March 18, 2013

As Their Roles Change, Some Librarians Lose Faculty Status

As Role of Librarians Evolves, Some Colleges End Their Faculty Status 1

Andrew Shurtleff for The Chronicle

Barbara Selby, a manager of research and information services at the U. of Virginia Library, says many people there didn't understand why the recent change in their status was necessary.

By Sydni Dunn

Librarians on many campuses have long been considered faculty, but some institutions are now reclassifying the position as a staff job as they reassess the role of their research libraries more broadly.

The move to take faculty and tenure status away from librarians has generated controversy and raised questions about whether their role should be narrowed and what the future of the job should be. Some administrators say the position must shift with the changing model for university