African American faculty perceptions of recruitment, retention, and tenure processes and practices in United States ALA accredited library and information science programs: A descriptive study

Few scholars and academicians in the library and information science profession have engaged in research that would provide evidence of factors contributing to the underrepresentation of African American faculty in programs of library and information science. This study examines significant factors that are related to African Americans' entry and progression in faculty positions. Perceptions and concerns of African American faculty related to recruitment, retention, and tenure are identified.; Results show that African Americans make up only 6.6 percent of full-time faculty in the 58 ALA accredited library and information science programs in the U.S. The profile of the African American faculty follows what might be expected: faculty are mixed evenly by gender; the primary age range is between 40-60 years; 86.7 percent hold Ph.D.s; the average number of years in the profession is 16; and 46.7 percent are tenured. The majority of African American faculty view performance evaluation and tenure processes as fair and equitable. Personal contacts were important in their obtaining their current positions, and they do not perceive racial hostility in their work environment. The percentage of tenured African American faculty is significantly lower than that of the general teaching faculty. Within the library and information science profession, as reported in the 1993 ALISE statistical report, 62.5 percent of all faculty were tenured.