ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries M ay 1992 / 3 1 7 Standards for faculty status for college and university librarians T h e m ost p erv asiv e ch aracteristic o f aca­d em ic libraries is change. P ublication c o n ­ tin u es to increase at an ex p o n e n tia l rate a th e variety o f form ats in w h ich inform ation a p ­ p e a rs is proliferating. T he bibliographical a p ­ p aratu s o f m any disciplines a n d subdisciplines h as b e c o m e increasingly difficult to u se as li­ brary a n d inform ation tech n o lo g y has gro w n m o re sophisticated. For librarians to function ef­ fectively in such an environment requires flexibil­ ity, ingenuity, commitment, and a special combina­ tion of education, expertise, and experience. T h e academ ic librarian m akes u n iq u e c o n ­ trib u tio n s to th e university com m unity a n d to h ig h e r ed u catio n itself. T h e s e c o n t r i b u t i o n s ra n g e from d eveloping co lle c tio n s to p ro v id ­ in g b ib lio g ra p h ic a c ­ cess to all library m a­ terials a n d interpreting th e s e m aterials to all m em bers o f the college a n d university com m u­ nity. S pecific services in c lu d e in stru ctio n in th e u s e o f p rin t a n d online library resources a n d t h e c r e a t i o n o f n e w to o ls to e n h an ce access to in fo rm atio n a v a ila b le lo c a lly , r e ­ gionally, nationally, or internationally. Librar­ ians a d d to th e su m o f k n o w l e d g e t h r o u g h th e ir research into the i n f o r m a t io n p r o c e s s a n d o t h e r a r e a s o f study. Service im prove­ m e n ts a n d o th e r a d ­ v an ces in th e field result from their p articip a­ tion in library a n d o th er scholarly organizations. n d T h e intellectual c o n trib u tio n o f th e librarian w h o h as co m p le te d form al g rad u ate training e n h a n c e s the quality o f teaching, research, an d p u b lic service in o u r colleges a n d universities. C ollege a n d university librarians are p artners w ith o th e r faculty in th e academ ic ex p erien ce. A tru e p a rtn e rsh ip b a se d o n eq u iv alen t contri­ b u tio n s translates to eq u al rights an d privileges fo r all faculty m em bers. In o rd e r to reco g n ize form ally th e im p o r­ tan ce o f faculty status fo r academ ic librarians, th e A ssociation o f College a n d R esearch Librar­ H ow the standards w ere developed Approxim ately three years ago, the ACRL Ademic Status Committee began its review and revision o f the Standards for Faculty Status for College and University Librarians—a document that had not been re­ vised since it was first promulgated in 1971. In order to inform ASC members of the value of the document for today's academic librarians as well as the changes that the membership might wish to see made, two well attended public hearings were held at the 1990 Midwinter Meet­ ing and Annual Conference. Additional member opinion was solicited through announcements of the Committee's intentions in C&RL News, surveying a random sample o f librarians on the "status o f status" and holding a think tank to develop an agenda for faculty status. The Com­ mittee believes that the revised Standards document addresses the needs and reflects the position o f the majority o f academic librarians. The responses to these initiatives have been strong and convinced the Committee that a substantial majority o f the ACRL membership con­ tinue to support faculty status as the desired condition of all academic librarians. The survey results indicate that 67% o f all academic libraries nationally offer faculty status to the librarians in their employ and that there has been no erosion in the number of institutions electing faculty status over the past years. The chair o f the Academic Status Committee wishes to acknowledge the contribution to this revision made by Irene B. Hoadley and other current and past members of the ASC who have participated in the long revision process. They include Denise E. Botto, Janice C. Fennell, Rena Fowler, Tina C. Fu, W illiam M. Gargan, Caroline D. Harnly, Douglas B. Highsmith, George R. Jaramillo, Susan M. Kroll, Douglas K. Lehman, Thomas H. Patterson, Anne H. Rimmer, Pat Rom, and Larry J. M. W ilt. Prepared by the ACRL A cadem ic Status Committee, Larry R. Oberg, A lbion College, chair 3 1 8 / C&RL News ies, A m erican Library A ssociation, e n d o rs e s th ese standards. Institutions o f higher ed u ca­ tio n a n d their governing bodies are urg ed to a d o p t these standards. 1. P r o fe ss io n a l r e sp o n s ib ilitie s. Librarians m ust b e able to exercise in d ep en d e n t judgm ent in the perform ance of professional duties. While librarians m ust have considerable latitude in fulfilling their assigned responsibilities, there m ust also b e a regular an d rigorous review o f their perform ance. A necessary elem ent o f this review m ust b e appraisal by a com m ittee o f peers w h o have access to th e evidence pertain­ ing to job perform ance, service, an d scholar­ ship, subject to appropriate institution policy. 