New Committee on Librarian Academic and Professional Status Seeks Members

The UC designates those employed in the Librarian Series as Academic Appointees, and vests Librarians with the rights and responsibilities of academics. Our contract valorizes these rights and responsibilities, which include peer review, career status, academic freedom and opportunities for professional development. Librarians at UC are granted this academic status because running a university research library requires a commitment to academic values and intellectual integrity.
 
In recent years, however, financial pressure and a culture of commercialism have threatened to erode our status as academics, just when this status is most needed as we design the research libraries of the future. The Committee on Librarian Academic and Professional Status seeks to address the issues affecting the academic status and practice of UC Librarians.
 
Beginning this fall, this committee will survey UC librarians about the issues influencing our professional and academic status, and we will run a column on the state of Librarianship at UC to share the mutual challenges we face.  The committee will also publish articles and interviews to celebrate the successes we have as academic librarians. We hope this committee can serve as a source of information about librarian professional and academic concerns for UC-AFT, the UC Faculty, the University administration, and for others interested in the librarianship in higher education. 
 
To begin the committee’s work, I have volunteered to serve as chair for 2014-15. I would like to be joined by librarians from the various UC’s. Our work in this year will consist of creating a survey for the membership, and otherwise gathering information about professional issues from the campuses. We will also publish a column on academic issues on UC-AFT’s website. People who are interested in writing columns are encouraged to join the committee or let me know.
 
If you are interested in:
Exhibiting the Value of Academic Librarianship at UC
Highlighting the Academic Work of UC Librarians
Countering the De-Professionalization of Librarianship at UC
Addressing the Challenges Posed by Non-Academic appointees in Library Leadership Positions
Enhancing the Academic Freedom of Librarians
or Building Support for Professional Development
 
please send me an email at David Michalski (michalski11david@gmail.com) and I will add you to a list of committee members. Our work will begin in October, and most of our communication and work will be conducted through email. Please also send me any questions you may have about this committee.
 
Thanks,
 
David Michalski
Social and Cultural Studies Librarian
UC Davis