satisfactorily completed (with a grade of B or better) in another discipline may be substituted for SLIS 705 at the discretion of the advisor.)

2. All students must complete an end-of-program portfolio. (See Policy A5.85, Portfolio, Student).

3. A student may take up to 12 hours of course work in other colleges of the University upon approval by the advisor. No more than 9 of the total 30 hours of course work may be taken at another institution.

4. Each student has the option of working with an advisor to complete a project adequate to the student's program of study that demonstrates the capacity to conduct, synthesize, and utilize research methodology in library and information science. The research project must be approved by the advisor.

5. A maximum of 9 hours of SLIS 796, Independent Study, and SLIS 798, Specialist Project Preparation, may be taken for the Specialist Degree. No more than 6 of these hours may be directly related to the optional research project.

6. Courses which will be more than six years old at the time the Specialist Degree is awarded may not be included in the student's program of study form.

7. At the discretion of the Advisor up to six hours of graduate work taken prior to admission to the program may be included in the Specialist Degree provided that:

A. none of the courses exceed the six-year limitation noted above;

B. any course work in library and information science must have been taken at a school accredited by ALA or approved by NCATE;

C. course work must be germane to the student's program and make a direct contribution to it;

D. course(s) must show on an official transcript (and a copy of the official course description and/or syllabus provided) and not have been used to earn another degree;

E. grades for the course(s) must be a B or higher.

Students must present a grade point average of at least 3.0 (B average) on all courses taken in the program at the time of graduation. Students who earn a grade below B on more than six hours of course work or who make a grade below C in any course will not be allowed to continue in the program. Students who receive a grade below C in a course cannot apply the course toward graduation. Students who receive a grade of D+ or D in a required course (i.e. joint program requirements or CAEP requirements) must retake the course upon reinstatement to attain a grade of at least C (see Policy A5.80, Grade Requirements for Degree Credit). 

Date: 7/6/98; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
Departmental records of applicants, students, and alumni will be retained by the administrative offices of the SLIS according to a defined schedule and will be secured when offices are unattended.

PROCEDURE
Retention periods for departmental student files are defined in the following schedule:

A. Incomplete applications for admission will be kept for one (1) year from the term for which the potential student applied.

B. Transcripts, letters of recommendation, test score reports, School of Information Science Supplemental Applications, and other supporting documents for which no application has been received will be kept for one (1) year from date received.

C. Complete application for which affirmative admission decisions have been made and the applicant failed to enroll will be retained for three (3) years from term of admission.

D. Completed applications for which negative admission decisions (declined admission) have been made will be retained for three (3) years.

E. Files of admitted applicants who enroll but withdraw will be retained five (5) years from the date of last attendance.

F. Files of admitted applicants, who enroll but are academically dismissed, will be retained for five (5) years after dismissal.

G. Files for students who graduate will be moved to the Alumni file area and will be retained for five

(5) years after graduation.

H. Once students have enrolled in degree programs, their records are retained permanently by the Graduate School.

Date: 8/23/96; Revised: 11/17/17

POLICY
It is the policy of the School to include student representation on all standing committees except those related to personnel or individual student matters.

Students shall have full voting rights within the committees except regarding individual student issues.

PROCEDURE
Each fall or as often as necessary, the chairperson of appropriate committees will recruit at least one student to serve on the committee. Student committee members will submit a Confidentiality Agreement to the Student Services Office when they join a committee. Students are responsible for reaching out to peers for input and reporting feedback.

Date: 8/20/04; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
The Committee reviews policies related to student services including admissions policies and recommends changes as needed to the faculty. The Committee reviews all applicant files that do not meet the published criteria for admission to the School. The Committee oversees policies related to student issues.

There will be no student representative present during discussions of individual student files.

PROCEDURE
The Chair of the committee will direct the activities of the committee. The Admissions Coordinator is responsible for alerting the chair when there are files to be reviewed.

Date: 4/15/96; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
Students enrolled in the School of Information Science will be allowed to use the equipment and services available in the lab in room 110.

PROCEDURE
Student use of the lab is limited to program work only. Students may not abuse the equipment. Food and beverages are not allowed in the lab. Any student not adhering to School policies may have his/her laboratory privileges revoked.

Date: 2/20/09; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
Students in the MLIS program are required to exhibit technological competency by taking SLIS 706 or by passing the Technology Competency Exam. Students may attempt to exempt the Technology Competency Requirement course, SLIS 706, by taking an examination. If successful, the student will replace SLIS 706 with an elective course. Exemption from this course does not reduce the length of the program.

PROCEDURE
Any student who wishes to discuss exempting SLIS 706 should contact the SLIS Student Services Manager. The Student Services Manager will enroll the student into the SLIS Exemption Exam organization in Blackboard. The student will be responsible for reviewing the information in Blackboard and contacting the Student Services Manager to schedule a time to take the test via Blackboard. Students must score 84 or higher to exempt the course.

Date: 4/18/86; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
Telephone service necessary for the operation of the School will be provided. Personal telephone calls should be kept to a minimum.

PROCEDURE
Long distance telephone calls should be dialed direct using the state telephone system and not placed through the operator, i.e., not person-to-person. Incoming collect calls should NOT be accepted. Calls are automatically billed to the number from which they are placed with a connect time, date, length of call, and charge. From time to time faculty and staff may be asked to verify and justify calls charged to their number.

Date: 8/23/96; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
The Tenure and Promotion Committee carries out the School's related policies in accordance with the University Tenure and Promotion system.

PROCEDURE
The Chair of the Committee will direct the activities of the Committee. The Tenure and Promotion Committee carries out the School's policies in accordance with the University Tenure and Promotion system. Applying the Tenure and Promotion criteria, the Committee conducts an independent annual performance review of each tenure-track faculty member below the rank of Professor. This information is then provided to the Director for use in the annual review of each tenure-track faculty member. The Tenure and Promotion Committee reviews policies and T&P criteria as needed, advises the Director on the retention of non-tenured faculty, and makes recommendations to the director for filling vacancies.

Because of the confidential nature of the work of the Tenure and Promotion Committee, there will be no student representative nor will minutes be recorded.

