Tenure for Librarians Called Sham

In an inflammatory speech at the 13th annual Academic Librarians Conference in Fargo, North Dakota, Derek Habrecht of the American Association of Professors called for the abolition of tenure for librarians. "99% of them don't conduct publishable research or teach credit courses, so they turn their jobs, meetings, and conference travel into a basis for tenure," noted Habrecht, much to the chagrin of the attendees. Contrary to expectations, the librarians in attendance did not attempt to refute Habrecht's claims, instead offering shrill arguments about how librarians "deserve" to be treated as equals, despite the fact that what they do has little to do with what the remainder of the faculty does nor do they need the protection of academic freedom to conduct unpopular research or teach controversial courses.

Our LP reporter in attendance noted that many in attendance were, however, not shocked nor dismayed by Habrecht's assertions. "Among teaching faculty, the stereotype of the tenured professor resting on his or her laurels is largely a myth," claimed Selma Vertrauen, "people who have built their professional lives on productivity just don't shut down like that." She added that most tenured faculty she knows publish at a greater rate than untenured faculty. Her colleague George Parker chimed in, laughing about "the many tenured librarians he knows who do little discernible work ... simply biding their time, spouting jargon, acting important, dressing the part, but totally out of touch with the actual operation of the library." Yet, such faculty cannot be fired nor demoted, since they are protected by the "shield of tenure."

Other librarians noted the enormous waste of time spent on tenure deliberations at academic libraries with faculty librarians. "The quality of a library has absolutely nothing to do with the status of its librarians," asserts Jan Paca, a librarian sans tenure, "so why do those libraries waste inordinate amounts of time on such things." Habrecht, when confronted with this argument during the Q&A, enthusiastically agreed, noting "that no library will see its share of the budget increase, so efficiency will become more important as material costs increase."