Who Speaks for Academic Librarians? Status and Satisfaction Comparisons between Unaffiliated and Unionized Librarians on Scholarship and Governance Issues

Spang, Lothar; Kane, William P.

doi:10.5860/crl.58.5.446

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…They were the National Education Association (NEA), at 181 higher education institutions; the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), at 138 institutions; and the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), at 43 institutions. An article in College & Research Libraries found that by 1981 specific and reliable data on unionized academic librarians were unavailable, because librarians were represented by various unions, along with other types of employees (Spang and Kane, 1997). Even in more recent times data on AFT and NEA representation are not available.…”

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 97%

“…Even in more recent times data on AFT and NEA representation are not available. The AAUP is the bargaining agent for some 90 institutions.``But, judging by the altered focus on union issues in the library literature of the past 15 years, librarians' interest in union activism has waned considerably'' (Spang and Kane, 1997). In the 1980s, bargaining centered on single issues.…”

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

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US academic librarians: their involvement in union activities

Garcha

Phillips

2001

Library Review

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If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.

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Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

US academic librarians: their involvement in union activities

Garcha

Phillips

2001

Library Review

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“…Although the focus of our inquiry is on Canadian universities, we broadened our literature review to include research conducted across North America due to the scarcity of research in this area. This review reveals that most research on academic librarians and faculty associations focuses on the history of unionization for librarians (Dekker 2014;Jacobs 2013;Hovekamp 2005), the extent of academic librarians' inclusion in faculty associations and bargaining units (Carmack and Olsgaard 1982;Riley and Moist 2018), the benefits of unionization (Applegate 2009;Carmack and Olsgaard 1982;Garcha and Phillips 2001;Hovekamp 1995Hovekamp , 2005Kandiuk 2014;Lee, Rogers and Grimes 2006;Mills and McCullough 2018;Spang and Kane 1997), librarian issues in collective agreements (Aby 2009;Harrington and Gerolami 2014), and the degree of parity between librarian and professor salaries and working conditions (Harrington and Gerolami 2014;Kandiuk 2014;Kandiuk and…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Seat at the Table

Pash

Patterson

2023

Can. J. Acad. Lib.

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This paper reports on research into librarian participation on faculty association executive and collective bargaining teams at 46 Canadian universities at which librarians are in the same bargaining unit as professors. The goal of this study is to determine the extent of such participation on these key committees, whether such participation is mandated by governing documents or a matter of custom (or neither), and what barriers librarians face to such participation. The authors analyzed these associations’ constitutions and bylaws and then conducted interviews with faculty association leaders and librarian activists. Findings indicate that nearly half of the surveyed associations either have a mandated seat for librarians or make every effort to include librarians on their executive committees, and more than a third do the same for their collective bargaining teams. Many associations have had a librarian as faculty association president and a handful have had a librarian as chief negotiator. The most-cited barriers to taking on these leadership roles in the association are workload and the lack of or unsuitability of course release for librarians. The level of librarian participation in faculty associations across Canada is very encouraging, but many issues need to be addressed if librarians are to have a full seat at the table.

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“…In 1963 the Berkeley University Teachers Union (BUTU) was formed with several librarians in the organizing group. But, as faculty were uncomfortable having librarians in the same union, UC Berkeley librarians formed the Library Chapter of the Berkeley University Teachers Union in May 1965, the first public university union (Haro 1969;Spang and Kane 1997). This took place in the context of increasing campus politicization following the 1964 Free Speech Movement and the ongoing national struggle for civil rights.…”

Section: History Of the Librarian Union At Uc Berkeleymentioning

confidence: 99%

Democratizing the Union at UC Berkeley: Lecturers and Librarians in Solidarity

Phillips¹,

Eifler²,

Page³

2019

Library Trends

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This article explores how librarians and lecturers at the University of California, Berkeley worked together to make their union local more participatory in a context of increasing corporatization in public higher education. Written as a case study, we examine this ongoing revitalization process initiated by lecturers in the summer of 2016 and how it transformed librarian activism and bargaining strategy. For context, we also examine the history and unique nature of the University Council-American Federation of Teachers, the union representing both librarians and lecturers. We discuss why librarians had become ambivalent about their union and how an active group of librarians changed the culture in the organization and worked to bring members' voices into the 2018/2019 librarian contract negotiations. Engaging membership and encouraging participation required a group of committed organizers, with the support of paid union staff, to actively seek feedback from members, to communicate regularly and to organize solidarity events within the community. Throughout this process the local worked to build coalitions with other campus unions and, as a result, its members became increasingly aware of the important role unions play in protecting and advancing the mission of a public university and as a site for social justice activism.

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Who Speaks for Academic Librarians? Status and Satisfaction Comparisons between Unaffiliated and Unionized Librarians on Scholarship and Governance Issues

Cited by 8 publications

References 8 publications

US academic librarians: their involvement in union activities

US academic librarians: their involvement in union activities

A Seat at the Table

Democratizing the Union at UC Berkeley: Lecturers and Librarians in Solidarity

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