Tenure and Promotion: Criteria and Procedures Used by University of Louisiana System Libraries

Abstract

Tenure-track academic librarians in the University of Louisiana System (ULS) must satisfy varying procedural criteria before they earn tenure and promotion.  For example, prior to 2007, the tenure and promotion guidelines of Sims Library, Southeastern Louisiana University, did not require librarians to publish in order to earn tenure, but did require publication to earn promotion. In 2007 Southeastern revised its tenure and promotion policy to link tenure with a promotion from Assistant to Associate Professor, suddenly requiring all librarians to publish. As Sims Library began to revise its tenure and promotion guidelines, the authors became curious about how tenure and promotion policies differ among the ULS institutions, apart from the general guidelines required by the university system. This article explores the tenure and promotion criteria of the nine ULS academic libraries and discusses the procedural variations of each institution.