CRITERIA FOR TENURE AND PROMOTION: A REVIEW OF PRACTICES AMONG MEMBERS OF THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF RESEARCH LIBRARIES

Abstract

This study reviews current practice relating to tenure and promotion to the highest rank by examining those libraries closest to our situation, the members of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries. A search of the literature indicates that reviews of tenure and promotion criteria and practices for Canadian academic libraries are rare. In 1995 Gloria Leckie and Jim Brett undertook a review of the key terms and conditions for librarians found in collective agreements of libraries belonging to the Canadian Association of University Teachers. Their findings indicate that practices vary widely with no consistent approach across the board. A number of factors exerting upward pressure on criteria and promotion for University of Calgary librarians led me to investigate whether this upward pressure was a widespread phenomenon, and therefore whether criteria and processes for tenure and promotion had subsequently been affected. Results from this investigation are compared to the initial 1995 survey. For comparison purposes, a literature survey was conducted and findings are summarized.