A pilot study of the effects of faculty status for medical librarians in the United States

Abstract

Objectives: Within many institutions, there are debates over whether medical librarians should be classified as faculty or professional staff, a distinction that may have considerable effect on the perception of librarians within their local institutions. This study is a pilot exploration of how faculty status may affect the professional experiences of academic medical librarians within their local institutions. Methods: Surveys were sent to 209 medical librarians listed as having some instructional function at Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accredited medical institutions in the United States. Survey responses were captured using Qualtrics survey tool and analyzed for frequencies and associations using SPSS version 27. Results: Sixty-four medical librarians at academic medical institutions completed the survey developed for this study. Of the respondents, 60.9% indicated that librarians at their institution have faculty status, while 71.9% believe that librarians at their institution should have faculty status. Ninety percent of librarians with faculty status reported that they are expected to generate scholarly materials, compared to 28% of those without faculty status. Conclusions: Many medical libraries offer faculty status to librarians. While many medical librarians are active in instruction, research, and other activities normally associated with faculty status, it is not clear if faculty status impacts how librarians are perceived by other health care workers within their institutions.

Health sciences and medical librarians conducting research and their experiences asking for co-authorship

“…In examining the ways that faculty status for librarians may affect research engagement and production among health sciences librarians, we found faculty status was significant when examined in relation to the following statements: “I receive encouragement and personal attention from my supervisor(s)”, “I work in a library or setting that encourages research production”, and “I can openly discuss any problems related to research with my supervisor(s).” The data suggest institutional recognition of librarians as faculty members not only confers an expectation of engagement in research based on the status, but has an effect on library workplace culture, improving supervisory support for and communication about research. The extent to which faculty status affects scholarly engagement among librarians has been examined in a study by Laws, who found that librarians who have faculty status are more active in scholarly activity and may have an easier time asking for authorship if this status is given [ 53 ].…”

“…These findings are of note in considering the removal of faculty status among librarians at many institutions. In a recent survey of medical librarians, just 60.9% of respondents said that librarians at their institution hold faculty status [ 53 ]. Another study from 2016 showed that only 52% of U.S. research universities grant any kind of faculty status to librarians [ 54 ].…”

“…The data suggest institutional recognition of librarians as faculty members not only confers an expectation of engagement in research based on the status, but has an effect on library workplace culture, improving supervisory support for and communication about research. The extent to which faculty status affects scholarly engagement among librarians has been examined in a study by Laws, who found that librarians who have faculty status are more active in scholarly activity and may have an easier time asking for authorship if this status is given [53].…”