Date: 8/23/96; Reviewed: 4/15/09

POLICY

PREAMBLE

As a professional school with the state’s only masters program in library and information science accredited by the American Library Association, the School of Information Science has a special responsibility to its constituency, especially that within South Carolina. Quality teaching, professional leadership, scholarly activity, and service are fundamental to its mission. Quality teaching is listed as the first and most important component in this list of special responsibilities. Effective teaching is the pivotal faculty function. Having no doctoral level programs, the School offers the master’s and specialist’s degrees, which prepare individuals for entry, level and supervisory positions in a broad spectrum of libraries and other information agencies. Graduates and other professionals continue to call upon the School for advice and leadership. Members of the faculty assist these individuals in their continuing education and also work with them to carry out research, which is beneficial to the state’s library community. It is important, therefore, to note that scholarly activity, which especially supports the School’s service mission, constitutes one of its important responsibilities.

Library and information sciences are emerging disciplines with developing bodies of theory. Research in these areas draws substantially from the methodologies of the social and behavioral sciences, the humanities and the physical sciences. For example, researchers draw upon the social sciences to study the information needs and information seeking behavior of various population groups, the humanities to produce compendia and criticisms of materials and the physical sciences to study the preservation of materials.

Library and information professionals apply their disciplines to problems in a number of different environments: higher education, public, school,industrial, governmental and the private sector. There is need for a considerable amount of field-based research, much of it focused upon the practice of the information professions in these environments.

The variety of problems to be investigated in library and information sciences requires researchers to draw upon the experimental, descriptive and historical methodologies appropriate to the specific inquires. The faculty of the School of Information Science acknowledges the importance of all research methodologies and a wide variety of publication format is its appropriateness to the topic, and subscribes to no a prior notions of hierarchy among them.

TENURE AND PROMOTION CRITERIA

Note: Words and phrases, which are starred, are defined in the glossary. Those, which are double starred, are defined in the text. The location of the definition in the text is indicated in the glossary.

The School of Information Science will use separate criteria to evaluate eligibility for tenure and promotion, since it is possible that in this academic unit, as in all academic units, a candidate for both could meet the basic criteria for one but not the other.

Areas considered in determining eligibility for promotion and tenure are teaching effectiveness; scholarship; and service. The criteria for each of these areas follow.

Criteria for Evaluation Areas:

I. Teaching Effectiveness

(Sources: Student evaluations of every course taught and the director’s synthesis of peer evaluation must be included as evidence. Other sources of evidence, which may be included, are the director’s evaluations and the historical record of the individual faculty member). Excellence in teaching is the first criterion for promotion and tenure and it is the most important criterion. Evaluations by students will be examined to determine the degree to which they perc4eive faculty effectiveness in the areas of classroom instruction. It is recognized that there may be differences in the student evaluations of required and elective courses for any individual faculty member.

II. **Scholarship

(Sources: Publications; consultant reports which contribute to the knowledge base and which are disseminated to the profession; grant proposals (if not funded, with evaluator’s comments when available); evaluative letters; or other evidence of scholarly activity. Candidates document state, regional, and/or national visibility by demonstrating the impact of their scholarly activity on the discipline, as well as the  professional status and degree of recognition by colleagues writing letters of support).

Definition of Scholarship: Textbook and article publication, critical commentaries, editing, development of databases, preparation of scholarly exhibits, presenting research papers, chairing research sessions at professional meetings and similar projects are valid scholarly activities.

**Scholarly editing may take one of two forms: (1) the editorship of professional journals, conference proceedings, textbooks or other works the contents of which have not been previously published; or (2) the conceptualization of content, recruitment of participants, editing of submitted papers, and marketing of the product to a publisher. Scholarship includes those intellectual activities, as defined above, that contribute to the development and dissemination of the knowledge base of the disciplines.

Competence in scholarship is demonstrated by the candidate’s ability in a variety of the following categories to:
(1) Conduct research with appropriate methodological technique and rigor;
(2) conceptualize and theorize in an original way; (3) synthesize, criticize, and clarify extant knowledge and research; (4) innovate in the collection or analysis of empirical data; (5) relate research to the solution of practical problems of individuals, groups, organizations (e.g., libraries, schools, government agencies, and corporations), or societies through professional literature; or (6) communicate and disseminate the results of scholarly inquiry in the discipline for the benefit of society.

Definition of Publication: Publication is the formal, process of placing information, knowledge, or ideas before the public. Publication is the primary method for development of a knowledge base in the disciplines and for the dissemination of scholarship. It is one of the major productivity measures for peer review and evaluation. Because of its nature, this discipline, more than most, uses electronic communication. Thus, our faculty may present research findings through a variety of media. Print media, which have traditionally been used almost exclusively for scholarly publication, continue to be important formats.

However, other systems, most of which are electronically based, are now widely used and accepted methods for disseminating the results of scholarship. They show promise for each greater importance because they offer scholars a number of advantages over print media. Electronic media often provide possibilities for more timely presentations, enable scholars to interact simultaneously, permit information to be transmitted visually and aurally, and transcend the barriers of geography and disability. All media, if used appropriate, have potential as important vehicles for conceptualization,  synthesis, clarification, innovation, and translation within the disciplines.

For this reason, the scholarly activity of candidates who use these kinds of media in these kinds of ways will be judged on its merit.

Judging the Candidate’s Record: The candidate’s record will be judged on such factors as significance to the discipline, contribution to the body of knowledge or literature of the profession, “refereed status where appropriate, difficulty of attainment, and benefit t the School and University. Differing levels of involvement will be noted, such as original scholarship, coauthorship, editing and consulting.

III. *Service

(Sources: The record as presented by the candidate and letters of support from colleagues working with the candidate, as well as peer evaluations of service. Candidates document state, regional and/or national professional visibility by demonstrating the relative importance of the professional organizations in which they are active as well as the professional status and degree of recognition of colleagues writing letters of support. Candidates document School and university service by demonstrating participation and leadership in the faculty governance structure of the School and University).

