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.     

Examining the association of job tenure,employment history,and organizational status with employee dissent

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between temporal and structural components of organizational life (i.e., job tenure, employment history, and organizational history) and employee dissent. This was accomplished by comparing respondents’ reports about their tendencies to use varying strategies for dissent to their reports about present job tenure, number of full‐time employers, total years work experience, and organizational status. Structural equation models were used to examine the association between temporal measures (job tenure, number of full‐time employers, total years work experience), structural measures (organizational status) and dissent constructs. Findings indicated that articulated dissent use was associated with management status, whereas latent dissent use was associated with nonmanagement status, increases in present job tenure and decreases in number of full‐time employers and total years work experience.     

Service to the Profession

Abstract

For academic librarians with faculty status, service to the profession often forms part of the requirements for promotion and tenure. Considering the concept of professional service raises questions as to what specific activities qualify; what is their weight, both within the service requirement and also as compared with other requirements, such as research and publication; and how are service activities best documented. Examination of ARL Standards and selected promotion and tenure documents revealed inconsistencies between institutions and great flexibility in interpretation by most.     

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.     

The True Benefit of Faculty Status for Academic Reference Librarians

Faculty status means having the same privileges of rank, promotion, tenure, compensation, leaves, and research funds as other faculty. Arguments against faculty status include that focusing on status detracts from librarians' mission of providing access to information; that the rigorous requirements of faculty status are not something that librarians are prepared or qualified to pursue; and that good librarians would be just as good without faculty status. These arguments can also be used in favor of faculty status, especially as it relates to increasing the quantity and quality of library and information science literature and contributions by academic librarians.     

Breaking Down Barriers: Making it Easier for Academic Librarians of Color to Stay

The strength of every nation lies in its people. In America, that strength can be found in the rich cultural heritage of a diverse nation. Unfortunately, diversity does not permeate all facets of life–specifically in academia and its libraries. The question continues to be asked: where are all of the academic librarians of color? For the ones who are tenured or who are seeking tenure, how can they be retained within the ranks of academia? The focus of this study is to explore and define some of the explicit and implicit barriers faced by academic librarians of color through a review of the literature. Many of the explicit barriers stem directly from racism and from being perceived as the “other” while implicit barriers are more subtle and stem from the covert damage that toxic environmental forces have on shaping the career and work experiences of librarians of color. This analysis also offers methods for breaking down these barriers (through ways such as mentoring) for institutions to consider—along with some strategies to empower librarians of color themselves.     

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.     

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.     

论加强中专学校图书馆干部队伍建设

文章论述了中专学校图书馆干部队伍现状和问题。提出要转变观念、吸引人才,并留住人才、用好人才,从根本上改善干部队伍结构。参考文献2。     

Talk About Images and Issues of Professional Librarianship

SUMMARY

This session provided an open forum that revolved around various library professional development issues. The presenter briefly introduced each topic and then facilitated audience participation. Specifically, the public image of the profession, librarian faculty status/tenure, public vs. technical services, and employment outlook/retirement concerns were discussed.     

Continuing Education for ARL Librarians in Multi-Faceted Public Service Positions

Continuing education for the reference librarian, bibliographer and/or faculty member in an ARL library derives from every facet of the job. Certain functions, such as that of bibliographer, require formal orientation to the political climate of the teaching faculty. Other activities such as reference, online searching, and bibliographic instruction may involve prior experience but become more fully developed through the job itself. The role of faculty member necessitates publishing for promotion and tenure, which may include assistance from colleagues in critiquing papers intended for publication. Beyond diverse and demanding job requirements, however, the librarian needs intellectual and aesthetic development. A model used in the medical profession could serve librarianship well.     

主题与区域视角下我国城市政府开放数据利用现状分析

[目的/意义]从数据层面分析我国城市政府开放数据在主题视角和区域视角下的利用现状,探究开放数据关注程度与利用程度之间的线性关系,以提高我国政府开放数据的使用效率。[方法/过程]以哈尔滨、济南、上海、武汉、广州和贵阳6地为例,对开放数据的浏览率、下载率等多个指标进行统计比较分析、聚类分析和回归分析,揭示我国城市开放数据在主题与区域视角下的利用现状,并探讨浏览率与下载率之间的线性关系。[结果/结论]我国城市政府开放数据的利用具有以下特征：在整体上开放数据浏览率与下载率呈弱相关。在主题视角下,教育科技、民生服务、经济工商等与社会民生领域相关的主题利用程度高,其浏览率与下载率呈正相关;开放数据的整体特征与部分特征具有不一致性。在区域视角下,济南、上海的浏览率和下载率呈正相关,其中上海对开放数据的利用排名首位,济南则排在末位,贵阳开放数据浏览率与下载率都较高,但二者呈弱相关;开放数据整体特征与部分特征大体上具有一致性。     

The use of departmental journal lists in promotion and tenure decisions at American research universities

The purpose of this multi-institution study was to develop an understanding of where and how ranking lists are being used for the purpose of informing promotion and tenure decisions. Individuals were selected for this survey who, were at the time, serving in administrative positions at 115 R1 Carnegie research institutions. The survey questionnaire consisted of demographic, closed-response, and rating-scale questions designed to understand the respondents' experiences and attitudes concerning their academic department's promotion and tenure process. Results of this survey will inform librarians on practices associated with promotion and tenure involving open access publishing and the use of standardized journal lists.     

