2026 Annual Librarian Review

During the 2026 Annual Librarian Review (ALR) process, UMass Amherst librarians will be using the new Faculty and Librarian Success Portal (FLSP) and the new Faculty and Librarian Workflow System (FLWS). To aid in this transition, Academic HR and the Office of the Provost will be providing additional support. We encourage everyone to take advantage of these opportunities as some are only offered for a short time.


 

Updated User Interface

Spring 2026: The Faculty and Librarian Success Portal has a new user interface. You may move between the "classic" or "original" view by clicking the links in the alert bar under the top navigation menu. 

image with text about using the new or original faculty success platform

 

What is the Faculty Success Project?

What is the Faculty Success Project?

The Faculty Success Project is a multi-year cross-campus modernization initiative. The project team were charged with launching a robust system which would allow UMass Amherst faculty and librarians to accurately track their research, teaching, and service efforts to allow for distribution across multiple digital channels and create efficiency for processes such as the Annual Faculty Review (AFR) and Annual Librarian Review (ALR).

Guiding Principles

The Faculty Success Team established the following guiding principles for this project:

  • A single point of entry represents an ideal state for the faculty user interface
  • Facilitation of faculty research, networking, CV development, scholarly and artistic activity, as well as annual faculty review
  • Faculty to retain control over their public profiles
  • Ensure accurate and timely reporting
  • Wherever possible, reduce the administrative burden (of both staff and faculty) via processes and systems interface
  • Customization to be kept at a minimum to reduce impact on future IT support
  • The implementation process and communication is broad, open, and inclusive
  • Solutions should be agile and responsive to future business needs and requirement
Project Status

Project Status

We’re Live!

The Faculty and Librarian Success Portal launched in 2025, marking a major milestone in our commitment to improving usability and functionality for faculty. This go-live reflects the successful implementation of the Advisory Committee’s feedback, which shaped key areas such as navigation and end-user experience.

You can read the full go-live announcement here.

For those who want to revisit the journey, we invite you to review a full timeline of the project, access an information session PowerPoint or watch a public zoom presentation (Passcode: Q6fEsPj=) from April 14, 2025 which includes details on the AFR report configuration leading up to launch.

Project Team, Organization, and Contacts

Project Team and Organization

See the full project team and organization.

Telling Your Story in the New AFR

Telling Your Story in the New AFR

The Annual Faculty Report (AFR) and Annual Librarian Report (ALR) is an opportunity for faculty and librarians to showcase their teaching, advising, research and creative activity, outreach, and service as appropriate to their appointment. It is a way to reflect on your work’s impact and meaning and to share that story with departmental and other colleagues during annual review, contract renewal, and promotion. 

2024-2025 AFR Instructions

  • All faculty members with an appointment at 50% FTE or greater were required to submit their 2024–25 AFR by November 15, 2025.
  • To submit an AFR, complete the following steps:
    • Check "Yes" to certify that your AFR is ready for review.
    • Enter the date of submission.
    • Click "Save". Clicking "Save" will submit your AFR which will be automatically loaded in APWS. Once the system completes the upload, you will receive an email confirmation with a link to view your submission in APWS.
  • You may experience a delay of up to three business days before receiving the notice that your files are uploaded into APWS.