Texas A & M librarians lose tenure rights

[mamselle]

I'd guess from that that there are no archives requiring special handling at TA&M, no manuscripts, no files of parchment, nothing in need of serious curation or care.

But I'm pretty sure that at least one musicology thesis used two of their SW American colonial (Spanish) holdings to identify the sources, towns, and monastic communities from which they came. I think they also hold a number of early monastic's reports, or 'translations' that are useful as first-person reportage on the developing changes between the 15th-18th c. in the area. Those could be on anything--parchment, vellum, paper--and also would need good care by a knowledgeable librarian-archivist.

This started a whole research trend on the transition from medieval European chant to early modern American colonial uses of same, and led to discoveries about the educational status of Native Americans in Mexico and other parts of Central and South America, and was consistent with findings in other university libraries (I think one was in Mexico City, another in Peru) that started popping up.

Archival holdings do best when there's someone who's been there for awhile, knows the collection well, and can both write on it themselves (for exhibitions, etc., which can bring in money, traffic, and a burnished reputation to the school) and help those who are starting out--or even those who have been doing such research for a long time.

I'm more familiar with the structures in Europe; the retirement of a librarian in some places can be catastrophic for those who need access or have developed a close working relationship with that individual. Tenure would seem to provide the needed continuity better than a system that encourages frog-leaping from lily-pad to lily-pad, all in the name of some kind of misperceived economic benefit.

Wasted resources does not a savings make.

M.

[apl68]

For my part, I'm a public librarian in a state with at-will employer practices.  Nothing resembling tenure here.  But I've been in this job for over 17 years, so either I'm doing something right or my bosses really don't want to try to find somebody else who'll do the work for what they pay. 

[mamselle]

And from what you've described in the past, your 17 years is value-added, because when one path for the public library Covid exhibition wasn't possible, you knew the town well enough to figure out another one.

When issues about safety and people camping out nearby came up, you knew who to talk to in the public safety department.

You have contacts, developed over time, surely, in the state system and elsewhere that have let you leverage grants and other resources for your site and your town.

And so on.

No flies on you!

M.

[sonoamused]

I'd guess from that that there are no archives requiring special handling at TA&M, no manuscripts, no files of parchment, nothing in need of serious curation or care.

But I'm pretty sure that at least one musicology thesis used two of their SW American colonial (Spanish) holdings to identify the sources, towns, and monastic communities from which they came. I think they also hold a number of early monastic's reports, or 'translations' that are useful as first-person reportage on the developing changes between the 15th-18th c. in the area. Those could be on anything--parchment, vellum, paper--and also would need good care by a knowledgeable librarian-archivist.

This started a whole research trend on the transition from medieval European chant to early modern American colonial uses of same, and led to discoveries about the educational status of Native Americans in Mexico and other parts of Central and South America, and was consistent with findings in other university libraries (I think one was in Mexico City, another in Peru) that started popping up.

Archival holdings do best when there's someone who's been there for awhile, knows the collection well, and can both write on it themselves (for exhibitions, etc., which can bring in money, traffic, and a burnished reputation to the school) and help those who are starting out--or even those who have been doing such research for a long time.

I'm more familiar with the structures in Europe; the retirement of a librarian in some places can be catastrophic for those who need access or have developed a close working relationship with that individual. Tenure would seem to provide the needed continuity better than a system that encourages frog-leaping from lily-pad to lily-pad, all in the name of some kind of misperceived economic benefit.

Wasted resources does not a savings make.

M.

One of the collections they have recently acquired is all of George RR Martins manuscripts, documents and research notes, as well as some more tangible materials.  It is a growing collection and considering the man has spent decades immersed in european history, it is extensive and already in demand.   It is...a problem.  Science fiction and fantasy has been a focus of theirs for a while.

They also, of course have extensive documents on the history of the borderlands and colonial mexico. And yes, the Head of the unit was one of the tenured lines.

[mamselle]

Just maddeningly, penny-wise/pound-foolish dumb.

That grinding sound you hear is the gnashing of many researchers' teeth...

M.

[Ruralguy]

I think faculty status for certain professional level librarian  positions is somewhat common, but i believe literal tenure with same rights as teaching faculty (or whatever you want to call typical faculty) is more rare. My small college grants certain faculty rights to higher level librarians, but admin is constamtly trying to shrink their ranks.