ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 704 / C&RL News ■ September 2000 A CRL STAN DARDS & GUIDELINES F a c u l t y s t a t u s a n d c o l l e c t i v e b a r g a i n i n g : D r a f t s S t a n d a r d s f o r f a c u l t y s t a t u s f o r c o l l e g e a n d Prepared by the ACRL Committee on the Status of Academic Librarians u n i v e r s i t y l i b r a r i a n s In order to recognize formally the impor­ tance of faculty status for academic librar­ ians, ACRL endorses these standards. In­ stitutions of higher education and their governing bodies are urged to adopt these standards. To implement these standards, ACRL shall: 1. Publicize these standards to college and university administrators and govern­ ing bodies, academic libraries, library edu­ cation programs, library organizations, and agencies that accredit institutions. 2. Seek to have these standards formally adopted or endorsed by the appropriate groups listed above. The academic librarian makes unique contributions to the university community and to higher education itself. These con­ tributions range from developing collec­ tions to providing bibliographic access to all library materials and interpreting these materials to members of the college and university community. Specific services include instruction in the use of print and online library re­ sources and the creation of new tools to enhance access to information available locally, regionally, nationally, or interna­ tionally. Librarians add to the sum of knowledge through their research into the informa­ tion process and other areas of study. Ser­ vice improvements and other advances in the field result from their participation in the library and other scholarly organiza­ tions. 1. Professional responsibilities. Li­ brarians must be able to exercise indepen­ dent judgment in the performance of pro­ fessional duties. There must be a regular and rigorous review of their performance based on a stated criteria. A necessary el­ ement of this review must be appraisal by a committee of peers who have access to the evidence pertaining to performance, service, and scholarship, subject to appro­ priate institution policy. 2. L ib ra ry governance. College and university librarians should adopt an aca­ demic form of governance sim ilar in manner and structure to other faculties on the campus. 3. College and u n iv e r s ity g o ve r­ nance. Librarians should be eligible for membership in the faculty senate or equivalent governing body. They should have the same degree of representation as other academic units on all college or uni­ versity governing bodies. 4. Compensation. Salaries and fringe benefits should be comparable to and within the range of those paid to faculty of equivalent rank. Salary scales should be adjusted in an equitable manner to con­ tract period. C & R L N e w s ■ S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 0 / 7 0 S D e v e lo p m e n t of th e g u id e lin e s I n 1 9 9 8 , t h e A C R L C o m m i t t e e o n t h e S t a t u s o f A c a d e m i c L i b r a r i a n s b e g a n t h e r e v i e w p r o c e s s f o r t h e “S t a n d a r d s f o r f a c u lt y s t a t u s f o r c o l l e g e a n d u n i v e r s i t y l i b r a r i a n s , ” w h i c h w a s e s t a b l i s h e d in 1 9 7 1 a n d r e v i s e d i n 1 9 9 2 . T h e s e s t a n d a r d s s h o u l d b e u s e d b y l i b r a r i a n s a n d a d m i n i s t r a t o r s a l i k e . I n a d d i t i o n t o p o s t i n g s t o e l e c t r o n i c d i s c u s s i o n l i s t s , t h e c o m m i t t e e is s e e k i n g c o m m e n t s v ia e - m a i l t o G l e n d a T h o r n t o n ( g . t h o r n t o n @ c s u o h i o . e d u ) a n d i n a p u b ­ l i c f o r u m . T h e C o m m i t t e e o n t h e S t a t u s o f A c a ­ d e m i c L i b r a r i a n s w i l l b e c o n d u c t i n g a n o p e n h e a r i n g a t t h e u p c o m i n g A LA M i d ­ w i n t e r M e e t i n g in W a s h i n g t o n , D . C . , t o ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ s o l i c i t i n p u t f r o m t h e m e m b e r s h i p o n t h e s e c h a n g e s a n d a d d r e s s y o u r c o n c e r n s w i t h t h e s t a n d a r d s . C o m m e n t s w i ll b e i n ­ c o r p o r a t e d i n t o t h e d o c u m e n t a n d p r e ­ s e n t e d t