The degree and quality of professional activity and service locally,regionally and nationally, will be evaluated. Service to the School through active and productive participation in the School’s faculty governance structure will be evaluated. The degree and quality of service to the University’s faculty governance structure will also be evaluated. In particular, leadership roles in professional organizations, the University faculty governance structure, and consulting which did not lead to publication will be evaluated.

Tenure Criteria

A candidate at the rant of Assistant Professor or above will be considered eligible for tenure if he/she has demonstrated, during a probationary period, consistent growth and development in the areas of *teaching; **scholarship; and *service. A candidate will be considered eligible for tenure if he/she has demonstrated *competence in all areas with special strength in teaching and at least one other are (scholarship; or *service). The candidate’s record will indicate a degree of consistency and durability which could be expected to lead to the achievement of national professional **visibility which enhances the image of the School and the University. The candidate will be expected to hold an earned doctorate.

Promotion Criteria

Assistant Professor:
A candidate will be considered eligible for promotion to the rank of Assistant Professor if he/she demonstrates “competence in all areas. The expectation at this level is that of scholarship which, for example, may be a direct outgrowth of dissertation work and cooperative projects. The candidate must possess strong potential for continued development as a teacher and scholar. It is expected that the candidate will hold an earned doctorate.

Associate Professor:
A candidate will be considered eligible for promotion to the rank of Associate Professor if he/she has demonstrated during the time at rank “competence in al areas with special strength in teaching and at least one other area (**scholarship or service). The candidate must demonstrate strong potential for continued development as a teacher and scholar, and demonstrate state and regional **visibility in a specialized area which enhances the image of the School and University.

Professor:
A candidate will be considered eligible for promotion to the rank of Professor if he/she has demonstrated during the time at rank *competence in all areas with *special strength in the areas of *teaching and **scholarship. He/she must possess strong potential for further development as a teacher and scholar. He/she will demonstrate the achievement of national professional **visibility which enhances the image of the School and University.

---

PROCEDURE

The School of Information Science adhere to the tenure and promotion procedures delineated in the Faculty Manual. Candidates should note specifically the procedures in the Faculty Manual under the headings: “Guidelines for Departmental and College Policy,” and “Tenure and Promotion Procedures.” The tenure and promotion calendar is established by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and is made available to candidates through the director’s office.

The outline of a candidate’s application file for tenure and/or promotion must follow the guidelines established for that purpose by the University Committee on Tenure and Promotion.

In addition to the procedures outlined above in the Faculty Manual and in the file contents guidelines of the University Committee on Tenure and Promotion, the School adheres to the following procedures:

I. The Membership of School Tenure and Promotion Committee
The School Tenure and Promotion Committee is a committee of the whole composed of those faculty members eligible to vote on a given application. In the matter of tenure, voting members of the committee are all those tenured school faculty members of equal or higher rank. In matters of promotion, voting members of the committee are all those tenured school faculty members of higher rank. The director of the School is not eligible to vote or serve on the committee.

The chair of the School Tenure and Promotion Committee shall be elected in a meeting of the committee in April of each year, for a one-year term that shall extend from the ensuing June 1 to May 31. The chair o the committee must be a tenured professor in the School. All tenured School faculty members are eligible to vote for candidates for chair of the committee.

In the event that there are fewer than five School faculty members eligible to vote on a given application, the director of the School shall appoint a sufficient number faculty members from other academic units within the University that do meet the eligibility requirements to make up a committee of five voting members.

II. Voting on a tenure or Promotion Application
In addition to the voting procedures given in the Faculty Manual, the School Tenure and Promotion Committee adheres to the following procedure for determining whether an affirmative recommendation on an application will be made to the director. A majority affirmative recommendation on an application for tenure or promotion is achieved when at least fifty-one percent of all those eligible committee members have cast a “yes” ballot on the candidate’s application for tenure or promotion. Eligible members of the committee who cast and “abstain” ballot, or who do not vote, are not counted for purposes of determining whether a majority affirmative recommendation has been achieved. Eligible members of the committee who are on official leave from the University (e.g., sabbatical, leave without pay) retain the right to vote during their absence, provided that they have
notified the chair of the committee of a desire to do so before beginning the leave, and are familiar with the evidence presented in the file. The chair of the committee shall make every reasonable effort to provide information to eligible members of the committee on official leave.

III. Use of Outside Referees
Each application file for tenure and/or promotion shall contain at least five evaluations of the candidate’s file by referees form outside the University.

The referees should be individuals of high merit at peer institutions who can make an objective evaluation of the candidates file. The referees should not include individuals who were former instructors of the candidate, dissertation directors, or who were fellow students with the candidate at the same institution.

The director of the School shall ask the candidate for a list of up to four individuals that the candidate recommends to serve as a outside referees. The director shall select maximum of two individuals suggested by the candidate and will select enough additional outside referees to ensure that at least five evaluations are received. The director’s office will exclusively handle all communications with the outside referees and will add the referees’ evaluations to the candidate’s file or review by the School Committee on Tenure and Promotion.

GLOSSARY

I. Definitions Within the School of Information Science:

• Competence: The candidate’s performance meets the definition of “good,” “excellent,” or “superior” as defined by the
• University Tenure and Promotion Committee (see glossary, II).
• Service: Election, appointment, or leadership in professional organizations; presentation of workshops and seminars; and non Research-based consulting.
• Publication: See page 4, “Definition of Publication.
• ”Referee Process in Library and Information Science: A board or group of individuals is utilized by the producer of the
  medium to gauge the worthiness of scholarship, which has been proposed for publication.
• Scholarly Editing: See page 4, paragraph 1.
  Scholarship: See page 4, “Definition of Scholarship.”
• Special Strength: The candidate’s performance meets the definition of “excellent” or “superior” as defined by the University
  Tenure and Promotion Committee (see glossary, II).
• Teaching: Instruction in regularly scheduled classes, one-to-one instruction in independent studies, supervision of
  internships, supervision of specialist projects, participation on specialist committees, and participation on external doctoral committees.
• Visibility (State, Regional, or National): See page 3, “Scholarship:
  Sources.

