Faculty Status For Academic Librarians Research Articles

Opportunity matters: Tenure and faculty status for academic librarians

This paper delves into the debate over faculty status and tenure for academic librarians. Unlike subject-area professors, librarians often lack the opportunity for these distinctions. It’s imperative that universities acknowledge the significance of these titles for librarians and reform the tenure process. Faculty status and tenure carry prestige in academia, offering job security, salary progression, and protection from arbitrary dismissal. They also safeguard academic freedom, allowing scholars to voice opinions and pursue research without fear of repercussions. However, the issue of tenure for librarians remains contentious. Granting tenure to academic librarians is crucial to creating a flourishing university culture.

Do Southeastern Public Universities Adhere to the ACRL Tenure and Promotion Standards?

ABSTRACTFaculty status and tenure are goals for many academic librarians in the Southeast. However, the adoption of tenure differs between institutions. In an effort to discover how much adherence there is to the ACRL Standards for Faculty Status for Academic Librarians, librarians at the University of South Alabama sent a survey to 148 public universities in this region. The results illustrated the significant areas of consensus and where consensus was lacking. The outcome suggested the standards were not fully applied, showed the need for further study, and suggested a reassessment of the ACRL Standards.

Faculty Status for Librarians: Retrospect and Prospect

The article examines the history of faculty status for academic librarians and the attempts to relieve them of this status.

Standards for faculty status for academic librarians: Approved by the ACRL Board of Directors, June 2007, revised October 2011

Standards for faculty status for academic librarians: Approved by the ACRL Board of Directors, June 2007, revised October 2011

Perceptions from Library School Faculty on Meaningful Matters to Academic Librarians: Additional Degrees, Sabbaticals, Evaluation, and Governance

Objective – To survey the faculty members of American Library Association (ALA)-accredited library schools to gain insight into their perceptions on academic librarians obtaining faculty status and how the library school curricula prepare academic librarians for faculty roles. 
 
 Design – Survey questionnaire.
 
 Setting – An e-survey was distributed online to 57 ALA-accredited library schools during April 2007, using Zoomerang. 
 
 Subjects – The population consisted of 906 tenure-track or tenured faculty members. 
 
 Methods – The 24 item survey was designed to answer eight specific research questions and evoke responses scored on a five-point Likert scale that corresponded to (1) Strongly Disagree, (2) Disagree, (3) Neutral, (4) Agree, and (5) Strongly Agree. For the analysis of data in questions 1 and 3 through 8, the perceptions of faculty members of ALA-accredited library schools were determined by calculating the mean and standard deviation. For the analysis of question 2 a t test was used to determine differences in faculty members’ perceptions based on gender and tenure. A one-way analysis of variance, or ANOVA, was used to determine library school faculty members’ perceptions based on academic rank. 
 
 Main Results – A total of 906 individuals were sent the link to the survey, and 187 individuals completed the survey, making the response rate 20.6%. Of the respondents, 38.5% were professors, 25.7% were associate professors, 33.7% were assistant professors, and 2.1% were lecturers. The majority of respondents were female (60.0%) and tenured (65.0%). 
 
 Faculty members of the ALA-accredited library schools agreed that courses in statistical concepts, procedures, and research (both experimental and non-experimental) should be required of those seeking a master’s or doctoral degree. They agreed that the Master of Library Science (MLS) degree is insufficient in preparing librarians for faculty status, and that additional graduate degrees improve performance of academic librarians in discipline-specific positions. 
 
 Conclusion – It is clear that library school faculty have a strong interest in the curriculum and the future directions of librarianship. It is also clear that faculty status for academic librarians, equivalent to that of teaching faculty, will remain a contentious issue for some time. The author had five recommendations for practice: Librarians who want a faculty-status position should earn another graduate degree, in addition to the MLS; ALA-accredited library schools should require that PhD and masters students have courses in experimental and non-experimental research; ALA-accredited library schools should require that PhD and masters students have courses introducing statistics; Librarians with faculty status should be involved in university governance as well as library governance; and, Librarians with faculty status should be eligible for the same sabbatical and research leaves as other faculty. 
 
 There are three recommendations for further study identified by the author. First is a qualitative study to identify the reasons behind the perceptions that faculty members have of the issues that surround faculty status for academic librarians. Second is a qualitative study to assess how faculty status affects the lives of academic librarians, both personally and professionally. Lastly, additional research should be conducted to gain a greater understanding of how faculty status impacts academic librarians within the institutions they are a part of.

