Parenthood,Professorship, and Librarianship: Are They Mutually Exclusive?

A survey of tenure-track and tenured librarians at ARL libraries provides data on the relationship between parenthood and professorship. Results analyze the impact of the promotion and tenure process on child-bearing and child-rearing decisions. Discrepancies are found based on gender, tenure status, and family status.     

A Typology of Librarian Status at Land Grant Universities

Data were gathered on librarian status at fifty land grant universities. The findings reveal four status types: Professorial, Other ranks with tenure, Other ranks without tenure, and Academic or Professional Staff. Eighty percent of institutions have librarians who are faculty and 85 percent of those are tenure-track.     

Investigation of tenured and tenure-track academic librarians' service satisfaction at public Association of Research Libraries' (ARL) institutions

Service is required for academic faculty life; however, service is less studied than teaching and research. Previous literature shows that service differs based upon faculty rank, gender, race, and discipline. The purpose of this study was to determine whether tenured and tenure-track librarians at public research libraries feel satisfied with their service roles and responsibilities. A service satisfaction questionnaire was emailed directly to 1253 librarians employed at public Association of Research Libraries (ARL) institutions. The authors received 297 survey responses. Follow-up qualitative interviews were conducted with twelve participants to obtain additional depth and clarity of service roles and responsibilities. Quantitative findings indicated that overall service satisfaction varied by gender identity and librarian rank. Due to sample size limitations, future research is needed to evaluate whether service satisfaction also varies by racial and ethnic identity. Qualitative findings indicated participants' understanding of fairness in service is nuanced and that the line between what participants volunteered for versus what tasks they were assigned was complicated.     

Job Satisfaction among Librarians in English-Language Universities in Quebec

Spector's Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) was used to measure the job satisfaction of librarians in the three English-language universities in the Province of Quebec, Canada (Bishop's, Concordia, and McGill). A total of 81 responses (74.3%) were analyzed. The results show that although librarians working in these institutions are generally satisfied, they are dissatisfied with communication and operating procedures. The relationship between job satisfaction and demographic characteristics, such as gender, age, academic rank, and tenure status, were also explored and compared with previous research findings.     

Observations and Perceptions of Academic Administrator Influence on Open Access Initiatives

Existing literature frequently covers the topic of open access from the perspectives of authors, librarians, or publishers. Investigations into the role of academic administrators, however, remain limited. Because librarians are uniquely positioned in the center of the scholarly communication ecosystem a survey of library directors was conducted to investigate the nature of any relationship between the actions of academic administrators and an institution's commitment to open access, as observed by librarians. Results indicate that, according to the perspective of librarians, as academic administrator attention to open access increases, open access activities of faculty and librarians also increase. Open access advocates should reflect upon the role of academic administrators and consider increasing efforts to gain the support of these individuals.     

A formal mentoring program in a University Library: components of a successful experiment

The LSU Libraries adopted a mentoring program in 1998 to help tenure-track librarians successfully meet tenure requirements. The program was evaluated after the first year and the faculty determined that it was successful; it was implemented on a permanent basis. The program was developed using six basic components. Details are outlined in the article.     

Academic Freedom Issues for Academic Librarians

Abstract

Professors Danner and Bintliff argue that understanding academic freedom and faculty tenure is important for academic librarians, both to gain better perspective on the concerns of faculty researchers and teachers, and to highlight matters of common concern to librarians and faculty. The authors discuss the basic tenets of academic freedom and tenure, then compare academic freedom with the intellectual freedom concerns of librarians. The article concludes by introducing several current issues of importance to librarians, faculty, and everyone concerned with academic freedom on university campuses.     

Legal Research and the Democratic Process

Public and academic reference librarians play a vital role in the informational needs of a democratic society. The importance of law and government to daily life negates the philosophy of legal bibliography solely for special librarians. Traditional views have stifled the intellectual growth of nonlaw librarians. Outlining the significance of legal reference resources to the democratic process attempts to raise the consciousness of nonlaw librarians untutored in their use. The interest and support of public and academic reference librarians is needed to encourage administrators to provide staff development to close this informational gap.     

A STUDY OF AGE AND TENURE AS IT PERTAINS TO JOB SATISFACTION

Over the past 15 years, an understanding of the dimensions of job satisfaction has become recognized as a significant factor for the effective management of many occupational groups. As librarians continue to turn their attention toward managerial issues, it is important that job satisfaction be studied within the context of the profession. The purpose of this study is twofold. (1) to review both essays and empirical research that pertain to the management of librarians, and (2) to describe an empirical study that analyzes the relationship between age, tenure, and job satisfaction for a sample of 64 professional librarians. The results revealed that the librarians studied experienced relatively constant levels of job satisfaction across three different age and tenure categories. The primary job dissatisfaction noted related to age and satisfaction with supervision and co-workers.     

