In this qualitative case study, we conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 16 Pennsylvania State University librarians who hold, or are considering pursuing, a doctoral degree. Through a thematic analysis using NVivo, we found that the benefits of earning a doctorate included gaining credibility, building relationships with teaching…

Little research exists that evaluates the existence and importance of mentoring for academic librarians with faculty status who have already achieved tenure but have not yet been promoted to a more senior rank, such as full professor or full librarian. This study represents the second of a two-part research project seeking to better understand the…

In 2020 a University of Saskatchewan Library Working Group investigated liaison librarian workloads across disciplines to help develop a clearer understanding of variance in disciplinary needs, which would then help inform equitable annual liaison assignments. This article describes the process and data used to compare liaison workloads across the…

Great attention has been devoted to mentoring for early-career librarians, but little has been paid to the post-tenure experience of academic librarians. Researchers sought to understand the mentoring experiences and barriers to promotion for academic librarians who hold faculty status at public R1 institutions. Surveys sent to tenured academic…

This study measures job satisfaction, personal fulfillment, work/life balance, and stress levels of male and female librarians. Researchers surveyed 719 librarians at ARL institutions that either offer faculty status and tenure or offer neither. Females at libraries offering faculty status indicated poor work/life balance and high levels of stress…

The faculties of the library schools listed as ALA-accredited are directly involved in setting the direction of the education provided to academic librarians through curriculum development and teaching. The curricula and teaching at ALA-accredited library schools revolve around aspects of librarianship such as providing research assistance at a…

The University of Oklahoma librarians underwent a dramatic challenge to their faculty status in the 1990s. This article chronicles that challenge and documents the events that led to the retention of faculty status by the librarians. The event is analyzed in the context of conflict resolution research. (Author/AEF)

Explores how a tenure support group can provide a mechanism for discussing concerns and channeling efforts for academic librarians seeking faculty status. Discusses establishing tenure support groups and their role. Describes programs presented to tenure-track librarians at Texas A&M University, and outlines benefits of participation. (PEN)

Questionnaires were sent to the office of academic affairs or its equivalent in each of the 89 U.S. academic members of the Association of Research Libraries to elicit the opinions of non-library university administrators on the issue of faculty status for academic librarians. Data gathered from 32 state institutions and 15 private institutions…

Identifies and documents the economic costs of faculty status for academic librarians. Costs include travel expenses for conferences, resources for writing papers and sending surveys, and other research. Encourages campus and library managers to employ economic principles as a methodology by which to analyze their institutions. (Author/AEF)

Provides a brief property-rights explanation of tenure and discusses variations in the effects of faculty status for librarians. Reports on empirical work measuring the impact of tenure for academic librarians on institutional success. Concludes that tenure appears to have an impact as a monitor of quality in academic institutions. (Author/AEF)

Discusses results of a comparative survey of 201 academic librarians, 126 unaffiliated and 75 unionized, that revealed wide disparities in the opportunities for librarians to meet the scholarship and governance requirements for faculty status. Results confirm that the absence of uniform representation has profound implications for the future of…

Analyzes 243 responses to a questionnaire sent to members of the American Theological Library Association to discern trends and patterns in theological librarianship: libraries represented; personal characteristics of respondents; employing library characteristics; academic status of librarians; salaries; degrees held by library staff; and…

Investigates the relationships between job turnover, job satisfaction, and faculty status of ARL (Association of Research Libraries) university library directors. Finds a positive relationship between job satisfaction and faculty status; and job satisfaction and staff release time to pursue scholarly endeavors; and a negative relationship between…

A survey and analysis of online search strategies of 675 CD-ROM users at the University of Albany (New York) revealed a significant but small relationship between prior instruction and level of search skill. Of other measures: user status, department affiliation/major, age, sex, and CD-ROM experience, only user status and department…