The Affiliations of U.S. Academic Librarians in the Most Prominent Journals of Science, Engineering, Agricultural, and Medical Librarianship, 2000–2010

After reviewing the literature of the differing approaches to evaluating the output of academic librarians and ranking their employing universities, the authors adapted features of the most widely cited study, Stephen J. Wiberley, Julie M. Hurd, and Ann C. Weller 2006 (WHW 2006), which covers a wide assortment of journals, to compile instead the affiliations of college and university authors in articles published between 2000–2010 in the journals most favored by American science, engineering, medical, and agricultural librarians. These journals included Science and Technology Libraries, Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship, Journal of Agricultural and Food Information, Journal of the Medical Library Association, and Medical Reference Services Quarterly. Unlike many previous studies, it emphasizes the number of papers published, not the number of librarians it took to write them. The study demonstrates that the WHW 2006 top twenty did rather well in this more narrowly focused science-oriented journal assortment over this timespan. Furthermore, while a statistically significant number of schools that happened to have graduate programs in library and information science (LIS) on their campuses were notable for their output in these journals, LIS faculty publishing was not a significant factor in their attaining a high ranking in this study, as shown by the thirty-eight of the forty-five ranking schools providing faculty status for academic librarians.

Seeking Full Citizenship: A Defense of Tenure Faculty Status for Librarians

Tenure status for library faculty in the academic environment is coming under increasing attack from administration, faculty members in other departments, and non-academics. This is due to incorrect perceptions about what academic librarians do and how they serve their profession. This paper describes the many challenges faculty librarians face in balancing their work load with service and scholarship; justifies why academic librarians need tenure; and ultimately proves that tenure and faculty status for academic librarians are an absolute necessity.

Library School Faculty Member Perceptions Regarding Faculty Status for Academic Librarians

The faculties of the library schools listed as ALA-accredited are directly involved in setting the direction of the education provided to academic librarians through curriculum development and teaching. The curricula and teaching at ALA-accredited library schools revolve around aspects of librarianship such as providing research assistance at a reference desk, collection development, and cataloging; but they do not address preparing the recipients of the MLS for the demands of faculty status at a college or university library. Thus, while academic librarians may be well prepared to assume professional duties in an academic setting, they may be less well prepared to perform activities such as research and publication that are required of faculty members seeking tenure and promotion. Until this descriptive study, the faculties of the ALA-accredited library schools had not been surveyed as a population in regard to their perceptions about faculty status for academic librarians, nor had they been surveyed about how education at library schools prepared academic librarians for faculty roles. As a result, it was vital that the faculties of the ALA-accredited library schools were surveyed so that their thoughts on faculty status for academic librarians and the education that prepares librarians for faculty roles could be known.

국립대학 교수와 사서의 대학도서관 전문사서 교수지위부여에 대한 인식분석

이 연구의 목적은 대학도서관에 유능한 인적자원을 확보하기 위한 방안의 하나로 대학도서관 전문사서의 교수지위를 제안하는 데 있으며, 이를 위해 국 내외의 연구들을 문헌조사를 통해 살펴보고, 교수지위 부여에 대한 이론적인 근거를 살펴보았다. 또한 교수임용요건을 갖춘 대학도서관의 전문사서에게 교수지위를 부여하는 문제에 관해 교수집단과 사서집단에게 설문조사를 실시하여 두 집단의 견해를 비교 분석하였다. 모든 분석결과에서 동의수준에는 차이가 있지만, 두 집단이 모두 긍정적인 것으로 나타났다. 대학도서관 전문사서의 교수지위 부여는 대학도서관의 사서들에게 자격요건을 갖추게 하는 동기부여의 수단으로 작용됨에 따라 사서들의 자질이 향상되고, 전문사서의 자질향상은 서비스의 질적 향상으로 이어져 대학교육과 연구에 도움을 주는 결과를 가져옴으로써 결과적으로 대학도서관 발전에 기여할 것이다. The purpose of this study is to suggest faculty status for academic librarians in Korea. This will assure the efficient use of academic librarians as human resources for university libraries. To do this, this study reviewed precedent literaturer. Also, the study looked at qualified academic librarians that could be endowed faculty status. Questionnaires were performed and opinions between professor groups and librarian groups were compared. On every question, the two groups responded positively although there were some differences in agreement level on the above questions. Endowing faculty status to academic librarians, who work in university libraries, acts as a motivation, will help to increase the ability of librarians, and increase service quality. This will eventually contribute developing better education and research.

