Administrators' Views of Library Personnel Status

A questionnaire survey elicited the opinions of forty-seven university administrators (nonlibrarians) on the issue of faculty status for academic librarians. An analysis of the survey results led the author to conclude that academic institutions may lack a clear rationale for granting librarians faculty status. This conclusion was based primarily on the fact that the opinions expressed by administrators tended to confirm the validity of two key suppositions: (1) that, presently at least, there are no substantive advantages to an institution for granting librarians faculty status and (2) that the terms and conditions of faculty appointments are largely unsuited to the day-to-day activities and responsibilities of librarians.