Monday, September 16, 2013

Librarian Faculty Status and Professional Responsibilities

What does it mean to be a professional academic librarian? What differentiates librarians from professional academic library staff? What implications do changing staffing patterns in our own organization have on the university community's perception of librarians, and on our own perception of ourselves and our colleagues?

As a point of discussion, the following definition may be useful. According to this excerpt from Joint Statement on Faculty Status of College and University Librarians* (emphasis my own):


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As the primary means through which students and faculty gain access to the storehouse of organized knowledge, the college and university library performs a unique and indispensable function in the educational process. This function will grow in importance as students assume greater responsibility for their own intellectual and social development. Indeed, all members of the academic community are likely to become increasingly dependent on skilled professional guidance in the acquisition and use of library resources as the forms and numbers of these resources multiply, scholarly materials appear in more languages, bibliographical systems become more complicated, and library technology grows increasingly sophisticated. The librarian who provides such guidance plays a major role in the learning process.

The character and quality of an institution of higher learning are shaped in large measure by the nature and accessibility of its library resources as well as the expertise and availability of its librarians. Consequently, all members of the faculty should take an active interest in the operation and development of the library. Because the scope and character of library resources should be taken into account in such important academic decisions as curricular planning and faculty appointments, librarians should have a voice in the development of the institution’s educational policy.
Librarians perform a multifaceted role within the academy. It includes not only teaching credit courses but also providing access to information, whether by individual and group instruction, selecting and purchasing resources, digitizing collections, or organizing information. In all of these areas, librarians impart knowledge and skills to students and faculty members both formally and informally and advise and assist faculty members in their scholarly pursuits. They are involved in the research function and conduct research in their own professional interests and in the discharge of their duties. Their scholarly research contributes to the advancement of knowledge valuable to their discipline and institution.

In addition, librarians contribute to university governance through their service on campus-wide committees. They also enhance the reputation of the institution by engaging in meaningful service and outreach to their profession and local communities.

Where the role of college and university librarians, as described in the preceding paragraphs, requires them to function essentially as part of the faculty, this functional identity should be recognized by granting of faculty status. Neither administrative responsibilities nor professional degrees, titles, or skills, per se, qualify members of the academic community for faculty status. The function of the librarian as participant in the processes of teaching, research, and service is the essential criterion of faculty status....

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However, contrast this statement with the recent change in librarian faculty status at the University of Virginia (among other institutions), as summarized in a recent Chronicle article. All future librarians hired at UVa will be classified as library staff: operational and administrative, managerial and professional, or executive and senior administrative.

Should librarians be classed as faculty, or do they operate as staff? And do you think it matters?



*Originally endorsed in 1972, the statement was revised last year by the Joint Committee on College Library Problems, a national committee representing the Association of College and Research Libraries, the Association of American Colleges (now the Association of American Colleges and Universities), and the American Association of University Professors.
 
The complete statement is available on the AAUP website:
http://www.aaup.org/report/joint-statement-faculty-status-college-and-university-librarians
 
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