ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 192 Model Statement of Criteria and Procedures For Appointment, Promotion in Academic Rank, And Tenure for College and University Librarians The following statement was drafted by the Committee on Academic Status and approved for publication by the Board of Directors of the Association of College and Research Libraries, meeting on June 28, 1973, during their Annual Conference in Las Vegas. I t is based upon and elaborates the principles of the association’s “Standards for Faculty Status for College and University Librarians” ( CRL News, Sept. 1972). The Board requests that A C R L members send their comments on the Model Statement to Beverly P. Lynch, executive secretary of ACRL, at the association’s headquarters office. Dr. Lynch will forward these comments to the Committee on Academic Status. The commit­ tee will report on the comments it has received at the 1974 Annual Conference in New York. Introduction This Model Statement of Criteria and Proce­ dures is intended for use within the context of two ACRL policy statements on faculty status for academic librarians.1 The objective of this Model Statement is to propose criteria and pro­ cedures for appointment, promotion in academ­ ic rank and tenure for use in academic libraries which will insure that the Library Faculty, and therefore, the library services, at an institution utilizing these criteria and procedures will be of the highest quality possible, consistent with the goals and resources of the institution. These criteria are intended to be minimal only. These procedures may need to be adjusted in minor detail to conform with existing institutional pro­ cedures for other faculty. I. Appointment Appointment of librarians should follow the same procedures that are established for 1 ( a ) “Standards for Faculty Status for Col­ lege and University Librarians.” Adopted by the Membership of the Association of College and Research Libraries, Dallas, Texas, June 26, 1971; (b ) “Joint Statement on Faculty Status of College and University Librarians.” Drafted by a committee of the Association of American Colleges (AAC), the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Associa­ tion of College and Research Libraries ( ACRL) on April 26, 1972. Endorsed by ACRL Mem­ bership, Chicago, Illinois, June 26, 1972, and by AAUP Membership, St. Louis, Missouri, April 1973. appointing all faculty. If there are contract­ ual procedures in existence, they must be ob­ served. Any librarian appointed to a college or university Library Faculty should have the appropriate terminal professional degree—for example, a Master’s degree or its historical antecedent from a library school accredited by the American Library Association—or its appropriate equivalent. Appointment to any rank should meet the criteria appropriate to that rank. In order to insure that only candidates of the highest quality are appointed to the Li­ brary Faculties of colleges and universities, there should be a committee, representative of the Library Faculty and appropriately se­ lected which should review all candidates for appointment to the Library Faculty and make advisory recommendations to the chief administrative officer of the library. The terms and conditions of every appoint­ ment to the Library Faculty should be stated and confirmed in writing, and copies of all relevant documents, including the official document of appointment, shall be given to the faculty member. Subsequent extensions or modifications of an appointment, and any special understandings or notices incumbent on either party to provide, shall be stated and confirmed in writing and copies shall be given to the faculty member. Copies of the appointment document, countersigned by the appropriate institution­ al officer and the faculty member, should be held by both the institution and the indi­ vidual when an appointment becomes effec­ tive. A model contract is described in Appen­ dix A.1 2 II. Promotion in Academic Rank A. General Professional and Scholarly Quali­ fications of the Library Faculty The librarian’s academic preparation for an appointment to the Library Faculty is es­ tablished on the basis of the terminal profes­ sional degree. The basic quality which must be evident for promotion in academic rank is the ability to perform at a high profession­ al level in areas which contribute to the edu- 2 All appendixes to this document will be published in the October 1973 issue of CRL News. 193 cational and research mission of the institu­ tion, such as: reference service, collection de­ velopment, bibliographic organization and control. Evidence of this level of performance may be adduced from the judgments of colleagues on the Library Faculty, from members of the academic community outside the library, and/or from professional colleagues outside the academic institution. Additional evidence for promotion in rank may include: (1) Contributions to the educational func­ tion of the university: for example, teaching, not necessarily in a classroom situation; or­ ganization of workshops, institutes or similar meetings; public appearances in the interest of librarianship or information transfer. Eval­ uation of such activities may be on the basis of the judgment of those who are instructed and by the considered opinion of colleagues. (2 ) Contributions to the advancement of the profession: for example, active participa­ tion in professional and learned societies as a member, as an officer, as a committee mem­ ber, or as a committee chairman. (3 ) Activities related to inquiry and re­ search: for example, publications, such as in professional and scholarly journals; presenta­ tion of papers; reviews of books and other literature; consulting; service as a member of a team of experts, task force, review com­ mittee or similar body. Such activities should be