The librarian as faculty or staff : a comparative study of college and university librarians in Texas

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine the employment statue of librarians in four-year public and private institutions in the State of Texas. Specifically, this study investigated (1) the employment status of librarians, (2) the credentials required by institutions for employment, (3) the credentials of librarians having faculty and those having staff status, (4) the requirements for granting tenure to librarians, (5) working conditions and fringe benefits of librarians having faculty status and those haing staff status, and (6) the advantage and disadvantages of faculty status as perceived by library directors and librarians. A total of six hypotheses were developed. To test the hypotheses, data were collected from 121 librarians employed at four-year public and private institutions in Texas through a mailed questionnaire. Computer-assisted programs were used to analyze the data. The DISTAT program provided descriptive information regarding the total sample and each of the variables and the Chi-square test of relationship and T-tests of significance determined the significance of observed differences among the means and proportions of particular groups. The results of the statistical test indicated that significantly larger proportion of librarians employed in private institutions held faculty status than those employed in public institutions. However, there was no significant difference in the two groups when compared by classification. The fining indicated that credential required for employment of librarians were virtually the same at both public and private institutions. The master's degree in library science from a library school accredited by ALA was the primary requirement. The study revealed that the master's degree in library science from an ALA accredited library school was the degree held by the majority of the respondents. Approximately one-fourth of the respondents held a second master's degree in a subject field. No significant differences were found in the requirements for granting tenure in public and private institution; however, significant differences occurred when comparing criteria for receiving tenure of those holding staff status to those holding faculty status. Tenure is usually granted only to librarians holding faculty status...