ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 3 3 8 / C&RL News Faculty status: 2 0 0 1 Results o f a n ACRL-sponsored th in k ta n k L ooking to the decade o f the 1990s as one of change, ACRL’s Academic Status Committee has prepared an agenda for strength­ ening faculty status for those institutions that have chosen that model for their librarians. This docum ent resulted from a think tank sponsored by the Academic Status Committee in January 1992. Twelve librarians were selected to spend a day discussing the issues evolving from faculty status for academic librarians and developing an agenda to strengthen the con­ cept during this decade. Participants w ere: Mignon Adams, direc­ tor of library services, Philadelphia College o f Pharmacy and Science; Jo an G iesecke, as­ sociate d ean for collections and services, Uni­ versity o f Nebraska, Lincoln; Kathy Jackson, head, library systems, Texas A&M University; Beverly P. Lynch, dean, G raduate School of Library and Inform ation Science, University o f California, Los Angeles; Olivia M adison, h e a d , C atalo g in g D ep a rtm en t, Io w a State University; W. Bede Mitchell, associate librar­ ian for public services, A ppalacian State Uni­ versity; Barbara Moran, dean, School o f In­ form ation and Library Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Jim Murphy, h ead , m o n o g rap h ic cataloging, O hio State University; Lester J. Pourciau, associate vice- president for academic affairs and director of libraries, Memphis State University; G loriana St. Clair, assistant d ean for inform ation access services, Pennsylvania State University; Janet L. Steins, head, Chemistry Library, State Uni­ versity o f New York, Stony Brook; and Re­ becca W atson-Boone, M equon, Wisconsin. The m eeting w as facilitated by M aureen Sullivan. The bulk o f the d o cu m en t w hich evolved delineates strategies that can be used by the several groups that are involved in fac­ ulty status. The preservation and strengthening of faculty status is not the responsibility o f one group, but of several including the profession as a whole, library administrators, librarians as individuals, university/college administration, other faculty members, and library educators. The docum ent is to serve as a guideline in pro­ viding direction for these groups as faculty sta­ tus for librarians evolves. Vision Faculty status is a means of achieving parity with other faculty on all campuses in all aca­ demic institutions. Faculty status is not an indi­ vidual issue but a professional issue which will require action on the part of ACRL, academic librarians, directors, other faculty, university/ college administrators, and library educators. Parity in this context means access to tenure, sabbatical leaves, research leaves and funding, and any other institutional benefits that are ac­ corded disciplinary faculty. The library is not a stand-alone organiza­ tion but integral to the larger institution. Fac­ ulty have a central role in the institution’s aca­ d em ic d ecisio n -m ak in g p ro ce ss, an d it is important that librarians have an equivalent role in that process. Faculty status for librarians ben­ efits the institution as much or more than it benefits the library by providing recognition and developing a faculty with a broader per­ spective and higher visibility. The ACRL Standards fo r Faculty Status fo r College a n d University Librarians is the basic docum ent which supports and defines the con­ cept of faculty status for librarians. The Stan­ d a rd s are based on the prem ise that there should be equitable treatment and opportunity w ithin each individual institution. Faculty sta­ tus is not the only model for academic librar­ ians, but it is the preferred one. Background With each succeeding generation of librarians, there is a concern that the values of faculty 7?) is document, prepared by Irene Hoadley, m em ber o f ACRL’s A cadem ic Status Committee, sum m arizes the ideas generated during the th in k tank J u n e 1 9 9 3 / 3 3 9 status are being forgotten. Faculty status rose and flourished in the 1960s and 1970s, b u t the 1980s saw som e diminution o f that role for li­ brarians. At the same time it is obvious that faculty status is the preferred m odel for some segments of the profession. The basic reasons for faculty status to en ­ dure and to flourish include: • G uarantees o f academic freedom. • Provision of collegial governance. • Fair com pensation. • Identification with o n e’s institution. • Greater involvement in an d support for the educational process. • Professional autonom y and experim en­ tation. • Higher standards of achievement for li­ brarians. • Recognition of librarians’ teaching role. • Assumption of increased responsibility for the quality of w orks associated with academic librarianship. Assumptions There are som e basic assum ptions w hich u n ­ derlie the vision statem ent and the future of faculty status for librarians. These include: • Faculty status is appropriate to the role o f librarians. • Protection o f faculty status is im portant for academic librarians. • Faculty status benefits the academy, not just librarians. • Faculty status provides a position of in­ fluence for the profession. • Faculty status has proven to be a benefit to academic librarians. Strategies To maintain and strengthen faculty status for academic librarians, a series of strategies is pro­ posed. It is incum bent o n ACRL to lead the way in promoting and implementing these strat­ egies. This is not an all-inclusive agenda, but one that can b e adapted and shaped to respond to local situations and to forge new agendas that will en h an ce faculty status for all those w ho choose to pursue this model. The profession as a whole • Define the expectations o f academic li­ brarians and the developm ent path to