II. Definitions Suggested by the University Tenure and Promotion Committee:

• Scholarship:
  Superior: Candidate’s published research and conference presentations rank in quality/quantity with that of the best
  colleagues at the same rank in the same discipline at like universities.
  Excellent: Candidate’s contribution is recognizably higher in quality/quantity than most colleagues of the same rank in the
  same discipline at like universities.
  Good: Candidate’s contribution compares favorably in quality/quantity with that of most colleagues of the same rank in the same discipline at like universities.
  Fair: Candidate’s contribution is recognizably less in quality/quantity than that of most colleagues of the same rank in the
  same discipline at like universities.
  Unsatisfactory: Candidate’s contribution is unsatisfactory in quality/quantity compared to that of most colleagues of the
  Same rank in the same discipline at like universities.
• Teaching:
  Superior: Candidate’s teaching is consistently rated among the best in the unit.
  Excellent: Candidate’s teaching is consistently rated at or above the average for the unit.
  Good: Candidate’s teaching is consistently rated near average for the unit.
  Fair: Candidate’s teaching is consistently rated lower than the average for the unit.
  Unsatisfactory: Candidate’s teaching is consistently rated well below the average of the unit and is unsatisfactory.
• Service:
  Superior: Candidate’s service record in quality/quantity is recognizably among the best in the unit.
  Excellent: Candidate’s service record in quality/quantity is well above average in the unit.
  Good: Candidate’s service record in quality/quantity compares well with the unit’s average.
  Fair: Candidate’s service record in quality/quantity is recognizably less than the average of the unit.
  Unsatisfactory: Candidate’s service is consistently rated well below the average of the unit and is unsatisfactory.

Approved by SLIS Faculty: 18 March 2011 Page 1 of 14

PREAMBLE
Having the state's only bachelor’s program in information science (BSIS) and master’s (MSLIS), certificate of advanced graduate study (CAGSILS), specialist (SILS), and doctoral (PHD) degree programs in library and information science, the School of Information Science has responsibilities to integrate research, teaching, and service. The School’s professional master’s program is accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of the American Library Association, and with accreditation comes a special responsibility to its constituency — librarians and other information professionals, the organizations employing them, and the people who benefit from their services and systems, especially within the state of South Carolina. Effective teaching, research and publication in support of evidence-based practice, professional leadership through service, and their integration is fundamental to the School’s mission. Effective teaching, exemplary research, and credible and ethical service leadership are considered to be critical responsibilities of the faculty of the School. In recognizing primacy for these areas of scholarship, we also recognize that teaching, research, and service enrich one another. In an applied field, the interaction of these pillars of scholarship is essential to bridging the gap between theory and practice as well as ensuring that the scholarship of the faculty and students of the school is relevant to the real world of practice.

The School offers the bachelor’s, master's, certificate, and specialist degrees to prepare individuals for entry level or supervisory positions in a broad spectrum of 21st Century jobs in the information field. Graduates as well as other professionals continue to rely on the faculty, staff, and students of the School for support, advice, and leadership. Members of the faculty, staff, and doctoral students assist these individuals in their continuing education and also work with them to carry out research and engage in service that is beneficial to the state and beyond. Therefore, scholarly activity that supports the School’s service mission is one of its important responsibilities.

The Standards of Accreditation for Master’s Programs in Library and Information Studies (2008) notes that: “Library and information studies encompasses information and knowledge creation, communication, identification, selection, acquisition, organization and description, storage and retrieval, preservation, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, synthesis, dissemination, and
Approved by SLIS Faculty: 18 March 2011 Page 2 of 14 management. ” Given the dynamic nature of the evolution of technology, new forms of interaction with information, and new challenges of providing access to information are constantly on the horizon. Library and Information Science is, thus, a continually evolving discipline with rapidly developing bodies of theory and practice related to a full range of issues from literacy and providing access to the cultural record to developing methods for representing and retrieving information ranging from texts to images and objects of cultural significance. Scholarship in the information field is decidedly inter- and multidisciplinary. This scholarship draws substantially from the theories and methods of the social and behavioral sciences, the arts and humanities, and the physical sciences, including computer science. In turn, the information field contributes broadly to society in its emphasis on bringing together people, information, and technology in order to enable people to find, use, and create information for their own purposes in work and life. By way of example, scholars draw upon the
social sciences to study the information needs and information seeking behavior of various population groups, the humanities to produce compendia and criticisms of materials, and the physical sciences to study the preservation of materials. In turn, librarians and other information professionals apply their expertise to information problems in a number of different environments that follow people from early childhood, through the learning and working years into retirement.

The scope of the information field leads researchers to draw upon experimental, descriptive, and historical methodologies appropriate to specific inquiries. In particular, research is demonstrated by ability to:

• conduct research with appropriate methodological technique and rigor;
• conceptualize and theorize in an original way;
• synthesize, criticize, and clarify extant knowledge and research;
• innovate in the collection or analysis of empirical data;
• relate research to the solution of practical problems of individuals, groups, organizations (e.g., libraries, schools, communities, government agencies, and corporations), or society through professional literature; or
• produce or interpret literature, art, etc. through performance and/or publication; and
• communicate and disseminate the results of scholarly inquiry in the discipline for the benefit of society.

Production and performance may be included in the scholarly output of those in the information field who focus their scholarship — teaching, research, and service — on enriching cultural literacy through literature, folklore, and storytelling, especially to children.

Because of its nature, the information field makes extensive use of electronic communication. Faculty may present research findings through a variety of media. Print media, which have traditionally been used almost exclusively for publication, continue to be important formats. Other systems, most of which are electronically or digitally based, are now widely used and accepted methods for disseminating the results of research. These approaches show promise for even greater importance because they offer scholars a number of advantages over print media. Electronic/digital media (e.g., video, audio, Web/Internet) often provide possibilities for more timely presentation or production, enable scholars to interact simultaneously, permit information to be transmitted visually and aurally, and transcend the barriers of geography and disability. All media, if used appropriately, have potential as important vehicles for conceptualization, synthesis, clarification, innovation, and translation within the discipline. For this reason, the scholarly activity of candidates who use these kinds of media in these kinds of ways will be judged on their merit and the extent to which they reflect scholarship.

