1. SLAIS Chairing an External Review Panel: Recommendations for Action Before the Visit Thanks to the Chairs of ERP’s I have served on: Barbara Moran, Elizabeth Aversa, Judy Field, Bob Grover, and John Richardson

2. SLAIS Build Your Team  Communicate early  Communicate often  Communicate to everyone  Communicate clearly that you welcome expertise from everyone

3. SLAIS Conference Calls  Minimum of three before the visit  Five to six months before visit (As soon as you know your team members)  Four months before visit  Three weeks before visit  ALA makes setting up these calls very easy  Worth the hassle of four or five time zone differences

4. SLAIS Before the first call  Establish good communication lines with the School dean/director  Get panelists’ ERP experience from COA Office  Send to each team member the names and addresses of other members

5. SLAIS First Conference Call (5 to 6 months before visit)  Self introductions and greetings  Deadlines: Jan. 31 – Program Presentation sent to us Mar. 12, 13, 14 – Visit to U. of A. Edmonton Apr. 4 – Our draft report to ALA and U. of A. Apr. 11 – Corrections from U. of A. due to us April 18 – Our final report due to ALA  Resources Program websites, city/university websites

6. SLAIS First Conference Call  Your hopes/expectations  Arrive by early evening the day before the visit so you can have a planning meeting at dinner  Depart no sooner than late afternoon of the last visit day  Clear calendars for 10-20 hours just after program presentation arrives  Read the entire program presentation  Make own transport arrangements  Have very draft versions of section reports completed before arriving, and final reports completed before departing

7. SLAIS First Conference Call  Give Information About  Expense reimbursement  How the ERP Report is structured  Helpful COA links on the ALA website

8. SLAIS Second Conference Call (approx. 4 months before visit)  Two weeks before call, send an email message asking for section preferences (1,2,3 rd choices)  Finalize primary and back-up responsibilities for the 6 report sections corresponding to the 6 standards  Ask for suggestions re triumphs and tiger-pits that panelists have experienced on other External Review Panels  Give info re computer support expected  Give info re communication tools the School has that the team can use: faculty listserv? alumni listserv? student listserv? Electronic or paper-based directory contact info for sessionals?  Confirm your intention to have contact during the visit with the off-site team members – possibly a phone call on day 1 and day 3

9. SLAIS Second Conference Call  Confirm program presentation mailing addresses and arrangements Remember U.S./Canadian postal black hole  Ask that panel members who are distributing questionnaires to students, alumni, and sessional faculty send draft copies of those questionnaires to you and the other team members for feedback  Establish date of next call, and expectation that by that date, everyone will have read the program presentation, assessed their chapter, and have comments and questions

10. SLAIS Between 2 nd and 3 rd Calls  Send to all panel members a list of all the documents or types of documents that will be available in paper or electronic form on site, and update as necessary  Send to panelists (cc the Director) a draft schedule for each day, and update as required (example follows)  Ask Director to send a message to all panelists when program presentation has been mailed

11. SLAIS EXAMPLE OF SCHEDULE - Monday, March 13  8:00 a.m.Continental breakfast available at the School – coffee, juice, buns, muffins  8:30 – 9:15Meeting with Maryon McClary - Librarian in charge of Humanities/Social Sciences library. Office in Rutherford South – Main Floor. One panelist.  12-1Lunch with gathering of students – all panelists  2:30 - 3Meeting with Provost Carl Amrhein – Ann and possibly one other panelist  3-3:30Meeting with Associate Dean (Academic) of Faculty of Education Joyce Bainbridge – Ann and possibly one other panelist  3:30 – 4Meeting with Assistant Dean (Finance) of Faculty of Education Joyce Hiller with Ann and possibly one other panelist  5:30Phone call to non-visiting panelists  7-9 p.m.Reception/meeting with employers and alumni  MorningVisit LIS 592 class – one panelist  AfternoonVisit LIS 591 class – one panelist  All DayMeet with as many faculty members as possible in their offices – schedule to be determined on Sunday, depending on panelist preferences. All faculty members will be in their offices all day Monday

12. SLAIS Third Conference Call (2-3 weeks before visit)  Make sure all transportation is in place  Each panelist in turn gives assessment of his/her assigned chapter, and areas that need clarification  Each panelist contributes re extra information gathered from questionnaires and other outside sources  *Chair compiles a list of the unclear areas and questions raised, and forwards list to Director

13. SLAIS General Suggestions  Suggest that students pick up panel members from the airport  Suggest that the School provide some basic sustenance for panel members in their hotel rooms (juice, energy bars, fruit)  Divide up the team so that not all members go to all interviews  Ask that faculty members be available in their offices all of one day (when not teaching)  Keep communication lines VERY open with the (stressed) Director  Ask Karen O’Brien and staff lots of questions re wording and how to proceed – they are very helpful  Make an extra effort to obtain feedback from ALL students, sessional faculty, and alumni  Do not take long holidays in the 3 months before the visit nor the 1 month after  Ask the School for restaurant suggestions  If panel members are unfamiliar with the “context” of the School (the University, the state/province, the economical base), suggest sources of information

14. SLAIS Final Suggestions  Don’t be intimidated by senior university administrators (Judy Field, You’re wonderful)  Don’t be intimidated by indignant Directors (Anonymous)  Proofread your report very carefully (Thanks, Bill Buchanan)  Base your report on EVIDENCE (Thanks, Bertrum MacDonald)  Have fun!!! (Thanks, Elizabeth Aversa)