LFA Exec - Annual Report - 2025-2026

Library Governance Committee Final Report

Fiscal Year: 2026

Committee Name: Library Faculty Assembly (LFA) Executive Committee

Committee Chair: Josh Bolick

Members (with terms): Committee Members - FY 2025-2026 | KU Libraries Faculty and StaffAssembly; Elspeth Healey (vice-chair/chair-elect), Amanda Schlumpberger (secretary), Scott McEathron (librarian representative), Angie Rathmel (associate librarian representative), Samantha Bishop Simmons (assistant librarian representative)

 

Standing Charges:

  • Ensures the orderly and effective operation of the LFA.
  • Is the first point of contact for any matters referred to the attention of LFA, save those which are specifically assigned to standing committees in the Code; and, where appropriate, assigns such matters to standing or ad hoc committees.
  • Brings governance issues concerning all faculty and staff to the LFSA Executive Committee.
  • Designates a liaison to the Organizational Development Unit and an ex officio liaison to LSA to ensure communication and information sharing.
  • Monitors KU governance issues that may affect LFA, including the Faculty Senate and the University Senate Committee on Libraries.
  • Takes no action contrary to the desires of the LFA.

Standing Charges Progress/Accomplishment Summary:

 

Meetings:

The LFA Executive Committee (LFA Exec) held monthly meetings, with 10 total meetings from July 2025 – June 2026. These meetings were open to all LFSA members. Invitations and agendas were sent out to all LFA members via KULIB-L listserv, and minutes of meetings were posted to the Libraries website at https://lfsa.ku.edu/lfa/lfa-minutes as they were approved. The LFA Executive Committee also convened two General Assembly meetings, the first on November 17, 2025, and the second on May 7, 2026, where LFA business was conducted. Two additional Special Meetings were held on January 23, 2026, and February 5, 2026. Except for the May 7 minutes, which will be approved at the next General or Special Meeting, these minutes have also been posted to the Libraries website at the link provided above.

The LFA Exec Chair and Vice Chair met monthly with the Libraries Dean, Carol Smith, in their capacity as liaisons between Libraries leadership and Libraries faculty. Josh and Elspeth shared the content of their discussions with the Dean during LFA Exec monthly meetings. Summaries of these discussions are documented in LFA Exec meeting minutes.

LFA Exec Chair and LSA Exec Chair coordinated monthly LFSA meetings and convened one LFSA General Assembly on November 17, 2025.

LFA Exec Chair served as the ex officio liaison to the LSA.


 

The LFA Chair attended meetings of the University Senate Committee on Libraries and provided information to the committee as needed. Minutes of these meetings are available on the Committee’s website.

Special Charges:

 

No new charges or committees were made/formed during this governance year.

Special Charges Progress/Accomplishment Summary: NA Other Activities or Accomplishments:

Eval reform: Based on the experience of the previous year, in collaboration with Libraries’ HR, and per recommendations of the 24/25 LFA Exec Annual Report, the space for Dean’s comments added last year was removed and the faculty annual review process was clarified and improved. Information sessions were hosted on November 13 and 19. Multiple parties reported an improved experience.

Ad Hoc Committee for Review of Promotion and Tenure Procedures: This group was developed and charged last year and began pursuing its charge by reviewing peer institution promotion/tenure criteria. In the Fall three focus group sessions were hosted and a survey was distributed to KU Libraries faculty. More detail and the committees’ recommendations are provided in the committee’s final report. Because UAKU negotiations will have an impact on PT procedures, the ad hoc committee chose to develop its report and recommendations, but not to pursue potential changes immediately. These should be considered alongside policy alignment work to proceed in the coming year.

 

Climate Survey: In March 2026, a simple climate survey was conducted to understand the range of perspectives held by library faculty. 22 responses were received, representing less than half of LFA and thus limiting our ability to infer as much information as we hoped. Anonymized results were shared with LFA membership.

Faculty Hiring Priorities Survey: Also in March of 2026, at the invitation of Libraries Administration, a brief survey was conducted to solicit feedback on the Leadership Team’s proposed FY27 Faculty Hiring Priorities, which consisted of two new (or reconfigured) positions and three previously approved ones. 25 responses were received sharing input on both the proposed priorities and other areas of potential need. The anonymous results were shared with both Leadership Team and the Faculty email list.

 

Election/Nomination Assistance: LFA Exec worked closely with Nominating and Balloting to support filling faculty roles on committees effectively and efficiently.

 

New LCPT Standing Charge: At the LFA Fall Assembly, a new standing charge was proposed to reflect LCPT’s role in reviewing new-hire faculty files with respect to whether the awarding of tenure and/or elevated rank is appropriate. This impetus for the proposed new charge arose from LCPT’s FY25 Annual Report. Though language for a new standing charge was passed by ballot by the body in February of 2026, the use of the word “determine” in the charge language


 

raised a concern and thus was not approved by the Dean. At the LFA Spring Assembly, a revision to this language was proposed to better reflect LCPT’s role in recommending (rather than determining) the awarding of tenure and/or elevated rank. The revised wording for the new charge was put to ballot. 41 votes were cast, with all 41 in favor. The new standing charge was approved by the Dean.

Revisions to Academic Appointments for University Libraries: At the request of the Libraries administration, LCPT proposed revisions to the Academic Appointments for University Libraries policy to address outdated links and information and to provide greater clarity regarding timelines and process. At the LFA Fall Assembly, the proposed revisions were shared and discussed. At the Spring Assembly a “clean” document using track changes to show LCPT’s latest proposed revisions was shared and discussed. The proposed revisions were sent to ballot. 42 votes were cast, with all 42 in favor. The revised policy was approved by the Dean.

 

Potential Charges for Future Committees/Recommendations:

Policy work resulting from the UAKU contract will require significant effort of the LFA and should be prioritized.

The revised Academic Appointments for University Libraries document still includes reference to an outdated faculty handbook. At the Spring Assembly it was noted that it should reference the UAKU contract instead.

 

While policy alignment work likely precludes additional new ad hoc committee development for FY27, at some point we should charge an ad hoc committee to revisit existing mentoring guidelines and relevant university guidance, consider the needs of pre-tenure library faculty members, and provide updated and formalized guidance for library faculty mentors in order to establish more consistent mentoring of junior colleagues.

 

Review all committees’ annual reports for recommendations.

Please review the Committee’s portion of the Library Governance website and the Code. Does it need updating/correcting?: Yes:

 

  • Adapt the following sentence from the LFA site (Library Faculty Assembly | KU Libraries Faculty and Staff Assembly): “Comments, questions, or concerns for the Library Faculty Assembly (LFA) or the LFA Executive Committee should be submitted through our Qualtrics form.” Revise to “Comments, questions, or concerns for the Library Faculty Assembly (LFA) or the LFA Executive Committee should be communicated to the Chair or Vice Chair/Chair Elect or any member of the Executive Committee.”
    • Or similar as recommended by the FY27 LFA Executive Committee
    • Under Current Documents, replace the PDF link to “Promotion and Tenure

Procedures...” to link to the official version as hosted in the Policy Library: Article - KU Libraries: Promotion and....

  • Under “Working Group Reports”, either link to the listed report (if it exists) or remove

    reference to it.


 

Prepared By: Josh Bolick and Elspeth Healey