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Abstract
The author examines her journey before and as she pursued tenure and promotion in the academy. She argues that the path to tenure and promotion in higher education institutions was not one designed to provide a fair and equitable process for Black female faculty who function as academic librarians. Further, she suggests that librarians in this role are marginalized due to two factors-presumed incompetence based on their gender and/or race, and their ambiguous fit among the disciplines within the academy. This autoethnography, with Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Critical Race Feminism (CRF) as its theoretical framework, outlines the struggles and successes of a Black female academic librarian as she addresses the challenges inherent in the culture of her discipline compounded with well-documented issues related to sexism and racism.
Introduction
Much has been written about the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty in higher education and the paucity of non-White faculty, who represent only 18.4% of full-time faculty nationally, and a smaller percentage of tenure-track faculty (Diggs, Garrison-Wade, Estrada, & Galindo, 2009; National Center for Education Statistics, 2011; Stanley, 2006; Thompson, 2008; Turner, Myers, & Creswell, 1999; Wilson, 1987). Much has also been written about challenges facing female faculty and faculty representing a variety of racial and ethnic groups seeking tenure (Daniel, 2009; Edwards, Beverly, & Alexander-Snow, 2011; Laden & Hagedorn, 2000; Stanley, 2006; Thomas, 2001; Turner & Myers, 2000; Valían, 1998). Similar imbalances and challenges face academic librarians, who represent a small segment of academia and who may or may not be classified as faculty depending on the institution.
Academic libraries hold a unique position within the academy. At many institutions they are often perceived solely as service units; not part of a campus's scholarly community. Perhaps because "much of the work carried on in academic libraries tends to be invisible ... and much of what is visible ... is clerical in nature and only infrequently performed by librarians" (Oberg, Schieiter, & Van Houten, 1989, p. 215). Yet at some campuses, librarians have faculty status. Those in tenure-track positions are expected to teach, participate in service activities, conduct research, and publish. These are the same criteria required for tenure and promotion in research-oriented institutions of higher education. This situation presents challenges for many...