This document is for Candidate guidance and information purposes. In accordance with the GDPR it provides explicit details of the processes. Documents collected and data recorded are for the sole purposes of administering assessments, communicating outcomes, facilitating award ceremonies and listing successful awardees’ names in the Annual Report.
Your Application
It is important that Candidates read the criteria for each award carefully and send application forms, relevant documentation including a scan of the Library qualification award (latter in the case of ALAI applications only), a reflective statement and the appropriate fee to awards@libraryassociation.ie
What happens next?
Applications are acknowledged upon receipt and each application is forwarded to two Assessors. In the interests of fairness, the entire assessment process is confidential. Neither Assessor knows the other’s identity and Assessors’ identities are not disclosed to Candidates.
How does the Administration Process work?
Responsibility for the management of each application lies with a nominated Administrator. The Administrators maintain a secure tracking system which basic data necessary for the efficient administration of awards.
Data recorded include: Applicants’ names, contact details, dates of receipt and acknowledgment of applications, names of assessors and dates of sending applications to them and receipt of assessments. Dates of reporting to Professional Standards Committee, of informing Candidates of outcomes, of ratification by the Board and of final disposal of documents by Administrators and Assessors are all also logged. The award Assessors mark up a checklist co-relating to the award criteria to ensure that all the necessary components of an application are in place and assessed in a consistent manner.
In the case of successful applications:
Administrators report to the Professional Standards Committee that both Assessors have deemed the Candidate’s application worthy of an award. Verbal summaries of outcomes are given at Committee meetings and the Committee are not informed of Assessors’ identities in relation to specific applications. The Committee meets regularly throughout the year.
The Committee must approve awards which then go forward to Council for ratification.
Candidates are informed immediately post ratification by Council after which they may use the relevant post-nominals. Awards are officially conferred at the AGM of the Association and a citation is read for each awardee based upon Assessors’ reports and knowledge of the person’s contributions to the profession, public profile etc.
The assessment process may take up to 6-8 months. The Administrator dealing with a specific application will keep in touch with the Candidate throughout the process.
What happens if the Assessors do not recommend an application for an award?
If neither Assessor can recommend that an award be made to the Candidate then the Administrator reports this to the Professional Standards Committee at their next meeting.
The Candidate is then informed of the outcome and provided with constructive feedback.
What happens if Assessors disagree over the merits of an application?
If Assessors are divided over an application then the Administrator may seek a third report. If two out of three Assessors provide positive reports the Candidate will be recommended for an award.
About the Assessors
The Professional Standards Committee selects Assessors from within the LAI and/or other LIS associations. Assessors are selected because of their expertise, experience and seniority.
They come from a range of LIS backgrounds. Each signs a non-disclosure form for the duration of his/her service on the assessment panel and must declare any conflict of interest. Each application is assessed against the criteria for the specific award.
Assessors are informed of their obligations to ensure security of applicants’ documentation and data and of the appropriate retention periods. In general, documents are retained by assessors only until the whole process has been successfully completed. However, in the event of an application being unsuccessful documentation is retained for a further period e.g. for review in the case of appeal.
Assessors supply a report to the appropriate Administrator who may use elements of the report in the citation read for a successful Candidate on the occasion of the conferring of awards (LAI AGM).
How long are my documents retained?