Dear Professionals, There is a lot of talk about the place of librarians in academics. I worked for faculty status and non-faculty status positions. I am happy with either position since I’m doing my job, my work; I can publish and speak regardless of whether or not anyone tells me to. But I never really understood why some libraries had a status while others didn’t. What specifically is the purpose of having a status track for librarians? To encourage publication? To put librarians on the same level as other academic faculty? To create job security? To get the respect we deserve? Maybe that’s why I like discuss here. I don’t get judged for my age, my looks or my chair. I’m judged for what I am and what I do. “Librarian with faculty rank.” The only places I see our “faculty rank” coming into play is in payroll, vacation days, and in the ability to be a part of faculty clubs and other committees. While we have a “place at the table,” we are certainly not seen as faculty members by the faculty. It is clear to me that the faculty members see us as support staff. They see us as people who help them find articles and help their students to learn how to do library research. They don’t see us as teachers, as creators of knowledge, and as experts in our particular field (librarianship). And in spite of our degrees and our knowledge, we are here to support the students and faculty. That’s our job. So while I’d love for faculty members to see me as an intellectual equal and to understand what I do, I don’t think status is what would do it. Some persons arguing against made the valid point that librarians can become involved in faculty committees simply by being given faculty rank. However, they also argued that librarians don’t need the security of tenure because they are collecting knowledge not creating it. There I disagree. There are plenty of librarians who write and who do original research. There are plenty of librarians on the cutting edge of technology and are developing amazing applications. They are creating knowledge. If the purpose of librarians having tenure is to secure academic freedom for us (and the ability to take sabbaticals to do original research and whatnot), I’m all for it. But that is rarely an argument. With faculty status, librarians find it easier to earn the respect of their faculty peers and administrators. They become credible academics who are capable partners in the shaping of teaching and research. As faculty members, librarians are more likely to have a say in establishing the criteria on which academe will judge libraries in the 21st century. Srinivasa Rao G Sr.Librarian Bharat Institute of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.