judged by professional colleagues on an d / or off the campus on the basis of their con­ tribution to scholarship, the profession of li­ brarianship, and library service. B. Criteria for Promotion to Specific Ranks Promotion to the ranks of assistant profes­ sor, associate professor, and professor re­ quires a record of successful fulfillment of criteria at the lower level. Instructor—Appointments at this rank shall require expectation of successful over­ all performance and the potential for a prom­ ising career in librarianship. Assistant professor—Promotion to this rank shall require evidence of significant profes­ sional contributions to the library and/or to the institution. Associate professor—Promotion to this rank shall require evidence of substantial professional contributions to the library and to the institution as well as attainment of a high level in bibliographical activities, in re­ search, or in other professional endeavors. Professor—Promotion to this rank shall re­ quire outstanding achievements in biblio­ graphical activities, in research, or in other professional endeavors. C. Procedures for Promotion to Specific Ranks 1. Candidates from the Library Faculty for promotion in academic rank shall be consid­ ered by a standing or ad hoc peer review committee formed in accordance with appro­ priate institutional regulations. In the ab­ sence of specific regulations, such a commit­ tee could be selected by the Library Faculty or appointed by the chief administrative of­ ficer on the basis of recommendations from the Library Faculty. 2. Recommendations for promotion in aca­ demic rank may be made by the appropriate library department head, the appropriate as­ sistant or associate director, or any mem­ ber of the library faculty. 3. Documentation in support of candidates for promotion in rank shall include evalua­ tions from the appropriate library depart­ ment head, assistant or associate director. Additional documentation may include let­ ters from colleagues, copies of publications and/or reviews, records of committee activ­ ity and the like. 4. Each instructor and assistant professor without tenure shall be formally evaluated and reviewed for promotion or tenure at the same intervals as are applicable to other fac­ ulty at the institution holding these ranks. 5. Each assistant professor with tenure and each associate professor shall be re­ viewed for promotion at intervals and ac­ cording to procedures of the institution ap­ plicable to other faculty members holding these ranks. 6. The ad hoc or standing committee (see C-l) shall transmit its recommendations to the chief administrative officer of the library for all candidates together with all support­ ing documentation. 7. The chief administrative officer of the library will receive the recommendation of the committee, will make his/her decision, and if this decision is favorable, will trans­ mit the recommendation, with appropriate comments, to the appropriate institutional officer and will so inform the committee and the candidate in writing. If the chief admin­ istrative officer of the library does not concur in any particular recommendation, he/she may, after consultation with the committee transmit his/her recommendation, along with that of the committee, to the appro­ priate institutional officer, and shall so inform the committee and the candidate in writing, indicating the reasons for the action. 8. If a member of the Library Faculty be­ lieves there are substantial grounds for dis­ agreement with a denial of promotion, the 194 case shall be reviewed according to the ap­ propriate institutional regulations. III. Tenure (Continuous Appointment) A. Tenure is defined as an institutional com­ mitment to permanent and continuous em­ ployment to be terminated only for adequate cause ( for example, incompetence; moral turpitude; retirement for reasons of age, men­ tal or physical disability; bona fide financial exigency) and only after due process. B. The criteria for tenure are closely allied to the criteria for promotion in academic rank. The relationship between tenure and rank should be the same for Library Faculty as for other faculty in the institution. 1. effectiveness of performance as a librar­ ian; 2. scholarly ability as evidenced by the ex­ ecution of significant research in librarian- ship or by publication; 3. effectiveness of service to the institu­ tion as evidenced by successful service on committees, participation in institutional gov­ ernance, or by advisement of students and student groups; 4. continuing growth as evidenced by ac­ tive participation in appropriate professional and scholarly organizations and/or by the ability to handle successfully increased re­ sponsibility. C. A member of the Library Faculty who is a candidate for tenure shall be reviewed ac­ cording to procedures set forth in established institutional regulations as applied to other faculty on the campus. These procedures will be similar to those described above for pro­ motion in academic rank. IV. Termination of Appointments3 A. Termination of an appointment with con­ tinuous tenure, or of a special or probation­ ary appointment before the end of the speci­ fied term, may be effected by the institution only for adequate cause. B. Terminations should follow the due proc­ ess procedures that are applied to all faculty. If no standard procedures are applied, Ap­ pendix B provides a model.4 C. Where termination of an appointment 3 Based on the “1972 Recommended Insti­ tutional Regulations on Academic Freedom and Tenure.” AAUP Bulletin, p.428-33 (W inter 1972). ‘ AH appendixes to this document will be published in the October 1973 issue of CRL News. with continuous tenure, or of a nontenured appointment before the end of a specified term, is based upon bona fide financial exi­ gency of discontinuance of a program or de­ partment or