Given the above, a significant aspect in determining a faculty member’s advancement is the individual’s accomplishments in integrating teaching, research, and service as the ultimate achievement in scholarship. While there are a variety of ways that such integration may be evidenced, we offer the following with respect to what we label as community outreach as an example.

Through community outreach scholars bring their research and teaching skills to bear on relevant local, national, or international problems and issues. Community outreach may include planning literary or artistic festivals or celebrations. These community based activities are tied directly to the faculty member’s special field of scholarship. As scholars engage in community outreach, they will disseminate promising innovations to appropriate audiences and subject their work to critical review.

Not all external activities are community outreach in the sense intended here. For example, those who serve as jurors, PTA members, etc. do so in their role as citizens. In contrast, community outreach activities that support promotion and tenure advancement fulfill the mission of the School and the University and utilize faculty members’ academic or professional
expertise.

The provision of service learning opportunities for students may be another example of this integration, which brings together teaching, research, and service in a synergy that may create a contribution greater than the sum of the individual parts.

The faculty of the School of Information Science acknowledges the importance of a full range of approaches to scholarship, which draw upon strategies appropriate for supporting teaching, research, and service to people across the life span.

TENURE AND PROMOTION CRITERIA

The School of Information Science uses separate criteria related to teaching, research, and service to lead to a comprehensive evaluation of the scholarship of candidates for tenure and promotion.

Overall, tenure and promotion reviews address the candidate’s past sustained performance and impact as a scholar as well as the anticipation of sustained future scholarly performance and impact. Teaching, research, and service are each components of scholarly performance. The synergy among teaching, research, and service that is scholarship is evaluated through evidence
of impact on student learning, advancement of knowledge, and the information professions and broader society at state, national, and international levels. Time and accomplishments in a faculty position at another educational institution may be considered in evaluating a candidate for tenure and promotion. There is no minimum time per se before consideration for tenure and/or promotion; rather evidence of scholarly productivity will need to be sufficient to justify consideration.

Faculty members hired into the tenure track after January 1, 1995, will be responsible within their probationary period for meeting the unit tenure and promotion criteria and university standards in effect at the time of their hiring unless the faculty member elects to be considered under the unit criteria and university standards in effect at the time of the application for
tenure. For all subsequent promotions the faculty member shall be responsible for meeting unit criteria and university standards in effect at the time of their application for that promotion.

Evaluation Criteria:

I. Teaching - Definition of Teaching:

Teaching in

• regularly scheduled classes—whether face-to-face, distance, blended, or other pedagogically sound approaches,
• one-on-one independent studies,
• advising,
• supervision of student research studies,
• supervision of internships and service learning experiences,
• service on undergraduate, master’s or doctoral theses/dissertations,
• preparation of instructional materials,
• design of new courses, and
• other curriculum development work.

Evidence:

• Student evaluations from every course taught prior to tenure, or since the last promotion;
• Peer evaluations prior to tenure (at least annually);
• A summary of all teaching since appointment as a tenured or tenure-track faculty member in the School, prepared by the Chair and/or other members of the SLIS Tenure and Promotion Committee.
• Course materials for all courses since appointment as a tenured or tenure-track faculty member in the School. These materials would likely include, for example, syllabi and examples of assessments and learning aids.
• Annual evaluations by the Tenure and Promotion Committee since appointment as a tenured or tenure-track faculty member in the School or since the last formal review.
• Annual evaluations by the director of the School since appointment as a tenured or tenure-track faculty member in the School.
• Indication of service learning contributions.
• Awards, teaching-related grants, etc.
• Supervision of student internships.
• Course/curriculum development evidence.
• Indication of direction of student research at undergraduate, master’s, or doctoral levels
• Membership on thesis or dissertation committees.
• Other feedback from colleagues, students, alumni, in the form of solicited letters of input.

Evaluation:

• Evaluations by students will be examined to determine the degree to which students judge faculty as effective in instruction. It is recognized that there may be differences in the student evaluations of required (for degrees or areas of emphasis within degree programs) and elective courses for any individual faculty member.
• Peer evaluations will be given consideration in judging teaching effectiveness. Peer evaluations are conducted at least annually for untenured faculty.
• Improvements in teaching effectiveness as judged by student and peer reviews will be considered in a positive light, with more recent reviews receiving more weight in evaluation. Other factors that might influence an up or down in ratings, such as class size or a required versus elective class, will be considered in viewing more erratic patterns of course evaluations.
• Course materials will be examined to assess their relationship to the curriculum-related learning outcomes of the degree program(s) involved, incorporation of the evidence based approach in teaching, encouragement of student research, and development of connections to professional practice and/or service

II. Research
Definition of Research:

• Research includes those intellectual activities that contribute to the development and dissemination of the knowledge base of the information field and the information professions.
• Peer reviewed publication, other non-peer reviewed publication, books (including textbooks), critical commentaries or reviews, editing, development of research-related databases, preparation of scholarly exhibits or Web publications, presentation of research papers or chairing research sessions at professional meetings, and related projects are valid research activities.
• Refereeing is the process by which individuals are selected by the editor of a publication to consider whether a research product is suitable for publication.
• Research-related editing such as the editorship of professional journals, conference proceedings, textbooks or other works the contents of which have not been previously published; or the conceptualization of content, recruitment of participants, editing of submitted papers, and marketing of the product to a publisher or producer.
• Productions and performances that are related to the research output of a tenure track faculty member are considered in the evaluation of research.

Definition of publication, presentation, production, and performance:

• Publication is the formal process of placing information, knowledge, or ideas before the public and is not limited to any particular format. As such, publication may include the production or performance of artistic or creative endeavors.
• Publication, incorporating presentation, production and performance, is the primary method for development of a knowledge base in the discipline, for the dissemination of scholarship, and for the transmission of the cultural record.
• Publication, incorporating presentation, production and performance, particularly that which is peer-reviewed or juried, is one of the major productivity measures for review and evaluation.
• Among various forms of publication, presentation, production, and performance, peer reviewed and/or juried work has a higher standing than other forms.
• Citations, reviews, awards, and other forms of recognition of the quality of publication, production, and performance provide further evidence of impact.

