library faculty status

A Chronology of the Faculty Status Movement

National Movement Leading to SUNY Movement

By Gemma DeVinney
Presented at the Quarterly Faculty Meeting, November 12, 1997

1911

W.E. Henry (Librarian of the University of Washington) presents a paper at the 33rd Annual Meeting of the American Library Association supporting faculty status for academic librarians.

The first professional association endorsement of faculty status (ALA Committee on the Classification of Library Personnel).

1944

The University of Illinois becomes the first major academic institution to grant faculty status to librarians.

Late 1940s

Other libraries gain faculty status for librarians.

1956

American Association of University Professors (AAUP) permit librarians with faculty status to join the organization.

1958

ACRL's University Libraries Section initiates the Committee on Academic Status.

1959

The ACRL Board of Directors approves the statement on the Status of College and University Librarians.

SUNY Faculty Status Movement

1965

City University of New York (CUNY) librarians receive faculty status through a revision of the New York City Board of Education By-Laws. SUNY librarians begin informally discussing obtaining faculty status.

1966

SUNY Head Librarians under the Chairmanship of Joseph Nat Whitten, Director of the SUNY Maritime College Library send SUNY Chancellor Samuel Gould a memorandum (known as the October 1966 memorandum) formally recommending SUNY librarians be granted faculty status.

1967

Grass roots SUNY librarian campaign advocating faculty status spearheaded by Whitten and his Maritime colleagues and SUNY Buffalo's Ad Hoc Committee on Faculty Status commences.

1968

On June 12th the SUNY Board of Trustees grant librarians academic rank. Academic rank included right to tenure, peer review, sabbatical leaves and voting privileges. Did not include academic year appointment, four equivalent ranks or salary parity with faculty.

1969

On January 17th 16 librarians from 13 SUNY campuses meet in Utica to form the SUNY Librarians Association. The primary goal of the group was to gain full faculty status including academic year appointments without loss of salary.

1970

June 11th-12th SUNYLA Spring Caucus takes place in Cortland. The "Cortland petition" is drafted to protest the Administrative Salary Plan.

Six SUNYLA leaders and three head librarians during the Fall write a position paper entitled The Place of Librarians in SUNY and present it to Chancellor Boyer.

1971

In January the Senate Professional Association wins the right to be the first collective bargaining agent for SUNY faculty and non-teaching professionals.

In March Chancellor Boyer says that the Department of Budget has agreed to remove librarians from the Administrative Salary Plan. [Not implemented until 1976.]

In late October SUNYLA members vote on whether to request 4 librarian titles or 4 professorial titles. Librarian titles won by 223 votes to 206 votes.

In December SUNY Central Administration recommended four ranks for librarians. [Not implemented until 1976.]

1972

In January SUNYLA initiates a contract grievance through the SPA claiming librarians were being discriminated against because they had the same academic rank as faculty but did not have academic year appointments.

In March the Office for Employee Relations rules the grievance was invalid because having academic rank did not imply having an academic year contract.

In April the SUNYLA Council approves a new release which states "As a result of the State University of New York's distressing lack of concern for the academic rights of librarians, we regretfully recommend that librarians exercise extreme caution before accepting a position in SUNY." The substance of the news release appeared in the June 5, 1972 issue of Library Journal/School Library Journal Hotline.

In May the SPA and SUNY Central agree to hold talks on implementing full faculty status for librarians. 3 librarians invited to represent SUNY librarians including Mary Cassata from SUNY Buffalo. After months of meeting, the implementation talks fail.

1973

During the Summer SUNYLA membership elects a new president who campaigns on the promise to diversify the Association's agenda away from the faculty status issue.

In December United University Professions (UUP, formerly SPA) appoints 3 librarians to a Committee on Librarian Concerns without consulting SUNYLA.

1974

In February SUNYLA Council bypasses the UUP Committee on Librarian Concerns and sends an endorsement of 4 ranks for librarians and academic year appointments directly to the UUP negotiating committee.

In May the State/UUP tentative contract agreement is presented without a single full faculty status issue included. Two of the three members of the Committee on Librarian Concerns recommended that the SUNYLA membership "vote down this contract and request UUP to bargain more effectively for the implementation of full faculty status for librarians."

In November SUNYLA votes to relegate all matters of faculty status to "Special Committee No. 1" with a mandate to "establish a strong lobby with the bargaining agent to obtain terms and conditions of appointment suitable for librarians."

1976

In July the UUP contract removed librarians from the ASP making them eligible for academic promotions not based on job function and gave them 4 titles (Assistant, Senior Assistant, Associate Librarian and Librarian). The academic year was never implemented.

1982

The UUP 1982-85 contract specifies $150,000 will be earmarked to provide study leaves for librarians.

1985

Librarians are placed in the same salary scale as professorial faculty in the 1985-88 UUP contract.

1995

In October the SUNY Board of Trustees creates the rank of Distinguished Librarian.

A Chronology of the Faculty Status Movement

National Movement Leading to SUNY Movement

SUNY Faculty Status Movement

Related content: