ULS Behind the Scenes

ULS TRAVEL POLICY FOR FACULTY LIBRARIANS

Prepared by the ULS Faculty Affairs Committee; Approved March 6, 1996; Revised December 2001 and November 2003


ULS Travel Request Form
ULS Travel Responsibilities Checklist


Definition of Professional Travel

Professional travel is travel undertaken by ULS faculty librarians which contributes to the professional growth of an individual and the achievement of his/her career goals. Such travel includes attendance at and participation in conferences, seminars, institutes, workshops and other specialized meetings conducted on a regional, state, national or international level.

Administrative travel, defined as travel required to carry out ongoing library operations usually at the request of the library administration, and travel by the ULS senior staff are not addressed by this document. Similarly, travel costs associated with research projects conducted by faculty librarians are outside the scope of this policy.

Eligibility

Any faculty librarian with an appointment of at least eight months is eligible for travel funding. Library staff other than faculty librarians are not covered by this policy.

Call for Travel Requests

A call for travel requests will be issued at the beginning of each fiscal year.  The call will remind librarians of current procedures for requesting money for professional travel.  A reminder will be issued in the spring of each year to ensure the expenditure of all travel funds.

Allocation and Awards

The ULS Director will determine the available travel moneys for the fiscal year. The ULS Faculty Affairs Committee will review expenditures throughout the year.  Disbursement of funds will follow University Procedures 05-07-01.

All faculty librarians with an appointment of at least eight months will receive the base amount. In addition, librarians new to the profession can apply for a one-time supplemental award from ULS Administration for travel to their first professional conference.  See ULS Travel Responsibilities Checklist for the appropriate procedure.

Conference registration fees (up to $400 per conference) will be paid separately by the ULS Administrative budget, pending approval to attend conference by supervisor. Conference fees must be paid in advance by the ULS, which will only pay for the advance (early-bird) registration and only the member rate.  If a librarian misses the advance deadline, and/or is not a member of the host organization, the ULS will register him/her at the higher amount. However, librarians will be responsible for paying the difference between the advance and normal registration charges, as well as the difference between the member and non-member rate. The librarian will give to ULS Administration a check made out to the University of Pittsburgh for the difference of the rates.
 
 

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