Evidence:

• Peer reviewed publications or juried presentations, productions, or performances;
• Invited publications, presentations, productions, or performances in recognition of scholarly productivity or expertise;
• Other publications (e.g., technical reports, professional standards, white papers, open source publications, evaluations, assessment tools);
• Evaluative letters from selected scholars in the field;
• Consultant reports, which contribute to the knowledge base and are disseminated to the profession;
• Grant proposals (if not funded, with evaluators' comments when available);
• Invitations to participate in scholarly work, including scholarly panels, grant and other review panels, editorial review boards, peer-reviews for publication, consulting work, thesis or dissertation committees, presentations, or produce publications;
• Documentation of state, regional, and/or national/international visibility through demonstration of the impact of scholarly activity on the discipline and beyond (e.g., citations, participation on dissertation committees, awards, review panels);
• Professional status and degree of recognition by colleagues writing letters of support.
• Citations, reviews, awards; and
• Other evidence of scholarly activity, which the candidate offers for consideration or by request of the SLIS Tenure and Promotion Committee.

Evaluation:
The candidate's record will be judged on the significance, contribution, and impact made to the discipline and the information professions. This judgment will be supported by comments of external reviewers and other indicators of the impact of the candidate’s scholarly activities, including:

• Peer reviewed or juried status;
• Invited publication;
• The influence or impact of the scholarly activity on the discipline or the information professions (such as being cited, positively reviewed, or recognized through awards);
• Grant or contract seeking activities,
• Benefit that accrues to the School, College and University as a result of the research activity;
• Differing levels of involvement, such as original scholarship, coauthorship, editing or consulting;
• Research that contributes to theoretical, conceptual, and/or methodological development and influences practice;
• Faculty production and/or performance through presentation of scholarship are recognized as approaches for research communication. Research contributions that are nationally and internationally recognized; and
• Research products that advance teaching and/or strongly influence professional practice.

III. Service
Definition of Service:

• Participation and service on School, College and University committees, task forces, and related activities,
• Election, service or leadership related to professional organizations in the information field,
• Non-research based consulting, presentation of seminars, workshops, and continuing education events, and
• Application of professional expertise with community groups.

Evidence:

• The service record as presented by the candidate
• Letters of support from colleagues indicating the nature of the service contributions
• Documentation of School, College and University service by demonstrating participation and leadership in the faculty governance structure of the School, College and University.)

Evaluation:

• The degree and quality of professional activity and service locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally, will be evaluated in recognition of the particular contribution of such service to scholarship in a professional school in the information field.
• Service to the School or College through active and productive participation in the faculty governance structure will be evaluated.
• The degree and quality of service to the University’s faculty governance structure will also be evaluated.
• Leadership roles in professional organizations, the University faculty governance structure, consulting which did not lead to publication and application of professional expertise in community activities will be considered.
• Service efforts that contribute to teaching and/or research are particularly valued.
• Untenured faculty members are encouraged to emphasize service that enhances their teaching and research.

Definitions of Ratings:

Research:

Outstanding: Candidate’s research record and level of national/international recognition is at a very high level of quality as evidenced by citations, awards, testimonials of positive influence on practice, and other indicators of impact. The evaluations by external referees note the outstanding quality, significance, and impact of the candidate’s research record.

Excellent: Candidate's research record generally reflects a consistent record of quality. The evaluations by external referees generally attest to the quality and significance of the candidate's research record. Indicators of impact support the substantial influence of the candidate’s research record (e. g., citations to his/her scholarly work or evidence of positive influence on practice). A national/international level of recognition has been achieved.

Good: Candidate's research record is generally adequate but may vary in the rate and/or quality of productivity due to the nature of the research. There has been insufficient time to judge longer term impact. The external referees generally attest to the quality and significance of the candidate's scholarship. Indicators of impact support the influence of the candidate’s research record (e. g., citations to his/her scholarly work or evidence of positive influence on practice).

Fair: Candidate's research record shows a low rate of productivity; the external referees minimally attest to the quality and significance of the candidate's scholarship; candidate only minimally documents the influence of his/her scholarship on the discipline of Library and Information Science.

Unacceptable: Candidate's scholarship record shows only minimal productivity; the external referees are unable to attest to the quality and significance of the candidate's scholarship; the candidate is not able to document the influence of his/her scholarship on the discipline of Library and Information Science.

Teaching:

Outstanding: The candidate’s teaching contributions are particularly noteworthy and go beyond the excellent level through recognition by School, University, or National/International awards for teaching contributions. Alternatively, the candidate may be sought after to mentor other faculty or doctoral students, offer teaching workshops, and the like.

Excellent: The candidate's teaching generally receives high student course evaluations; generally receives a rating of excellent on faculty peer evaluations (using the categories on the peer review form); and the summary assessment of teaching prepared by the SLIS Tenure and Promotion Committee rates his/her teaching as excellent.

Good: The candidate's teaching generally receives overall positive student course evaluations with some indication of continuing areas for improvement; candidate has taken the initiative to seek help in areas needing improvement; generally receives at least a rating of good on faculty peer evaluations (using the categories on the peer review form); and the summary assessment of teaching prepared by the School’s Tenure and Promotion Committee rates his/her teaching as good.

Fair: The candidate's student course evaluations are only occasionally positive; occasionally receives at least a rating of fair on faculty peer evaluations (using the categories on the peer review form); and the summary assessment of teaching prepared by the School’s Tenure and Promotion Committee rates his/her teaching as fair.

Unacceptable: The candidate's teaching consistently receives student course evaluations that are not positive; consistently receives faculty peer evaluations (using the categories on the peer review form) that are rated as unsatisfactory; and the summary assessment of teaching prepared by the School’s Tenure and Promotion Committee also rates the teaching as unsatisfactory.

