The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has created “extraordinary circumstances” that may seriously impact productivity for librarians at the University of Washington (Executive Order 27). This problem is particularly critical for assistant and senior assistant librarians working toward promotion and renewal of appointment in a mandatory and specified time frame, as outlined in the Librarian Personnel Code. This probationary period is otherwise known as a librarian’s “promotion/reappointment clock”. As a result of the extraordinary circumstances associated with COVID-19, the University of Washington is offering automatic approval for all librarians who request a waiver for the 2019-20 or 2020-21 academic year to automatically extend their promotion/reappointment clock by one year.
Who is eligible?
- Assistant and Senior Assistant librarians with mandatory promotion/reappointment clocks, who are in the probationary period of their appointment term during Spring quarter 2020 to Spring quarter 2021.
How does this work?
- Librarians may request to extend their appointment period and waive the 2019-20 or 2020-21 academic year from their mandatory promotion/reappointment clock by submitting a request for extension to the Administrative Officer Responsible for Personnel, after consultation with their supervisor. Requests will go to the Vice Provost for Digital Initiatives and Dean of University Libraries and on to the Office of Academic Personnel.
- Specifically, librarians should send a memo noting that they are requesting a COVID-19 associated clock extension to their Administrative Officer Responsible for Personnel for processing in Workday. Administrators should upload the memo to Maintain Worker Documents using the “Academic Appointments” document category. They should follow the steps outlined in the Update Academic Appointment User Guide to extend the librarian’s end date in Workday using the reason code “Waiver: Other Reason” and adding “COVID-19” in the comments.
When do librarians have to decide whether or not to request an extension?
- For librarians whose mandatory promotion/reappointment review is scheduled for academic year 2020-21, they were required to submit a waiver request by July 31, 2020.
- For librarians whose mandatory promotion/reappointment review is scheduled for academic year 2021-22, they will have until July 31, 2021 to request a waiver.
- All other librarians will have until July 31 in the same year leading into their mandatory promotion/reappointment review to request a waiver. For example, librarians whose mandatory promotion/reappointment review is scheduled for 2022-23 will have until July 31, 2022 to request a waiver.
Who should librarians contact with questions?
- Librarians who have questions about whether it is advisable to request an extension are encouraged to consult with the Administrative Officer Responsible for Personnel.