instruction, regular procedures will not apply, but faculty members shall be able to have the issues reviewed by the fac­ ulty, or by an appropriate faculty committee (such as the faculty’s grievance committee), with ultimate review of all controverted is­ sues by the governing board. In every case of financial exigency or discontinuance of a program or a department of instruction, the faculty member concerned will be given no­ tice or severance salary not less than as pre­ scribed. Before terminating an appointment because of the abandonment of a program or department of instruction, the institution will make every effort to place affected fac­ ulty members in other suitable positions. If an appointment is terminated before the end of the period of appointment, because of fi­ nancial exigency, or because of the discon­ tinuance of a program of instruction, the re­ leased faculty member’s place will not be filled by a replacement within a period of two years, unless the released faculty mem­ ber has been offered reappointment and a reasonable time within which to accept or decline it. D. Termination of a tenured appointment, or of a nontenured or special appointment before the end of the period of appointment, for medical reasons, will be based upon clear and convincing medical evidence. The deci­ sion to terminate will be reached only after there has been appropriate consultation and the faculty member or his representative has been informed of the basis of the proposed action, and has been afforded the opportuni­ ty to present his position and to review the evidence. If the faculty member so requests, the evidence will be reviewed by the Facul­ ty Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure (or whatever title it may have) be­ fore a final decision is made by the govern­ ing board on the recommendation of the president of the institution. . Grievance General criteria for a grievance procedure: A. The grievance procedure should be equi­ table to the institution and to the individual. B. The grievance procedure should state clearly what is to be done, when, and by whom. C. The term “grievance” should be clearly defined. Any other terms which could be misunderstood should also be defined. V 195 D. Grievance procedures should be easy to initiate and accessible to all members of the library faculty. E. Steps in the grievance procedure should be completed within specified time limits which do not allow either party to delay pro­ ceedings unduly. More time should be al­ lowed as the grievance moves to higher levels in the procedure. F. There should be effective safeguards against reprisal for initiating or participating in a grievance proceeding and against abuse of the procedures by the grievant or by the institution. G. Excessive reliance on precedent is unde­ sirable. H. Any grievance procedure in a library must be consistent with applicable institu­ tional regulations and contracts. A general grievance model for an academ­ ic library is attached as Appendix C. A griev­ ance model developed for a specific academic (i.e., college) library is attached as Appen­ dix D.6 ■ ■ 5 All appendixes to this document will be published in the October 1973 issue of CRL News. Copies of this article are available from ACRL, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. AASL R ecruitm ent Program The ALA Executive Board has ap­ proved a special AASL recruitment pro­ gram that might well set the pattern for future divisional membership drives in­ cluding one for ACRL. Noting that only 5,000 out of some 33,000 school librari­ ans are current members, the experi­ ment includes the following: • a $25 membership fee for one year • eligibility limited to school librar­ ians who were nonmembers as of April 1973 • membership to give full privileges except that only one division ( AASL) can be chosen. AASL hopes at least to double the school librarian membership in ALA through this drive, while at the same time slowing the recruitment efforts of other groups currently offering to repre­ sent school librarians nationally. ACRL Membership June 30, 1973 .... June 30, 1972 .... June 30, 1971 .... ................ .............. 12,232 11,666 11,383 ................ .............. ................ .............. The Board of Directors of the Association of College and Research Libraries, having been apprised of the untimely death of Dr. Arthur McAnally on December 1, 1972, has unanimously adopted the following resolution: WHEREAS; Dr. Arthur McAnally achieved a distinguished career as a library administrator at Knox College, Bradley University, University of New Mexico, University of Illinois, and the University of Oklahoma and WHEREAS; he served as Professor of Library Science in various library schools where his understanding, his wise counsel, and his clear exposition of the best principles of library procedure helped mold many young people who later became leaders in our profession and WHEREAS; he gave leadership in library development throughout the country as President of the New Mexico Library Association, the Oklahoma Library Association, and the Southwestern Library Association, and as Chairman of the Oklahoma Council on Libraries, and as consultant and adviser to libraries in South America and abroad, and as a vigorous spokesman for academic and faculty status for college and university librarians and WHEREAS; he by precept and example set forth the finest ideals of scholarship and service for our entire library profession, therefore BE IT RESOLVED; That the Association of College and Research Libraries does hereby convey to Mrs. Lucille McAnally and family its deepest sympathy and express its appreciation of his many accomplishments and its indebtedness to him for his signifi­ cant contributions to our profession. Done this day the 28th of June, 1973, in meeting assembled in Las Vegas, Nevada.