ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 664 / C&RL N ew s ■ O c to b e r 2002 ACRL STANDARDS & GUIDELINES Guidelines for Academic Status for College and University Librarians The final version approved by the ACRL Board on June 18,2002, and the ALA Standards Review Committee in sum m er 2002 Prepared by th e C om m ittee on th e Status o f A cad e m ic Lib rarian s In 1971, ACRL adopted the “Standards for Faculty Status o f C olleg e and University Librarians” (revised 2001). ACRL supports fac­ ulty rank, status, and tenure for librarians and has developed the following documents in sup­ port o f this con cept: 1. ACRL “G u idelines and P rocedures for Screening and Appointment o f Academic Li­ brarians” (1977), currently under revision. 2. ACRL/AAUP/AAC “Jo in t Statem ent on Faculty Status o f C ollege and University Li­ brarians” (1972). 3. ACRL “Model Statem ent o f Criteria and P roced ures for A ppointm ent, Prom otion in Academic Rank, and Tenure for College and University Librarians” (1987), currently under revision. ACRL also has d ev elo p ed the follow in g guidelines for academic librarians without fac­ ulty status to en su re that their rights, privi­ leges, and responsibilities reflect their integral role in the m ission o f their institutions. 1. P r o f e s s i o n a l r e s p o n s ib ilitie s . Li­ brarians should b e assigned responsibilities matched to their educational competencies and interests. They should have maximum latitude in fulfilling their responsibilities. Supervisory personnel and peers should regularly and vig­ orously review their performance. Review stan­ dards and procedures should be published and uniformly applied; reviewers should have ac­ cess to all appropriate documentation. 2 . G o v e rn a n c e . The library exists to sup­ port the teach in g and research fun ctions o f the institution. Thus librarians should also par­ ticipate in the development o f the institution’s mission, curriculum, and governance. Librar­ ians should participate in the development o f policies and procedures for their library, in­ cluding the hiring, review, retention, and con­ tinuing appointment o f their peers. 3 . C o n tr a c ts . A librarian’s appointm ent should b e by written contract o f no less than o n e year. The contract should state the terms and conditions o f service and grant security of employm ent for the contractual period. After a period o f no lon ger than sev en years and through a process which includes peer review, librarians should be granted continuing employ­ ment if they have met the appropriate condi­ tions and standards. 4 . C o m p e n s a tio n . T he salary scale and benefits for librarians should b e the same as for other academic categories with equivalent education, experience, or responsibility. 5 . P r o m o t i o n a n d s a l a r y in c r e a s e s . Librarians should b e promoted through ranks on the basis o f their professional proficiency and effectiveness. Procedures for prom otion and salary increases should include a peer re­ view. Librarians should have ranks equivalent to those o f the faculty. 6 . L e a v e s a n d r e s e a r c h fu n d s . Librar­ ians should be eligible for internal and external research funds, leaves o f absence, sabbaticals, and other means o f administrative support to promote their active participation in research and other professional activities. C&RL News ■ October 2002 / 665 Development and revision of the guidelines In January 2000, the Standards and Accredita­ tion Committee (SAC) referred two documents to the Committee on the Status of Academic Librarians for revision: “Standards for Faculty Status of College and University Librarians” and “Guidelines for Academic Status for College and University Libraries.” SAC also asked that consideration be given to com­ bining the two documents. After much discussion, it was concluded that the documents should remain separate, pri­ marily because: 1) they address entirely differ­ ent issues and it would cause confusion to com­ bine the concepts into a single document; 2) it would weaken the argument for improvement at those institutions that do award limited fac­ ulty status to librarians; and 3) librarians at institutions with no hope of faculty status would have no clear guidelines to support im­ provement within their status. 7. Academic freedom. Librarians are en­ titled to the protection of academic freedom as set forth in the American Association of University Professors 1940 Statement of Prin­ ciples on Academic Freedom and Tenure. 8. Dismissal o r n on reappointm ent. The institution may dismiss a librarian during the contractual period only for just cause and through academic due process. Nonreap­ pointment should involve adequate notice, The “Standards for Faculty Status of Col­ lege and University Librarians” went through the revision process, was approved at Midwin­ ter 2001, and the final version was published in the March 2001 C&RL News. The “Guidelines for Academic Status of College and University Librarians,” published in 1990, was revised at the committee’s meet­ ing in June 2001. The draft was approved by the ACRL Board at the ALA Annual Conference in June 2002 and by the ALA Standards Review Committee. Committee members past and present who have worked on this document include: Navjit Brar, Martin Goldberg, Phillip Jones, Sharon McCaslin, Bill Nelson, Samson Soong, Anita Talar, and Glenda Thornton; and interns James Chervinko, Valerie Feinman, Betina Gardner, Suzanne Graham, Leanne Laner, and Revil Veli. ■ peer review, and access to a grievance pro­ cedure. 9. Grievance. Librarians should have ac­ cess to grievance procedures. These should in­ clude steps to be completed within specified time limits and effective safeguards against re­ prisal by the institution, or abuse of the proce­ dures by the grievant. They must be consistent with applicable institutional regulations and contracts. ■ Need to develop a plan to support distance ed? Take ACRL's new online course ACRL is pleased to announce its first online seminar, “All Users Are Local: Bringing the Li­ brary Next Door to the Campus Worldwide.” In this three-week course (November 4 through November 23), participants will learn how to design a plan for library support of distance edu­ cation at their institutions. Walk away with the tools to create a com­ prehensive plan. By the end of the seminar, participants will be able to complete an institu­ tional self-assessment on current involvement and future plans for distant education; assess current library support and set future goals; iden­ tify staff and funding needs and sources for fu­ ture support; identify current and possible fu­ ture features of a library’s Web site for faculty, students, and staff at distant locations; and ana­ lyze administrative, design, and content issues with regard to their impact on the library’s website. Register today. If you are a library director or department head responsible for library sup­ port of established distant education programs or at an institution in the process of developing dis­ tant education programs, this course is for you. An online registration form is available at: https:// cs.ala.org/acrl/courses/. The seminar is limited to 60 participants, so register early. For more in­ formation about this online education opportu­ nity, visit: http://www.ala.oig/acrl/onlinel.html. http://www.ala.oig/acrl/onlinel.html