Sample initial welcome/informational message to ERP

Hello [Institution]ERP members! Thank you all for agreeing to support this important area of our profession. I am chairing the panel and looking forward to working with you.

I’m [full Name], [Title]. My background in the profession is through work in [public/school/academic/special/etc.] libraries. My last librarian position was […] and I’ve been in my current position since [year].

Please introduce yourself, including any library or information center background, ERP experience, etc.

If you haven’t already done so, please block out time on your calendar to complete the work of the Panel. Here is a draft timeline of activities:

  • NOW: Please read the 2015 Standards for Accreditation of Master’s Programs in Library & Information Studies that was sent to you by the ALA Office for Accreditation. (If you don’t have that, contact the Office right away.) As you read through the Standards, please consider which you would feel most comfortable focusing on. I’ll assign each of you to a primary and a secondary standard based as closely as I can to your preference. As the primary, you will have responsibility for drafting the section of our ERP Report related to that standard in consultation with the secondary, and perhaps the rest of the Panel, if needed.
  • In [month], you will all receive the self-study from the [Institution]. This is the first chunk of time you will need to block out in order toread the entire Self-Study, making notes throughout.To make the best use of the time we have on site, you will need to begin drafting your section of our report and have it ready before arriving on site.

As you write the draft, note the areas that need further information and let me know as soon as possible if appointments need to be scheduled. I will begin arranging for appointments as soon as possible. We may not be able to get appointments on short notice, so please be diligent about this.

  • In [month], block out [date-date]for the review. I’ll be working out the schedule with the folks at [Institution], and that block of time may be shortened, but I would like to have it all reserved for now.I will keep you posted as the time nears. Our exit briefing with the administrators will probably be late in the day on [date], so transportation issues will likely be the determining factor for whether you will need to block out the next day for travel.(Information about travel arrangements will be sent later.)
  • Within the three weeks following our visit, I’m charged with submitting a draft ERP report to [Institution] and the Office. [Institution]then has seven calendar days to submit any corrections, and then we have seven calendar days to submit the final panel report. The primary writer will therefore need work with the secondary reader to get the final drafts of sections to me no later than [date]so that I can compile the document and send it back out to you for any last minute revisions, corrections, etc.I will get that initial draft of the full report to you by [date]. The draft report will be sent to [Institution]by [date].If there are corrections from [the Institution], I may need to get back with you to check the information before making the changes and submitting the final report.

As you can tell, that’s a tight schedule for [Month through Month]. If you have any questions, please feel free to let me know.

My experience is that I have come away from the accreditation process with new insights on library education and the profession, so I hope you will also find this to be a rewarding experience. Thanks again for agreeing to serve.I look forward to meeting you online and in person.