WHO IS MY PROFESSOR? Understanding the Work Life of School Library Faculty Members

Have you ever wondered about the people teaching the next generation of school library professionals? You probably know that they prepare course outlines, set assignments, and mark your papers. They might present at your local or state conferences, or perhaps you know them from their work on committees that promote the new AASL Standards. School library professors engage in research, teaching, and service and are expected to excel in all areas to be awarded tenure and promotion. Faculty members who work in the area of school libraries are a very small subset of those working in universities around the world. This research provides information to potential and current school library faculty that is helpful for making career decisions, e.g., entry to the profession, career progression, research productivity, and mentorship. The author also hopes that school librarians will better understand the work life of their professors.