SPEC Kit 315: Leave and Professional Development Benefits · 13
[The authors note again that the amount of finan-
cial support for both categories of internships may
not include institution support beyond the libraries
and suspect there is more financial support in many
instances than reported here.]
Only three institutions require that internships
be taken at the home institution and all three of these
cover at least some of the costs of the internship.
Sixteen respondents (41%) report that time spent
on job-related internships is treated as time worked
and only two (5%) treat time spent on personal devel-
opment internships in this manner. There is some
flexibility in work scheduling for internships that are
either job-related or for personal development and the
employee is either allowed to make up the time or use
vacation/personal leave.
In most cases, internships may be six to eight credit
hours per session, though a few respondents report
there is no limit.
[See the tables on page 16 for a detailed comparison
of institutional support for job-related and personal
development internships.]
Comparison of Courses and Internships
A comparison of how the responding institutions treat
the librarian’s time away from his or her normal duties
in order to attend job-related college credit courses ver-
sus to complete a job-related internship shows course
time is more likely to be counted as work time and
employees are more likely to have to use vacation/
personal leave for internships. Eight institutions don’t
allow librarians to participate in job-related intern-
ships during normal assignment hours versus three
that don’t allow attendance at job-related courses.
A comparison of how the responding institutions
treat the librarian’s time away from his or her normal
duties in order to attend college credit courses for
personal development versus to complete internships
shows that most either require the librarian to use va-
cation/personal leave or to make up the time away. A
slightly larger number of institutions don’t allow par-
ticipation in either personal development courses (12)
or internships (11) during normal assignment hours.
[See the tables on page 17 for a detailed compari-
son of the institutional treatment of time away from
normal duties for credit courses and internships.]
Professional Certification Exams
The majority of responding libraries do not cover ex-
penses for professional certification exams. Sixteen
(24%) libraries do provide financial support, but only
for job-related certifications. In most cases, the librar-
ian’s time away from his or her normal duties in order
to prepare for or take professional certification exams
is treated the same as personal development courses
and internships the librarian is required to use vaca-
tion/personal leave or to make up the time away.
Other Leave or Professional Development
Benefits
Thirty-nine respondents (57%) reported that their in-
stitutions offer leave and professional development
benefits beyond those described above. For example, a
number mentioned that librarians are eligible for per-
sonal unpaid leave, flexible scheduling, and telework.
Others receive tuition reimbursement for noncredit
courses or travel support for job-related committee
work.
Conclusion
The survey results indicated there is considerable vari-
ation in the leave programs at ARL member libraries.
Relatively few use a Paid Time Off leave program or
offer intersession leave. While there is a wide variation
in leave balance and cash out policies, the total paid
time off for librarians is considerable.
There is also considerable support for research and
professional development activities, though programs
for supporting professional development show wide
variation in design and procedures. While relatively
few libraries provide a regularly scheduled percent-
age of assignment time off, most offer some options
for time away for research and professional develop-
ment activities. Ninety percent forgive time away for
conferences. Eighty-five percent offer some financial
support for conferences, though there is little support
for professional association memberships. There is
mixed financial support for college credit and intern-
ships and little for certification, and there are a variety
of methods used to determine funding. Nonetheless,
there is significant support in allowance for flexible
scheduling.
[The authors note again that the amount of finan-
cial support for both categories of internships may
not include institution support beyond the libraries
and suspect there is more financial support in many
instances than reported here.]
Only three institutions require that internships
be taken at the home institution and all three of these
cover at least some of the costs of the internship.
Sixteen respondents (41%) report that time spent
on job-related internships is treated as time worked
and only two (5%) treat time spent on personal devel-
opment internships in this manner. There is some
flexibility in work scheduling for internships that are
either job-related or for personal development and the
employee is either allowed to make up the time or use
vacation/personal leave.
In most cases, internships may be six to eight credit
hours per session, though a few respondents report
there is no limit.
[See the tables on page 16 for a detailed comparison
of institutional support for job-related and personal
development internships.]
Comparison of Courses and Internships
A comparison of how the responding institutions treat
the librarian’s time away from his or her normal duties
in order to attend job-related college credit courses ver-
sus to complete a job-related internship shows course
time is more likely to be counted as work time and
employees are more likely to have to use vacation/
personal leave for internships. Eight institutions don’t
allow librarians to participate in job-related intern-
ships during normal assignment hours versus three
that don’t allow attendance at job-related courses.
A comparison of how the responding institutions
treat the librarian’s time away from his or her normal
duties in order to attend college credit courses for
personal development versus to complete internships
shows that most either require the librarian to use va-
cation/personal leave or to make up the time away. A
slightly larger number of institutions don’t allow par-
ticipation in either personal development courses (12)
or internships (11) during normal assignment hours.
[See the tables on page 17 for a detailed compari-
son of the institutional treatment of time away from
normal duties for credit courses and internships.]
Professional Certification Exams
The majority of responding libraries do not cover ex-
penses for professional certification exams. Sixteen
(24%) libraries do provide financial support, but only
for job-related certifications. In most cases, the librar-
ian’s time away from his or her normal duties in order
to prepare for or take professional certification exams
is treated the same as personal development courses
and internships the librarian is required to use vaca-
tion/personal leave or to make up the time away.
Other Leave or Professional Development
Benefits
Thirty-nine respondents (57%) reported that their in-
stitutions offer leave and professional development
benefits beyond those described above. For example, a
number mentioned that librarians are eligible for per-
sonal unpaid leave, flexible scheduling, and telework.
Others receive tuition reimbursement for noncredit
courses or travel support for job-related committee
work.
Conclusion
The survey results indicated there is considerable vari-
ation in the leave programs at ARL member libraries.
Relatively few use a Paid Time Off leave program or
offer intersession leave. While there is a wide variation
in leave balance and cash out policies, the total paid
time off for librarians is considerable.
There is also considerable support for research and
professional development activities, though programs
for supporting professional development show wide
variation in design and procedures. While relatively
few libraries provide a regularly scheduled percent-
age of assignment time off, most offer some options
for time away for research and professional develop-
ment activities. Ninety percent forgive time away for
conferences. Eighty-five percent offer some financial
support for conferences, though there is little support
for professional association memberships. There is
mixed financial support for college credit and intern-
ships and little for certification, and there are a variety
of methods used to determine funding. Nonetheless,
there is significant support in allowance for flexible
scheduling.