Perceptions of Support Systems for Tenure-Track Librarians

Hiring and retaining talent in academic libraries marks a significant investment of time and capital for colleges and universities. This is particularly true for tenure-track academic librarians. Successful attainment of tenure is in the interests of both librarians and administrators, and many institutions offer tenure support systems to assist librarians in this regard. A forty-four question survey assessed tenure-track librarians' perceptions and satisfaction of whether tenure requirements are adequately supported in their critical partnership with library administrators. While most respondents expressed somewhat moderate satisfaction with provided support measures, support type and quantity varied significantly. A recommendation for creating a comprehensive program of support is discussed.     

Self-Efficacy of Academic Librarians: Implications for Public Services Managers

The question of academic librarian status has resulted in academic librarians approaching relationships with faculty as one of deference, where they cede power to disciplinary faculty regardless of their own expertise. To date, no research has explored why academic librarians engage in deference behavior when working with disciplinary faculty. Self-efficacy, a person's beliefs in their ability to perform a task, may be an appropriate theoretical framework to begin exploring this behavior. This pilot study explores the perceived self-efficacy of Colorado academic librarians holding an instruction and/or liaison role (n = 68) in order to examine academic librarians' levels of perceived self-efficacy and its relationship to faculty status and years in profession. Results indicate that there is not a significant relationship between perceived self-efficacy and faculty status or years in profession but that gender is significantly associated with perceived self-efficacy. Results also indicate a change in self-efficacy as library faculty progress between faculty ranks. Avenues for future research on academic librarian self-efficacy are suggested and implications for public services managers are discussed.     

Journal rankings by citation analysis in health sciences librarianship

The purpose of this study was to identify objectively a hierarchical ranking of journals for health sciences librarians with faculty status. Such a guideline can indicate a journal's value for promotion and tenure consideration. Lists of recent research articles (1982-1986) in health sciences librarianship, and articles written by health sciences librarians, were compiled by searching Social SCISEARCH and MEDLINE. The journals publishing those articles are presented. Results show BMLA as the most prominent journal in the field. Therefore, citations from articles in BMLA from 1982 to 1986 were chosen as a sample for citation analysis. Citation analysis was employed to identify the most frequently cited journals. Some characteristics of the citations in BMLA are also discussed. The ranking of journals based on citation frequency, as a result, was identified.     

Fifty years of LIS education in Australia: Academization of LIS educators in higher education institutions

Extensive data document the distribution of library and information science (LIS) educators in Australia from 1959 to 2008: from a slow beginning in the 1960s, to rapid growth in the 1970s, relative stability in the 1980s, and a persistent decline from the 1990s. Other characteristics of Australian LIS educators over the 50-year period are presented, including: previous positions held before entering academia, what and where academic qualifications were obtained, academic positions/ranks by gender, mobility within Australian higher education institutions, and years spent as Australian LIS educators. Although there has been a steady decline in the number of Australian LIS educators since the 1990s, the level of academic qualifications and percentage with doctorates have risen, thus conforming to a major requirement of academia; however, the relative decline in junior academic positions is a worrying trend. The analysis of changed characteristics over time helps define who Australian LIS academics are, and additionally provides data that contributes to LIS academic workforce planning.     

Centralization vs. decentralization in medical school libraries

Does the medical school library in the United States operate more commonly under the university library or the medical school administration? University-connected medical school libraries were asked to indicate (a) the source of their budgets, whether from the central library or the medical school, and (b) the responsibility for their acquisitions and cataloging. Returns received from sixtyeight of the seventy eligible institutions showed decentralization to be much the most common: 71 percent of the libraries are funded by their medical schools; 79 percent are responsible for their own acquisitions and processing. The factor most often associated with centralization of both budget and operation is public ownership. Decentralization is associated with service to one or two rather than three or more professional schools. Location of the medical school in a different city from the university is highly favorable to autonomy. Other factors associated with these trends are discussed.     

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.     

Facing Personal Evaluation:

When librarians and library professionals have faculty status, they will face a rigorous evaluation for tenure or permanent appointment. Responding to a climate of higher professional standards and expectations for their faculty, the University Libraries of the State University of New York at Albany have instituted a mentoring program to support a professional development and allay anxiety among untenured faculty. The Program Coordinator's task is to discover the real needs of both mentees and mentors and to provide a varied program of events and opportunities in which those needs can be met. Individual mentoring relationships and group discussions both play a role in achieving this goal.