Librarians of the World Unite? Possibilities and realities from Florida, USA

James F. Tracy, null; Maris L. Hayashi, null

doi:10.13169/workorgalaboglob.4.2.0096

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Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Volume 4, Issue 2

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Librarians of the World Unite? Possibilities and realities from Florida, USA

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Author(s): James F. Tracy , Maris L. Hayashi

Publication date (Print): Autumn 2010

Journal: Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Publisher: Pluto Journals

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Abstract

This paper examines the perspectives of academic librarians in Florida's public universities concerning library work and advocacy for workplace rights by professional organisations and the statewide faculty union. An online survey was used to gather responses to closed and open-ended questions from 58 librarians. These data are presented alongside discussions addressing professionalism in library work, the history of US library professional organisations and workplace issues, and Florida's faculty union. The results suggest that, in terms of broader organisation around workplace issues, academic librarians in Florida are stuck between managerial expectations of professional practice and a faculty union slow to understand the significance of librarianship.

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Journal

Journal ID (doi): 10.13169

Journal ID (publisher-id): workorgalaboglob

Title: Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Publisher: Pluto Journals

ISSN (Print): 1745641X

ISSN (Electronic): 17456428

Publication date (Print): Autumn 2010

Volume: 4

Issue: 2

Pages: 96-110

Article

Publisher ID: workorgalaboglob.4.2.0096

DOI: 10.13169/workorgalaboglob.4.2.0096

SO-VID: 46eff2c2-670b-45f5-a16e-7ef2171b78da

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All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

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ScienceOpen disciplines: Sociology,Labor law,Political science,Labor & Demographic economics,Political economics

References

aaup.org, ‘Background facts on contingent faculty,’ Accessed 23 December, 2009 from http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/issues/contingent/contingentfacts.htm
ala.org. ‘Library bill of rights’ Accessed on 17 December 2009 from http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/index.cfm
Albanese, A. R. (2008) ‘Take this job and love it: academic librarians are underpaid and overworked but mostly satisfied,’ Library Journal No2:36–39
Bousquet, M. (2008) How the University Works: higher education and the low-wage nation , New York: New York University Press
Buschman, J.E. (2003) Dismantling the Public Sphere: situating and sustaining librarianship in the age of the new public philosophy , Westport CT: Libraries Unlimited
Coker, C., W. van Duinkerken & S. Bales (2010). ‘seeking full citizenship: a defense of tenure faculty status for librarians’ College & Research Libraries , (July) (forthcoming) http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/publications/crljournal/preprints/Coker-vanDuinkerken-.pdf
de la Peña McCook, K. (2009) ‘there is power in a union – 2008–2009’, Progressive Librarian , No 32:55–67
Edwards, R. (1979) Contested Terrain: the transformation of the workplace in the twentieth century , New York: Basic Books
Estabrook, L. (1981) ‘Labour & librarians: the divisiveness of professionalism’, Library Journal , Vol 15:125–127
Fiorito, J. & V.C. Gallagher (2006) ‘Renewal in the United Faculty of Florida: class war in paradise?’ Labour Studies Journal , Vol 31, No 3:39–64
Grady, J. & P. E. Almeida (2008) ‘The union difference for library workers, salary survey 2006’, Progressive Librarian , No31:75–103
Graham, J.B. (2004) ‘What's in a name?’ Alabama Librarian , Vol 54, No 1:10–14
Harris, R. (2008) ‘Their little bit of ground slowly squashed into nothing: technology, gender, and the vanishing librarian’, G. J. Leckie & J. E. Buschman (eds) Information Technology in Librarianship: new critical approaches , London: Libraries Unlimited
Harris, R. (1992) Librarianship: the erosion of a woman's profession , Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing
Iverson, S. (2008) ‘Librarianship and resistance’, A. Lewis (ed) Questioning Library Neutrality: essays from a progressive librarian , Duluth, MN: Library Juice Press:25–31
Meyers, A.S. (2002) ‘A fifty five year partnership: ALA and the AFL-CIO’, Library Trends , Vol 51, No 1:36–49
Meyers, A.S. (1999) ‘Building a partnership: library service to labor’, American Libraries , Vol 30, No 7:52–55
Mosco, V. & McKercher, C. (2008) The Laboring of Communication: will knowledge workers of the world unite? . Lanham MD: Lexington Books
Schlachter, G. (1973) ‘Quasi unions and organisational hegemony within the library field’, Library Quarterly , Vol 43, No 3:185–198
Todd, K. (1985) ‘Collective bargaining and professional associations in the library field’, Library Quarterly , Vol 55, No 3:284–299
unionlibrarian.org. (2002) ‘Academic library unions (running list),’ accessed on December 28, 2009 from http://unionlibrarian.blogspot.com/2002/12/academic-library-unions-running-list.html
unitedfacultyofflorida.org. ‘Constitution and bylaws’ accessed on December 17, 2009 from http://www.unitedfacultyofflorida.org/constitution.shtml
Webster, F. & K. Robins (1986). Information Technology: a Luddite analysis , Norwood NJ: Ablex Publishing
Wiegand, W.A. (1986) The Politics of an Emerging Profession: the American Library Association, 1876–1917 , New York: Greenwood Press