achieve those expectations. • Describe basic steps for each academic library as librarians w ork to achieve goals of parity w ith other faculty on campus. • Educate library administrators about the key role they play on cam pus and in the pro­ fession. • Encourage collaboration betw een library administrators and librarians. • Encourage ACRL chapters to sponsor Re­ search Days as an integral part of chapter m eet­ ings. • Encourage ACRL chapters to w ork with library education programs to develop w ork­ shops for library students w ho w ant to learn more about academic library research. • Promote research/scholarship activities and opportunities in chapter publications. • P ro d u ce a Clip Note w ith d o cu m en ts about current effective systems with a descrip­ tion of implementation. • Encourage research that will determine the success of librarians in obtaining tenure in relation to their peers and the reasons for li­ brarians leaving positions prior to a tenure de­ cision. • Provide opportunities for peer-review ed papers at both ACRL and ALA conferences. Library administrators • Adhere to ACRL standards. • Define the role and contributions of li­ brarians an d how they are changing. • Articulate the distinctive role and co n ­ tribution o f librarians to the academ ic p ro ­ cess. • Educate senior administrators on campus to the values and contributions of librarians to the educational process. • Act as positive role models. • Create a climate that fosters developm ent and support o f faculty status. • Participate in campus affairs b eyond ex officio involvement. • Encourage faculty developm ent by cre­ ating a culture that has the necessary condi­ tions for faculty status. • Identify models from other disciplines that librarians could appropriately emulate. • Attract the best librarians to academic li­ braries. • Educate librarians about the critical role academic librarians fulfill. • Provide careful attention to the appoint­ ment, developm ent, an d assessm ent of indi­ vidual librarians. • Develop an effective prom otion and ten­ ure review process. 3 4 0 /C&RL News • Provide assistance for library faculty in preparing packets for prom otion and tenure. Librarians as individuals • Develop and carry out personal research agendas. • Advance knowledge in o n e’s area of ex­ pertise. • Work to develop a national reputation in o n e’s area of expertise. • Serve as positive role m odels for new professionals. • Identify models from other disciplines that librarians could appropriately emulate. • Educate other faculty about the role aca­ demic librarians fulfill. • Help new library directors understand the value o f faculty status. • Research and publish articles on how li­ brarians achieve faculty status. University/college administrators • Adopt, enact, and support the ACRL Stan­ dards f o r Faculty Status. • Enlarge o n e ’s k n o w led g e an d u n d e r­ standing of academic librarianship. • Identify models from other disciplines that librarians could appropriately emulate. • Develop information material for the pro- m otion/tenure review process. • Organize a w orkshop to train and d e­ velop skills for the evaluation process. Other faculty members • Integrate librarians into academic plan­ ning committees and discussions at the college and university levels. • Include librarians o n collaborative re­ search teams. Library educators • Create a summ er institute for academic librarians on research methodologies. • Explore w ays for ACRL and ALISE to w ork together o n com mon issues. • Recruit individuals who have the capability of enhancing any library that employs them. • Educate librarians to be scholars. • Carry out research to identify models from other academic disciplines that librarians could appropriately emulate. • Establish core competencies. • R equire o n e or m o re basic research courses in the curriculum. • Consider establishing periods o f practice as part of the library education curriculum. ■ Rescinding ACRL standards and guidelines W hen a Section or Committee of ACRL deter­ mines that the useful life o f an ACRL standard or guideline has ended, the following proce­ dures are used to officially rescind the docu­ ment or statement. These procedures apply only to rescinding a standard or guideline w h en no revision of the existing docum ent is planned. Updating and revising standards and guidelines follow existing procedures. 1. The Committee or Section w hich pro­ mulgated the standard or guideline forwards a request to rescind the document to the Chair of the Standards and Accreditation Committee. a. The Com m ittee o r Section Executive Committee will schedule a discussion period at its meeting at the next ALA Conference. b. The Standards and Accreditation Commit­ tee will assign a Committee member as liaison. 2. To ensure w ide and timely notice to the mem bership, the Committee o r Section seek­ ing rescission will publish an announcem ent o f its intent in C&RL News including: [1] the reasons for the decision to rescind, [2] an invi­ tation for com ment at the Committee o r Sec­ tion Executive Committee meeting during the next ALA conference and [31 a contact person to receive com m ent in advance. 3. At the next ALA conference the Com­ mittee or Section schedules a time certain to receive com m ent from the membership. The liaison from the Standards and Accreditation Committee attends this meeting. 4. Following the meeting, the Committee or Section will forward a report o f the discus­ sion w ith a final recom m endation to the Chair and liaison m em ber of the Standards and Ac­ creditation Committee. 5. The Standards and Accreditation Com­ mittee will act o n the request for rescission at the next ALA conference. If rescission is ap ­ proved, this recom m endation is forw arded to the ACRL Board o f Directors for final approval.