The Availability and Effectiveness of Research Supports for Early Career Academic Librarians

For many academic librarians, scholarly research is required in order to attain tenure or promotion and it is widely acknowledged that many early career librarians find this process challenging. Using a survey of >200 untenured or recently tenured academic librarians, this study investigates early career academic librarians' access to and experiences with research support activities designed to develop research skills and confidence. Specific attention is paid to informal mentoring, formal mentoring programs, and writing groups. Responses indicate that early career librarians need supports that target three dimensions of the research experience: research design and methods; work practices and accountability; and emotional elements. Despite this, survey respondents had limited access to formal research supports that offer instruction and guidance in the research process, leaving them to rely heavily on informal mentoring. This study highlights the need for libraries and library organizations to invest their resources in research supports for early career academic librarians, helping them to become more effective and confident researchers.     

Information literacy instruction in four Vietnamese university libraries

This case study explored the perceptions of academic stakeholders about the development and delivery of information literacy (IL) programs in four universities, and identified elements necessary to establishing IL credit courses in Vietnamese higher education. The following research questions framed this study: 1) How do library administrators, instruction librarians, and faculty perceive the current implementation of information literacy instruction (ILI) programs for undergraduates studies in universities libraries in Vietnam? 2) What are the challenges to including IL as a credit course in the curriculum as perceived by library administrators, instruction librarians, and faculty? Respondents were purposefully recruited from four universities, including library administrators, instruction librarians, and faculty. Three online surveys were distributed to 537 individuals through Survey Monkey with 149 replies and a final receipt of 133 completed surveys. Interview and focus group data collection included 23 face-to-face interviews and nine focus groups. Findings showed IL is considered the domain of librarians and has not influenced Vietnamese campus culture. IL activities at four university libraries take the form of lectures, workshops, and basic IL skills modules. Few ILI activities are subject discipline-related. Respondents reported challenges to an ILI credit course revolve around the lasting impact of teacher-centered instruction and rote learning, misperceptions about the effect of IL on student learning outcomes, degree of support of IL by academic stakeholders, degree of faculty–librarian collaboration, and scarcity of resources. Recommendations are given for academic librarians in Vietnam implementing ILI programs and considering developing IL credit courses.     

Information literacy instruction in four Vietnamese university libraries

This case study explored the perceptions of academic stakeholders about the development and delivery of information literacy (IL) programs in four universities, and identified elements necessary to establishing IL credit courses in Vietnamese higher education. The following research questions framed this study: 1) How do library administrators, instruction librarians, and faculty perceive the current implementation of information literacy instruction (ILI) programs for undergraduates studies in universities libraries in Vietnam? 2) What are the challenges to including IL as a credit course in the curriculum as perceived by library administrators, instruction librarians, and faculty? Respondents were purposefully recruited from four universities, including library administrators, instruction librarians, and faculty. Three online surveys were distributed to 537 individuals through Survey Monkey with 149 replies and a final receipt of 133 completed surveys. Interview and focus group data collection included 23 face-to-face interviews and nine focus groups. Findings showed IL is considered the domain of librarians and has not influenced Vietnamese campus culture. IL activities at four university libraries take the form of lectures, workshops, and basic IL skills modules. Few ILI activities are subject discipline-related. Respondents reported challenges to an ILI credit course revolve around the lasting impact of teacher-centered instruction and rote learning, misperceptions about the effect of IL on student learning outcomes, degree of support of IL by academic stakeholders, degree of faculty–librarian collaboration, and scarcity of resources. Recommendations are given for academic librarians in Vietnam implementing ILI programs and considering developing IL credit courses.     

Academic Library Status:

This study determined from published advertisements the range of variability in employment opportunities of academic librarians. Research questions were formulated to investigate employment with regard to rank, academic expectations, benefits, tenure, and issues related to salary and equal employment. A survey and analysis through the use of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Program were made of selected data available in published advertisements in The Chronicle of Higher Education.. Of the 67.5% of librarians holding academic status, results show variations in rank, academic expectations, and benefits among institutions and regions.     