Service:

• Outstanding: Candidate’s service contributions go beyond the excellent as evidenced by consistent outstanding service contributions, such as election as an officer or board/council member, frequent appointment to committee chair or other positions that make a significant impact on the information field. Service awards from professional, community, and other organizations would be a further indication of outstanding service.
• Excellent: Candidate's service record shows an exceptionally high level of service in at
  least two of the following areas: School, College, University, community, or professional
  associations.
• Good: Candidate's service record shows a high level of service in one of the following areas: School, College, University, community, or professional associations.
• Fair: Candidate's service record is adequate in one of the following areas: School, College, University, community, or professional associations.
• Unacceptable: Candidate's service record is inadequate in all of the following areas: School, College, University, community, and professional associations.

Tenure Criteria
Consistency, durability, and impact of scholarship are relevant factors in evaluating faculty for tenure. Development/improvement over time is another consideration. Length of service in a given rank is a valid consideration in formulating a tenure recommendation. Faculty members may be recommended for Tenure upon appointment. In this case the faculty member will typically already hold tenure at another institution and/or present a convincing case for meeting SLIS and USC tenure criteria. Faculty members appointed at the rank of Assistant Professor normally will not be recommended for tenure until they are in at least their fourth year at the University. A candidate who is an Assistant Professor must be a candidate for tenure and promotion in the candidate’s penultimate or, typically, sixth year. A faculty member may not be tenured at the rank of Assistant Professor. Faculty members appointed at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor (without tenure) normally will not be recommended for tenure until they are in, at least, their third year at the University. An earned doctorate is normally required for tenure.

A candidate at the rank of Assistant Professor or above will be considered eligible for tenure if he/she has demonstrated, during a probationary period, consistent growth and development along with durability of performance as a scholar in the areas of teaching, research, and service. A candidate for tenure must show excellence in either teaching or research and be at least good in the other area (teaching or research). It is expected that Service will at least be at the good level and will complement teaching and research. The candidate's record will indicate a degree of growth and development in scholarship leading to the expectation of achievement of state, regional, national, or international visibility that enhances the image of the School, College, and University.

Promotion Criteria
Growth, development, and impact in scholarship are important factors in evaluating faculty for promotion.

Associate Professor:
Candidates will be considered eligible for promotion to the rank of Associate Professor when they show excellence in either teaching or research and are good in the other area (teaching or research). It is expected that Service will at least be at the good level and will complement teaching and research. The candidate must demonstrate substantial potential for continued
development as a teacher and researcher, and have state or regional or national or international visibility in a specialized area that enhances the image of the School, College and University. It is expected that the candidate will hold an earned doctorate.

Professor:
Candidates will be considered eligible for promotion to the rank of Professor if they meet the definition of excellence in teaching and research, and are at least good in service. They will have achieved national or international professional visibility that enhances the image of the School, College, and University. Their performance will demonstrate consistent and durable impact on
the information field.

PROCEDURE:
The School of Information Science (SLIS) adheres to the tenure and promotion procedures delineated in the Faculty Manual. Candidates should note specifically the procedures in the Faculty Manual under the headings: “Guidelines for Departmental and College Policy,” and “Tenure and Promotion Procedures.” The tenure and promotion calendar is established by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and is made available to candidates through the director’s office. The director of the School will notify potential candidates for tenure and/or promotion in writing of the timetable for the submission and consideration of files (available on the Provost’s Tenure and Promotion website).

The outline of a candidate’s application file for tenure and/or promotion must follow the guidelines established for that purpose by the University Committee on Tenure and Promotion. The candidate bears primary responsibility for preparation of the file on which the decision will be based.

In addition to the procedures outlined above in the Faculty Manual and in the guidelines of the University Committee on Tenure and Promotion, the School adheres to the following procedures:

Membership of the SLIS Tenure and Promotion Committee:

The SLIS Tenure and Promotion Committee is normally composed of all tenured faculty in the School. In matters of tenure, voting members of the committee are all those tenured faculty members of the School of higher rank to the person being considered for tenure. In matters of promotion, voting members of the committee are all those faculty members of the School of higher rank (i.e., Associate or Full Professors for review of Assistant Professors; Full Professors for review of Associate Professors). The director of the School is not eligible to vote or to serve on the committee, though the director will participate in meetings of the Tenure and Promotion Committee in an advisory role when possible.

The chair of the SLIS Tenure and Promotion Committee will be elected in a meeting of the committee by April 15th of each year for a one-year term that will extend from the ensuing June 1 to May 31, by a majority vote of the members of that committee. All tenured School faculty members are eligible to vote for candidates for chair of the committee.

In the event that there are fewer than five School faculty members eligible to vote on a given application for tenure and/or promotion, the director of the School will appoint a sufficient number of faculty members from other academic units within the University that do meet the eligibility requirements to make up a committee of five voting members.

Voting on a Tenure or Promotion Application

In addition to the voting procedures given in the Faculty Manual (e.g., voting by secret ballot), the SLIS Tenure and Promotion Committee adheres to the following procedure for determining whether an affirmative recommendation on an application will be made to the director:

A majority affirmative recommendation on an application for tenure or promotion is achieved when at least fifty-one percent of all those eligible committee members have cast a “yes” ballot on the candidate’s application for tenure or promotion. Eligible members of the committee who cast an “abstain” ballot are not counted for purposes of determining whether a majority affirmative recommendation has been achieved. The Faculty Manual notes that written justification of all votes at the unit level is mandatory and this justification will state specifically how the candidate meets or does not meet the unit’s criteria; we interpret the mandatory justification requirement in the faculty manual to include a requirement for justification for abstentions.

Eligible members of the committee who are on official leave from the University (e.g., sabbatical, leave without pay) retain the right to vote during their absence, provided that they have notified the chair of the committee in writing of a desire to do so before beginning the leave, and are familiar with the evidence presented in the file. The chair of the committee will make every reasonable effort to provide information to eligible members of the committee on official leave.