2. Library g o v e r n a n c e . College an d u n i­ versity librarians should adopt an academ ic form o f governance sim ilar in m an n er an d structure to o th e r faculties o n th e cam pus. 3. C o lle g e a n d u n iv e r s ity g o v e r n a n c e . Librarians sho u ld b e eligible for m em bership in th e faculty sen ate o r equivalent governing b o d y o n th e sam e basis as o th e r faculty. T hey sho u ld have the sam e d eg ree o f representation as o th er academ ic units o n all college o r u n i­ versity governing bodies. 4 . C o m p e n sa tio n . Salaries sh o u ld b e com ­ parable to a n d w ithin th e range o f salaries paid to o ther faculty o f equivalent rank. T he ap p o in t­ m en t p e rio d for librarians sho u ld b e the sam e as it is for equivalent faculty. Salary scales should b e adjusted in a n eq u itab le m an n er for any additional p erio d s o f appointm ent. Fringe b e n ­ efits sh o u ld be equivalent to those for faculty in general. N e w ACRL publications • W o m e n ’s S tu d ies C o lle c tio n D e v e lo p m e n t P o lic ie s $35.95 ($29.95 ACRL m em bers) ISBN 0-8389-7587-9 • ACRL University Library Statistics 1990-91 $69-95 ($39.95 m em bers) ISBN 0-8389-7587-9 • T h e E v o lv in g E d u ca tio n a l M is sio n o f th e Library $29.95 ($19-95 m em bers) ISBN 0-8389-7584-4 T o o rd er call l-(800) 545-2433, p ress 7, o r w rite to: ALA O rd er D epartm ent, 50 E. H u ro n St., Chicago, IL 60611-2795. 5. T en u re. Librarians sh o u ld b e covered by ten u re policies equivalent to th o se o f o th er fac­ ulties. D uring the pro b atio n ary period, librar­ ians sh o u ld have an n u al w ritten contracts or ag reem ents the sam e as th o se o f o th er faculty. 6 . P r o m o tio n . Librarians sh o u ld b e p ro ­ m oted in rank o n th e basis o f their academ ic proficiency an d professional effectiveness (job perform ance, service, and scholarship). A p e e r review system is th e prim ary basis o f judgm ent in the promotion process for academic librarians. The standards used by the library should b e consis­ tent with the campus standards for faculty. 7 . L eaves. Sabbatical an d o th e r research leaves sho u ld b e available to librarians o n the sam e basis, a n d w ith the sam e requirem ents, as th ey are available to o th e r faculty. 8. R e se a r c h a n d d e v e lo p m e n t fu n d s . Li­ brarians sho u ld have access to funding for re­ search projects a n d professional d evelopm ent o n th e sam e basis as o th er faculty. 9 . A c a d e m ic f r e e d o m . L ibrarians m u st h av e th e sam e p ro te c tio n o f acad em ic free­ d o m as all o th e r faculty. C en so rsh ip o f any ty p e is u n a c c e p ta b le w h e th e r in d iv id u al o r organizational. All librarians m ust b e free to p ro v id e access to in fo rm atio n reg ard less o f co n ten t. Im plem entation To im plem ent these standards, th e A ssociation o f College a n d R esearch Libraries, A m erican Library A ssociation, will: 1. Publicize these standards to college an d university p re s id e n ts a n d g o v ern in g bodies, academ ic libraries, library ed u catio n program s, library organizations a n d agencies w hich ac­ credit institutions. 2. Seek to h a v e th ese stan d ard s form ally a d o p te d or e n d o rse d by the appropriate groups listed above. 3. Refer re p o rte d allegations o f violations of th ese standards to SCRIM (Standing C omm it­ te e o n Review , Inquiry, a n d M ediation) for deliberation a n d consideration. T h ese stan d ard s b e c o m e effective o n th e d ate o f ap p ro v al b y th e ACRL B oard of D irec­ tors. Any library th at seeks to w ith d raw th e privileges o utlined in th ese standards m ay be subject to review by the A m erican Library As­ sociation. [Revised version p a ssed by ACRL B o a rd o f D i­ rectors o n J u ly 3, 1991, a n d approved by the ALA Standards Comm ittee in J a n u a r y 1 9 9 2 ] ■ The small customer. The small customer at Ballen. With some booksellers, a small answ er all your questions. And an ongoing evaluation of library customer doesn’t rate quite the your very own shelf reserved needs so rigorous, it’s given us consideration that a large customer in our warehouse to guard the industry’s lowest overall might. But a t Ballen, the single against shipment and inventory return rate - less than 1%. book customer receives the same mix-ups. All of which we provide with service and services that a It also means access to our the understanding that w hat are thousand book customer does. online, interactive BallenNet small fish today, might one day Which means no m atter w hat system for order entry and be big ones. size your library, you can expect current status. 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