ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

Hearings on academic status and certification

Guidelines to he reconsidered at Annual Conference in New Orleans on July 10.

At the American Library Association Conference this July, the ACRL Academic Status Committee will be sponsoring a hearing on two new statements. In order for you to have time to read and think about them, they are printed here in their entirety.

The membership of the Association of College and Research Libraries adopted on June 26, 1971, “Standards for Faculty Status for College and University Librarians.” However, many college and university librarians do not hold faculty status; instead they have academic status. These librarians have, for a long time, felt the need for guidelines which would support them and guide administrators in dealing with them. The Academic Status Committee has wrestled with this issue, recognizing on the one hand that the standard for college and university librarians is faculty status and on the other, that the current standard is not appropriate for many college and university librarians. The current statement, “Guidelines for Academic Status for College and University Librarians,” is the result of several years of work on this issue.

In some states there is a move to certify all librarians, including college and university librarians. The Academic Status Committee opposes this pro cess as it feels that the master’s degree from a program accredited by the American Library Association is the appropriate entry point into the profession. The “Statement on the Certification and Licensing of Librarians” would provide a formalized statement of ACRL on this issue.

Guidelines for Academic Status for College and University Librarians

Many institutions of higher education recognize librarians as being part of the teaching faculty and have therefore accorded faculty rank and status to academic librarians. In 1974, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) adopted the ACRL Standards for Faculty Status of College and University Librarians in support of this practice. ACRL continues to support faculty rank and status as the appropriate designation for librarians and has developed the following guidelines in support of this concept:

1. ACRL Guidelines and Procedures for Screening and Appointment of Academic Librarians (1977).

2. ACRL/AAUP/AAC Joint Statement on Faculty Status of College and University Librarians (1974).

3. ACRL Model Statement of Criteria and Procedures for Appointment, Promotion in Academic Rank, and Tenure for College and University Librarians (1987).

Recognizing that not all academic librarians are awarded faculty rank and status, ACRL has developed the guidelines for academic status listed below to ensure that the rights, privileges and responsibilities of librarians in all institutional settings continue to reflect that these professionals are an integral part of the academic mission of the institutions in which they serve.

1. Professional responsibilities. Librarians should be assigned general responsibilities within their particular area of competence. They should have maximum latitude in fulfilling these responsibilities. Their performance of these responsibilities should be regularly and vigorously reviewed by committees of their peers as well as by supervisory personnel. Review standards should be published and uniformly applied; reviewing bodies should have access to all appropriate documentation.

2. Governance. Librarians should participate in the development of policies and procedures for the Library, and in the hiring, review, retention, and continuing appointment processes for their peers. Because the library exists to support the teaching and research functions of the institution, librarians should participate in the development of the institution’s educational policy, have a role in curricular planning, and be a part of the institution’s governance structure.

3. Contracts. A librarian’s appointment should be by written contract, agreement, or letter of appointment which states the terms and conditions of service. After a probationary period of no longer than seven years and through a process which includes peer review, librarians should be granted continuing employment if they have met the appropriate conditions and standards.

4. Compensation. The salary scale and benefits for librarians should be the same as for other academic categories with equivalent education, experience, or responsibility.

5. Promotion and Salary Increases. Librarians should be promoted on the basis of their professional proficiency and effectiveness. A peer review system should be an integral part of procedures for promotion and decisions on salary increases.

6. Leaves and Research Funds. Librarians should be eligible for research funds within the University, and encouraged to apply for such funds from sources outside the University. University and library administrations should provide leaves of absence, sabbaticals, and other means of administrative support to promote the active participation of librarians in research and other professional activities.

7. Academic Freedom. Librarians must have the protection of academic freedom. Library resources and the professional judgment of librarians must not be subjected to censorship or abuses of civil liberties.

8. Dismissal of Nonreappointment. Dismissal of librarians during the terms of appointment may be effected by the institution only for just cause and through academic due process. Nonreappointment should involve adequate notice, peer review, and access to a grievance procedure.

9. Grievance. Grievance procedures should be accessible to librarians and should include steps to be completed within specified time limits, effective safeguards against reprisal by the institution, or abuse of the procedures by the grievant, and must be consistent with applicable institutional regulations and contracts.

Statement on the Certification and Licensing of Librarians

The Association of College and Research Libraries, having affirmed that the master’s degree from a program accredited by the American Library Association is the appropriate terminal professional degree for academic librarians, opposes the certification of licensing of academic librarians, either by state agencies or by state or local professional associations.