Leadership competencies and the importance of research methods and statistical analysis in decision making and research and publication: A study of citation patterns

The roles of academic librarians and administrators include the use of statistical analysis and general analytical abilities in their decision-making processes, as well as in their roles as researchers, in developing research collections, and in providing instruction and reference assistance for students and other researchers. The research presented in this article addresses the original research published in frequently cited library and information science (LIS) journals to consider the extent to which academic librarians and administrators conduct and publish original research and to evaluate the range of research methodologies used and the level of collaboration among academic librarians, LIS faculty members, and others. The research results extend the prior self-report research in this area and indicate that academic librarians, administrators, and LIS faculty are authors of most of the published research in highly ranked journals. The level of collaboration among those in different types of roles is limited, however. In addition, most of the research articles have been authored or coauthored by those in research university libraries.     

Great expectations: Adapting a research agenda to changing scholarship requirements

When leaving initial professional librarian positions to join new organizations, the authors considered several common factors: salaries and benefits, livability of potential cities, and new colleagues. However, thriving early- and mid-career librarians taking the step into different roles must be able to navigate one less commonly discussed aspect of a workplace transition: differing expectations of original research among institutions and according to job classification.When moving from one tenure track position to another, librarians are likely to encounter different formal tenure requirements and support mechanisms at a new institution. Small universities might weigh the successful completion of day-to-day duties more heavily, with less emphasis on research output. Often larger research institutions are the inverse, with a much heavier emphasis on what research is published or presented, and where. Since expectations can be informally relayed and not expressly stated in job postings or during interviews, understanding an employer's idea of what constitutes significant scholarship is often developed over the course of the first year at an organization.This column will discuss the two main characteristics that typically inform expected research output: the type of institution for which the librarian works and the classification of the individual's position. The authors draw on recent experiences assessing different research expectations when changing employers, as well as current research on the topic. Expectations can also change moving from non-research-intensive positions into tenure-track or continuing-status-eligible positions at the same institution, and librarians in these situations often will have to deal with differing expectations around output metrics or impact factors in their research. Successful librarians changing roles will recognize that research expectations are a continuum, and will be able to assess where their current job falls on the library research spectrum. Once readers determine whether their new position requires a low, medium, or high level of scholarship and service, they can then strategize to adapt their existing agenda to meet expectations.Lastly, the column will help early- and mid-career librarians identify and assess the resources and support available to assist them in continuing their research agendas, regardless of positional research and scholarship expectations. Formal mentors, peer researchers in one's professional network, and new colleagues can all help with the stated and informal expectations of research.     

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

Faculty 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.     

Research, publication, and service patterns of Florida academic librarians

In an effort to establish benchmarks for comparison to national trends, a web-based survey explored the research, publication, and service activities of Florida academic librarians. Participants ranked the importance of professional activities to the tenure/promotion process. Findings suggest that perceived tenure and promotion demands do influence research productivity.     

The Effect of Economic Recession on Institutional Support for Tenure-Track Librarians in ARL Institutions

The objective of this study was to reveal how the national economic recession has affected the nature and extent of support for tenure track librarians at Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member institutions. The authors surveyed 43 ARL Deans and University Librarians to discover the criteria for achieving tenure and the current institutional support for tenure-related activities. All of the responding libraries reported experiencing at least moderate reductions in their overall budgets, with the majority indicating increased workloads for faculty and reductions to monetary support for professional development. Despite this adversity, the survey indicated that the expectations for achieving tenure for librarians in the areas of research and service have not changed.     

女性图书馆员工作家庭冲突与工作满意度关系探讨——以四川高校图书馆为例

采用问卷调查的方式了解四川高校女性图书馆员工作家庭冲突、工作满意度以及二者之间的关系。为进一步研究与制订缓解女性图书馆员工作家庭冲突、提高工作满意度的措施提供参考。     

Patterns of Authorship in Library Journals by Academic Librarians

Will current pressure for faculty members to publish in order to achieve promotion and tenure affect authorship patterns in the library literature? A survey of articles in twelve library journals between 1973 and 1982 showed a steady increase in the percentage written by academic librarians. The range here was from 28 to 42 percent. The yearly distribution in each of the journals was documented for academic librarian authors and for the size of the library they represented. The productivity of these authors ranged from one to fourteen articles each. Seventy-eight percent of the librarians published only one article in this sample. The sample size of 357 libraries was divided into five classes ranging from smallest, with holdings of less than 100,000 volumes, to largest, with holdings of one million and more volumes. As might be expected, more authors came from the larger libraries and indications are that academic authors will continue to increase their share of authorship in general library journals.