Tenure for Librarians – Is It Worth It?

About once a year or so, I feel the need to say something about tenure and faculty status for academic librarians. Not quite “defend” our position, but at least take stock and reevaluate that position. Am I feeling defensive? Well, perhaps just a little. The truth is, library faculty play a different role than [...]

Beacons of Hope

This article from Inside Higher Ed by Russell Olwell was very inspiring for me on this Tuesday morning. For those of us at public institutions, this is a reminder of mission. As one person commented on this posting, we have an opportunity to “provide education for students of all ages who have limited means. It [...]

Why Choose a Small College

Steven Bell pointed out this article in his blog The Kept-Up Academic Librarian. I find it very interesting on both a personal and professional level. I too am both a parent of a high school sophomore and a library administrator at a small university. I firmly believe that smaller colleges have much to offer [...]

Library 2.0 Mission Statement

In our library, we’ve been working on rewriting our strategic plan. Our new proposed mission statement is not bad. However, I came across this one today on the Library2.0 blog below and I think it’s rather good!
“The library should establish, promote, maintain and evaluate a range of quality services that support the institution’s mission and [...]

For-Profit Schools Popular Destination for Minorities

Steven Bell posted this site on his blog, The Kept-Up Academic Librarian. We have several new for-profit institutions in our community and it appears this may be stiffer competition that I thought.
For-Profit Schools Popular Destination for Minorities
A disproportionate percentage of degrees from proprietary colleges go to Black and Hispanic graduates.

If the Academic Library Ceased to Exist Would We Have to Invent It?

Every academic library dean or director has heard, at least once, the comment that the academic library has become obsolete. This is disheartening to hear and leaves one scrambling for an answer that doesn’t sound a bit desperate. This article in the latest EDUCAUSE Review takes an interesting approach by using an imaginary scenario to [...]

Jobs, News and Views for All of Higher Education – Inside Higher Ed :: No Free Lunch

Read on for an interesting discussion about the impact of state funding on university graduation rates. Read the comments because they point out some of the more complex factors involved in this discussion.
Jobs, News and Views for All of Higher Education – Inside Higher Ed :: No Free Lunch
An increase of $1,000 in FTE [...]