o t h e A C R L S t a n d a r d s a n d A c ­ c r e d i t a t i o n C o m m i t t e e f o r r e c o m m e n d a ­ t i o n o f f i n a l a p p r o v a l b y A C R L a n d ALA . C o m m i t t e e m e m b e r s p a s t a n d p r e s e n t w h o h a v e w o r k e d o n t h i s d o c u m e n t i n ­ c l u d e : C a r r i e B a r t e l s , L a r a B u s h a l l o w , J a m e s C h e r v i n k o , M a r t i n G o l d b e r g , P h i l l i p J o n e s , E r i c K i d w e l l , L e n o r a L o c k e t t , S h a r o n M c C a s l i n , R u s h M ille r, B i l l N e l s o n , N a n c y O ’B r i e n , M a u r e e n P a s t i n e , S a m s o n S o o n g , L o t h a r S p a n g , E v a S t o w e r s , C i n d y S w i g g e r , G l e n d a T h o r n t o n , a n d P r i s c i l l a W i l l i a m s . 5 . T e n u r e . L ib ra ria n s s h o u ld b e c o v e r e d b y a s t a t e d t e n u r e p o l i c y . D u r i n g t h e p r o ­ b a t i o n a r y p e r i o d , l i b r a r i a n s s h o u l d h a v e w r i t t e n c o n t r a c t s o r a g r e e m e n t s . 6 . P r o m o t i o n . L i b r a r i a n s s h o u l d b e p r o m o t e d i n r a n k o n t h e b a s i s o f t h e i r a c a ­ d e m i c p r o f i c i e n c y a n d p r o f e s s i o n a l e f f e c ­ t i v e n e s s ( p e r f o r m a n c e , s e r v i c e , a n d s c h o l ­ a r s h i p ) c o n s i s t e n t w i t h s t a t e d c a m p u s s t a n ­ d a r d s . T h e p e e r r e v i e w s y s t e m s h o u l d b e a n i n t e g r a l p a r t o f p r o c e d u r e s f o r p r o m o ­ t i o n . 7 . L e a v e s . S a b b a t i c a l a n d o t h e r r e s e a r c h l e a v e s s h o u l d b e a v a i l a b l e t o l i b r a r i a n s c o n s i s t e n t w i t h c a m p u s s t a n d a r d s . 8 . R e s e a r c h a n d d e v e l o p m e n t f u n d s . Li­ b r a r i a n s s h o u l d h a v e a c c e s s t o f u n d i n g f o r r e s e a r c h p r o je c t s a n d p r o f e s s i o n a l d e v e l o p ­ m e n t c o n s i s t e n t w i th c a m p u s s ta n d a r d s . 9 . A c a d e m i c f r e e d o m . L ib r a r i a n s m u s t h a v e t h e s a m e p r o t e c t i o n o f a c a d e m i c f r e e ­ d o m a s a ll o t h e r f a c u l t y . C e n s o r s h i p o f a n y t y p e is u n a c c e p t a b l e w h e t h e r i n d i v i d u a l o r o r g a n i z a t i o n a l . A ll l i b r a r i a n s m u s t b e f r e e t o p r o v i d e a c c e s s t o i n f o r m a t i o n r e ­ g a r d l e s s o f c o n t e n t . ■ G u idelin e on c o lle c tiv e bargaining I n t r o d u c t i o n T h i s g u i d e l i n e w a s d e v e l o p e d b y t h e A C R L A c a d e m i c S t a t u s C o m m i t t e e a n d a p p r o v e d b y t h e A C R L B o a r d o f D i r e c t o r s a n d t h e A LA S t a n d a r d s C o m m i t t e e a t t h e 1 9 9 3 M i d ­ w i n t e r M e e t i n g . I n 2 0 0 0 , t h e A C R L C o m ­ m i t t e e o n t h e S t a t u s o f A c a d e m i c L i b r a r ­ i a n s r e v i e w e d t h e g u i d e l i n e a s r e q u e s t e d b y A C R L a n d n o c h a n g e s t o t h e c u r r e n t t e x t a r e b e i n g r e c o m m e n d e d . T h o s e w i s h i n g t o s e n d c o m m e n t s t o G l e n d a T h o r n t o n a t g .t h o r n t o n @ c s u o h i o .e d u s h o u l d d o s o w i t h in 3 0 d a y s o f p u b l i c a t i o n in o r d e r f o r t h e c o m m i t t e e t o r e v i e w a n d c o n ­ s i d e r t h e c h a n g e s b e f o r e s u b m i s s i o n t o t h e C R L S t a n d a r d s a n d A c c r e d i t a t i o n C o m m it ­ e e a t t h e A LA M id w in te r M e e t i n g in W a s h ­ n g t o n , D .C ., 2 0 0 1 . h e g u i d e l i n e h e p o l i c y o f t h e A s s o c i a t i o n o f C o l l e g e n d R e s e a r c h L i b r a r i e s is t h a t a c a d e m i c l i ­ r a r i a n s s h a l l b e i n c l u d e d o n t h e s a m e b a ­ i s a s t h e i r f a c u l t y c o l l e a g u e s i n u n i t s f o r o l l e c t i v e b a r g a i n i n g . S u c h u n i t s s h a l l b e u i d e d b y t h e s t a n d a r d s a n d g u i d e l i n e s e r t a i n i n g t o f a c u l t y a n d a c a d e m i c s t a t u s f t h e A C R L . ■ A t i T T a b s c g p o mailto:g.thornton@csuohio.edu mailto:g.thornton@csuohio.edu 7 0 6 / C & R L N e w s ■ S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 0