HELP FOR PREPARING SELF-REVIEWS FOR CATALOG DEPARTMENT STAFF
Prepared by Linda Barnhart
Approved by CDMG: July 8, 2003

The self-evaluation form provides a tool for reviewing past assignments, major accomplishments, job-related and career development goals, and other topics or problem areas. Self-reviews are submitted before the supervisor prepares their assessment, and are used by supervisors in several ways. The self-evaluation helps to document the activities undertaken during the review period. It also describes what the individual thought of their job performance, which can provide a basis for further conversation with the supervisor. The self-review is an official part of the review documentation, and becomes part of that individual’s permanent personnel file. Self-reviews became a standard part of the performance review packet for all staff in the UCSD Libraries in 1996.

Fill out page one of the form, including the Job Function Review and the Performance Review sections. A version of this form is available in MS Word.

For the Job Function Review, list the functions in your current job description. For the Performance Review section, you may wish to use the guidelines that were started at UC Irvine (http://libnet.ucsd.edu/perfstd.html) and are still under development at UCSD (http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/pert/performance98.htm) to help frame your thoughts in making a self assessment. Individual and unit performance standards that have been agreed upon by you and your supervisor will also apply to the Performance Review section.

On page two of the form, give yourself an overall rating in the Overall Evaluation of Performance. For Section V, Comments Supporting the Overall Evaluation:

Describe what you did in behavioral terms, documenting achievements and progress toward current goals. Address organizational and personal effectiveness, and training and development goals. Include the impact/consequences of your achievement. Explain why you didn’t accomplish some of the goals, if appropriate.

“Behavioral terms” means describing what you did in your job for the review period. Be as specific as possible. “I cataloged thousands of books this past year” is not nearly as informative or useful as “ I provided copy cataloging (including name and series authority work) for almost 3,600 science monographs, a third of which were conference proceedings.”

Catalog Department supervisors recognize that staff will spend on average 2-8 hours in preparing their self-review. Typically, you must review your calendar and files, and must search your memory and make notes or an outline. The writing process itself sometimes goes quickly and sometimes is difficult. The 2-8 hours is a rough guideline, understanding that each individual and circumstance is different.

In general, Catalog Department supervisors expect that the written text of the self-review will include:

- textual information, written in sentences, using word processing software;
- evaluative statements about your performance, and not simply be a list of accomplishments;
- a general sense of whether or not you think you accomplished your goals for the year;
- statements about the impact or consequences of your activities;
- any development and/or training goals that you are interested in discussing.

Written text should relate to and support your overall rating. One well-written page is more meaningful than ten pages of information that is either rambling or excessively detailed. Two pages should be the absolute maximum length needed for your own evaluation of your own performance. Supporting documentation, such as spreadsheets or charts, is not expected.