next »

[blueboots]

I'm a librarian on the tenure-track, and I'm finding it pretty exhausting. My tenured colleagues didn't have many expectations beyond service when they were tenured and now, though they work hard and do lots of service, also expect a lot more from their junior colleagues. So we have the same heavy work- and service-load, but also much higher expectations for publishing.

Is this just life as it is now? Is this how things are at other institutions?

I went it with my eyes open, knowing mostly what to expect, but I guess I've been disappointed with the lack of mentoring.

[madame_librarian]

I've been on the tenure track at a couple of institutions.  At one of the institutions, I found that many of the tenured librarians had less than stellar research records but their expectations for the junior librarians were very high.  It was almost as if they were members of a club that no one else was going to get into!  (Or maybe they became legends in their own minds ;-) when deciding about the careers of others.) Not all tenured librarians were like that but there were some. 

I actually left a position with a decent publication record (including a book in progress), excellent teaching, good service-- all done well before my tenure review.  However, it seemed that the budget would dictate who got tenure as much as anything else, and the salaries at that particular institution were terrible.  While in that position I couldn't afford a new car, let alone purchase a house.  So there I was busting my behind trying to accomplish everything they required but if the budget was particularly bad I could still have been denied tenure.

So, for the OP: your tenured colleagues very well may have been told that they needed to increase the requirements for tenure.  Or you may have unfortunately chatted with a "legend" whose goal was to make you feel like dung.  It happens, unfortunately.  You just have to figure out when it is happening so you can recognize it for what it is.

In terms of mentoring, while in library school I had great mentors.  Once I graduated-- not so much, even early in my career.  I found I had to seek out my own mentors.  With that in mind, is there someone you can latch onto that has a good publication record?  Don't be shy-- pick a senior librarian and see if you can work with them to get your publication record going. 

Is there a non-librarian faculty member you can work with?  Maybe get involved with one of their projects?  Look for some grant or foundation money, approach the faculty member with an idea, offer to work with them, and co-author articles.  Again, you can't be shy.

Or, what about your state or national library association?  Are you involved?  If not, get involved with a division, round table, etc., see what projects are out there, and go after one!  Or suggest one.  It's can be incredibly rewarding to work with a group of librarians from different institutions.  I didn't realize when I was younger how easy it is to get involved in projects with state and national organizations.  I always thought I had to "be somebody" but they are often just looking for enthusiastic volunteers with follow-through.  You may even find this group more amenable to mentoring than your local librarians. 

Set a plan as to what you want to accomplish for each year so you'll know if you are meeting requirements.  It'll also make it seem much less daunting.  Maybe year 1 you need to have done a poster at a conference, year 2 an article in a professional publication, year 3 present a paper at a conference and publish an article...  It's much better than thinking you have to publish 4 papers and present 3 posters.  By year 4, you may even find yourself mentoring a baby librarian!

Good luck and don't get discouraged.

[vkw10]

I'll be applying for tenure soon. My first position was at a library like yours; very high publishing expectations for tenure track faculty but most of the tenured faculty had never published anything peer-reviewed. The increase in expectations was apparently tied to overall increase in expectations at the university. The library hadn't had any tenure candidates for years; people kept leaving for greener pastures before going up. I left for greener  pastures shortly after receiving a glowing third-year review.

Accept that there is never time to work on your research. Your duties and service will expand to fill any time that you think might be available for research and writing. Block time for research on your calendar, turn off email during that time, close office door or put on headphones if you're in a cubicle, and tell people who interrupt that "I'll be free at 1:00 and will be happy to discuss that with you then." Be politically savvy about this; you may have to help some people immediately or re-schedule your research time once in a while, but not often. You'll never find time for research; you must make time and then protect that time. If you can't write at desk due to interruptions, look for an alternative. The third floor, north corner, of my library tends to be very quiet early in the morning, so I work there sometimes.

[collegekidsmom]

I think you've described it pretty well (the bar set higher these days) and it is exhausting. It is really difficult to find the time to keep up with all of the daily work while working on publications and participating in all of the required service. I think you've been given some good suggestions here, but just get stuff done early on so it's at least in the pipeline- if you are worried about the third year review going well.