Use of Outside Referees

Each application file for tenure and/or promotion will contain at least five evaluations of the candidate’s file by impartial scholars at peer or aspirant institutions within the field of library and information science. A person who is a leading scholar in the field of library and information science may be used as an outside evaluator if she or he is at an institution that is not peer or aspirant. A non-university specialist may be used as an outside evaluator if their expertise is particularly relevant. The outside reviewers should not include individuals who were former instructors of the candidate, dissertation directors, coauthors, colleagues with whom the candidate has served at other institutions, who were fellow students with the candidate at the same institution, or where there may be some other conflict of interest.

The Chair of the Tenure and Promotion Committee, with the advice of other members of the Committee and the Director, will select enough outside referees to ensure that at least five evaluations are received. Recognizing that persons having relationships with the candidate as outlined above will normally be excluded as outsider reviewers, the Chair of the SILS Tenure and Promotion Committee will consult with the candidate regarding suitability of outside evaluators. In particular, all outside evaluators will be asked to disclose any relationship or interaction with the applicant. The Director's office will handle all communications with the outside referees using the letter recommended by the University Committee on Tenure and Promotion and will add the referees’ evaluations to the candidate’s file for review by the University Committee on Tenure and Promotion. In requesting letters from outside referees, the Chair will include the language suggested in the UCTP "Guide to Criteria and Procedures."

Summary Assessment of Teaching

A summary assessment of all teaching at the University since assumption of a tenure track position or since the granting of tenure or the last promotion will be prepared and placed in the candidate's file. The summary assessment of teaching is based on the required sources (e.g., student evaluations) and any optional sources (annual evaluations by the Tenure and Promotion Committee and annual evaluations by the director of the School.) The summary will include comments regarding differences in the student evaluations of required (for degrees or areas of emphasis within degree programs) versus elective courses for a degree program. The Chair of the Tenure and Promotion Committee will prepare, or request another member of the Committee to prepare the summary. This document will clearly explain the School's student evaluation process, evaluation system, and provide an overall rating of teaching in keeping with the definitions of rating of teaching given below.

Faculty with Joint Appointments

Jointly appointed faculty are faculty members whose tenure home is in one unit (the “primary unit”) and who have a part time appointment, with some combination of teaching, research, and service obligations, in one or more unit or program (the “secondary unit”). A joint appointment is formalized by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or Charter that specifies the responsibilities of the faculty member to the primary and secondary units. The MOU (1) identifies the tenuring unit; (2) specifies teaching load and split of teaching load between the primary and secondary units; (3) includes formula and criteria for sharing indirect cost return (IDCR) among the units; and (4) specifies service responsibility load and split
between the units.

The criteria for granting tenure or promotion to a jointly appointed faculty member will be those of the primary unit. Each secondary unit is given an opportunity to propose outside evaluators and to comment on the evaluators proposed by the primary unit. Primary and secondary units will work together to obtain a suitable, representative group of evaluators. In any event, an evaluation must be solicited from at least one evaluator nominated or approved by each secondary unit.

In the case that SLIS is the secondary unit for a faculty with a joint appointment, the normal procedures either specified above or stipulated in the MOU regarding the tenure and promotion procedures related to the joint appointment will apply regarding solicitation of comments and providing them to the primary unit. In the case that SLIS is the primary unit, the normal procedures specified above as supplemented by the MOU regarding tenure and promotion procedures related to the joint appointment will apply regarding coordination and solicitation of comments. Specifically, the secondary unit will be involved in the selection of
outside evaluators, tenure and/or promotion materials will be made available to eligible faculty of the secondary unit, and formal input will be obtained from the eligible faculty of each secondary unit and placing it in the candidate’s file at least five working days prior to the unit’s vote on the application.

Date: 8/23/96; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
The University requires that all book adoptions specified by any course instructor (including all tenure-track faculty, non-tenure-track contract faculty, and graduate teaching assistants) must be placed with the University Bookstore. Upon request, the University Bookstore makes copies of all book adoptions available to all off-campus bookstores. 

PROCEDURE
The Program Coordinator for Distributed Learning (Schedule Coordinator) will oversee the process of submitting textbook (required and recommended) orders for the SLIS. Faculty members will provide the University Bookstore with all course requirements no later than 90 days prior to the opening of the specific semester. 

Date: 4/18/86; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
A student will be allowed to transfer up to six hours of courses to apply toward the Master of Library and Information Science degree.

PROCEDURE
A maximum of six hours of graduate credit taken at other accredited institutions prior to or subsequent to full admission to the School or credit taken within USC prior to full admission to the School may be transferred under the following conditions:

1. the credit may not be more than six years old at the time the student will graduate;
2. course work in library science must be earned at an ALA accredited library
school;
3. the credit must be germane to the student's career objectives;
4. the course must have been taken for graduate credit and must be recorded as such
on an official transcript which is sent from the granting institution to the USC
Graduate School;
5. courses which have been used to earn another degree will not be accepted;
6. the grade received must be a B or higher;
7. the student must provide a course description comparable to that produced in the
University catalog
8. SLIS required courses (SLIS 701, 705, and 707) may not be transferred;
9. Students must fill out the appropriate paperwork to be approved by SLIS and the
Graduate School.  

Date: 8/23/96; Revised: 4/15/16

POLICY
It is the policy of the School to provide travel funds consistent with budgetary limitations for professional travel for faculty and staff, for representational travel, and for field and public service travel involving internships and services to libraries.

PROCEDURE
At least 2 weeks Before leaving for any University related travel, faculty should submit a Travel Authorization form to the Assistant to the Director in compliance with University policy. Even if the trip will involve no expense to the University, the authorization should be submitted for insurance purposes. The Assistant to the Director will prepare all travel authorizations for the Director's signature.

Request for travel reimbursement will be submitted as soon as possible after the trip. Original receipts and/or ticket stubs must be attached for all expenses; photocopies are not acceptable for reimbursement purposes. Airline tickets may be ordered through a travel agent and charged against the travel authorization (TA) number, provided ample time has not elapsed for approval of the TA. This procedure will eliminate the need for cash outlay by the traveler.  

Date: 5/7/96; Reviewed: 4/15/16

POLICY
At the discretion of the instructor, course prerequisites may be waived for a student.

PROCEDURE
Students must obtain written authorization to waive a course prerequisite from the instructor and his/her academic advisor.