The question of faculty status for academic librarians

PurposeFaculty status for academic librarians is an issue that has been the subject of much debate in recent decades. The purpose of this paper is to examine the key points raised during this debate, in the hope of achieving a suitable resolution.Design/methodology/approachThis paper begins with an overview of the issue of faculty status for academic librarians from an historical perspective and then continues with a review of literature from the past three decades. The pros and cons of granting faculty status are examined, as well as alternate models, followed by a proposed recommendation.FindingsWhile there are a number of concerns regarding the value of faculty status for academic librarians, such as disagreement with the basic tenet that librarians are primarily teachers, the weight of the evidence seems to support the granting of faculty status to academic librarians. This status provides academic freedom, recognition of librarians in their role as educators, and financial benefits and job security and is supported by the Association of College and Research Libraries, the Association of American Colleges, and the American Association of University Professors.Research limitations/implicationsWhile this paper is a review of selected relevant literature, only a small portion of the literature was of an empirical nature. There is a need for more studies which directly measure the impact of faculty status for academic librarians on the librarians themselves and the students, faculty, and institutions they serve.Originality/valueThe paper shows that with faculty status, academic librarians receive the same rights and privileges as other faculty and participate in college or university governance, thereby increasing the integration of the library with the institution.

Who Speaks for Academic Librarians? Status and Satisfaction Comparisons between Unaffiliated and Unionized Librarians on Scholarship and Governance Issues

Scholarship and governance have emerged as the two most problematic aspects of faculty status for academic librarians. A comparative survey of 201 librarians, 126 unaffiliated and 75 unionized, revealed wide disparities, according to librarian status/title designations, in the opportunities afforded librarians to meet these requirements. The 34-item questionnaire focused on librarians’ status/title characteristics, representation means, and institutional support for professional development, sabbaticals/leaves, travel, tuition, and participatory management. Salary information, as a measure of librarian equality to teaching faculty, also was solicited. The survey results confirm that the absence of uniform representation on these status issues has profound implications for the future of the faculty status model as a standard for academic librarianship.

Faculty status and academic librarianship: Transformation to a clinical model

Faculty status for academic librarians is based on the teaching faculty model. However, the basic tenure and promotion constructs of teaching, research and service do not readily apply to academic library practice. This article presents the clinical faculty model as a more viable foundation for faculty status for academic librarians.

The Opportunity Costs of Faculty Status for Academic Librarians

The Opportunity Costs of Faculty Status for Academic Librarians

Academic Librarians: Perceptions of the acculturation process

This project is not intended to be part of the debate concerning faculty status for academic librarians, but rather is an investigation of librarians in an institution where faculty status is the norm. The purpose was to identify factors in the actual experiences of faculty librarians in a particular environment. A qualitative research design was used to illicit personal experiences and understandings from individuals. Insights from these real people might serve to improve the environments within which librarians function. Through the analysis of extended individual and focus group interviews common factors and perceptions emerged. The experiences and perceptions of a dozen librarians, tenured and not-yet-tenured, provided a framework within which to make recommendations concerning specific ways that library administrators and individual librarians might actively contribute to the acculturation of new faculty librarians. The naturalistic research design provided a positive forum for discussion and communication among the librarians involved.

Faculty Status for Academic Librarians: A Review of the Literature

Le statut universitaire des bibliothecaires employes dans des instituts d'enseignement superieur et de recherche est souvent debattu aux Etats-Unis. Un survol de la litterature sur ce sujet et une bibliographie sont proposes

Administrators' Views of Library Personnel Status

A questionnaire survey elicited the opinions of forty-seven university administrators (nonlibrarians) on the issue of faculty status for academic librarians. An analysis of the survey results led the author to conclude that academic institutions may lack a clear rationale for granting librarians faculty status. This conclusion was based primarily on the fact that the opinions expressed by administrators tended to confirm the validity of two key suppositions: (1) that, presently at least, there are no substantive advantages to an institution for granting librarians faculty status and (2) that the terms and conditions of faculty appointments are largely unsuited to the day-to-day activities and responsibilities of librarians.

Faculty Status for Academic Librarians: A History and Policy Statements (Book Review)

Faculty Status for Academic Librarians: A History and Policy Statements (Book Review)

The Case for Faculty Status for Academic Librarians (Book Review)

The Case for Faculty Status for Academic Librarians (Book Review)