The document discusses the author's experience as a librarian at Dillard University over 19 years, and her changing status and responsibilities from staff to faculty member on the tenure track. When she started in 1991, librarians were considered staff and had little involvement with faculty. After disasters like Hurricane Katrina, a new dean changed her status to faculty in 2008 and she was placed on the tenure track, requiring her to focus more on research, publishing, teaching and service. She discusses adjusting to the new requirements and responsibilities of a tenure-track faculty position.

1. When the Blade on Madame Guillotine Reads “Tenure”
By: Miss Beverly Harris
Collection Development & Reference Librarian
Library Liaison, College of Arts & Sciences
Dillard University Library
August 31, 2010
I received my contract for the 2010-2011 academic year. I was reminded; again, I am on
the tenure track. In fact, this is my third year. Faculty status, what a bomber!
In 1991 when I started my academic career as an acquisitions/serials librarian, being
labeled as faculty didn’t mean anything. We were required to attend the monthly faculty
meetings where we were virtually ignored. Librarians could not go up for tenure. We were not
considered nominees for any university committees. Most of the teaching faculty did not know
our names. A couple of the librarians stood out but that was because they were the “go to
guys” if a bit of our university’s history was required.
We as librarians look to various library journals, organizations and conferences to stay
abreast of library trends and their impact on our library. Then it was our job to convince
students and faculty to buy into those trends and the administrators to fund them.
During 1999 when everyone thought everything was going to shut down come year
2000, we tried to convince the DU IT&T department we knew what was best and the most
patron friendly integrated library system. We hung our heads in defeat and readied ourselves
to accept a system we hated but the university president saved us. It was told to us he asked
why buy a system if the librarians did not like it. How he knew this has been a mystery to me.
He did not meet with us nor was he a part of our gripping sessions. I still thank him to this day.
We are working today with electronic books and the need to keep our electronic journal
databases.
In my nineteen years at this university, the directors of the library have changed. Yet,
each new director or dean’s passion to get respect never faltered. Under one of our
presidential changes, our label was moved from faculty to staff. The teaching faculty thought
this was fine. Of course, we did bibliographic instruction but this was not real teaching.
Fast forward past the levees breaking and throwing out lives and hearts in turmoil, the
university and the library came under new administrators and deans.
I know not what court the dean argued but in January, 2008 my status changed back to
faculty and…now I am placed on the tenure track. That spring, tenure was not a particularly
urgent word. We were taking up resident in our building since leaving it in August, 2005. My
priories were getting things back in order while delivering library services and learning to work
with a completely new group of colleagues. Besides librarians had never been tenured track
before, what track was I supposed to follow?

2. My reading list has changed focus. Along with reading the various articles from our
library journals, my list now includes The Disciplines Speak II (Diamond and Adams (ed) 2000),
The Academic Portfolio (Seldin and Miller, 2009), Academic Writing and Publishing (Hartley,
2008) and any articles I found in Colleges and Research Libraries, the latest that appeared in the
July, 2010, Volume 71, No. 4 issue, “Library School Faculty members perceptions regarding
faculty status for academic librarians”. I have found Practical Pedagogy for Library Instruction
(Cook and Sitler (ed), 2008) helps in refining and defining my teaching skills. I started to look to
the LSU’s School of Library and Information Science for additional classes. But alas, that was not
to be. Some higher court somewhere decided the state of Louisiana could do without this type
of institutional programming.
At my institution the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLAT) was
established by the associate provost. I have learned through attending workshops I need a
philosophy for research and volunteerism, as well as, a philosophy for teaching. That was a
surprise. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) now has meaning for me.
In second grade, I wanted to be like Mrs. Dorothy Robinson, the school’s librarian. I had
my cousin who is a graphic artist create the following image for me, because I believe this little
second grader has been blindsided:

3. Beverl
y Harris
Collection Development Librarian
Dillard University Library
New Orleans, LA
bharris@dillard.edu