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] aaup.org, ‘Background facts on contingent faculty,’ Accessed 23 December, 2009 from http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/issues/contingent/contingentfacts.htm

[2] ala.org. ‘Library bill of rights’ Accessed on 17 December 2009 from http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/index.cfm

[3] Albanese, A. R. (2008) ‘Take this job and love it: academic librarians are underpaid and overworked but mostly satisfied,’ Library Journal No2:36–39

[4] Bousquet, M. (2008) How the University Works: higher education and the low-wage nation , New York: New York University Press

[5] Buschman, J.E. (2003) Dismantling the Public Sphere: situating and sustaining librarianship in the age of the new public philosophy , Westport CT: Libraries Unlimited

[6] Coker, C., W. van Duinkerken & S. Bales (2010). ‘seeking full citizenship: a defense of tenure faculty status for librarians’ College & Research Libraries , (July) (forthcoming) http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/publications/crljournal/preprints/Coker-vanDuinkerken-.pdf

[7] de la Peña McCook, K. (2009) ‘there is power in a union – 2008–2009’, Progressive Librarian , No 32:55–67

[8] Edwards, R. (1979) Contested Terrain: the transformation of the workplace in the twentieth century , New York: Basic Books

[9] Estabrook, L. (1981) ‘Labour & librarians: the divisiveness of professionalism’, Library Journal , Vol 15:125–127

[10] Fiorito, J. & V.C. Gallagher (2006) ‘Renewal in the United Faculty of Florida: class war in paradise?’ Labour Studies Journal , Vol 31, No 3:39–64

[11] Grady, J. & P. E. Almeida (2008) ‘The union difference for library workers, salary survey 2006’, Progressive Librarian , No31:75–103

[12] Graham, J.B. (2004) ‘What's in a name?’ Alabama Librarian , Vol 54, No 1:10–14

[13] Harris, R. (2008) ‘Their little bit of ground slowly squashed into nothing: technology, gender, and the vanishing librarian’, G. J. Leckie & J. E. Buschman (eds) Information Technology in Librarianship: new critical approaches , London: Libraries Unlimited

[14] Harris, R. (1992) Librarianship: the erosion of a woman's profession , Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing

[15] Iverson, S. (2008) ‘Librarianship and resistance’, A. Lewis (ed) Questioning Library Neutrality: essays from a progressive librarian , Duluth, MN: Library Juice Press:25–31

[16] Meyers, A.S. (2002) ‘A fifty five year partnership: ALA and the AFL-CIO’, Library Trends , Vol 51, No 1:36–49

[17] Meyers, A.S. (1999) ‘Building a partnership: library service to labor’, American Libraries , Vol 30, No 7:52–55

[18] Mosco, V. & McKercher, C. (2008) The Laboring of Communication: will knowledge workers of the world unite? . Lanham MD: Lexington Books

[19] Schlachter, G. (1973) ‘Quasi unions and organisational hegemony within the library field’, Library Quarterly , Vol 43, No 3:185–198

[20] Todd, K. (1985) ‘Collective bargaining and professional associations in the library field’, Library Quarterly , Vol 55, No 3:284–299

[21] unionlibrarian.org. (2002) ‘Academic library unions (running list),’ accessed on December 28, 2009 from http://unionlibrarian.blogspot.com/2002/12/academic-library-unions-running-list.html

[22] unitedfacultyofflorida.org. ‘Constitution and bylaws’ accessed on December 17, 2009 from http://www.unitedfacultyofflorida.org/constitution.shtml

[23] Webster, F. & K. Robins (1986). Information Technology: a Luddite analysis , Norwood NJ: Ablex Publishing

[24] Wiegand, W.A. (1986) The Politics of an Emerging Profession: the American Library Association, 1876–1917 , New York: Greenwood Press