Library Faculty Assembly Records of the University of Arizona Health Sciences Library

The University of Arizona College of Medicine library opened on September 11, 1967 in conjunction with the opening of the UA College of Medicine. Not counting the Director and Associate Director positions which were already faculty (“professorial”) positions, in May or June 1969 several University of Arizona librarians were given faculty status. In a November 8, 1969 letter from COM Dean Merlin K. DuVal to COM Medical Library director, David Bishop, it is clear that Medical Library personnel with the title “Librarian” are eligible for faculty appointments “if they are actively engaged as participants in programs under the jurisdiction of the School of Library Science.” In Bishop’s June 29, 1970 letter to DuVal it is clear that those medical librarians with faculty status are considered members of the College of Medicine faculty. In DuVal’s July 17, 1979 letter to Bishop – as a result of the establishment of the Arizona Medical Center (AMC) – AMC Library librarians are no longer considered members of the College of Medicine faculty, but rather members of the UA General Faculty. At some point (see the March 28, 1972 ballot for Faculty Senate College Representatives) there is confusion as to whether medical librarians are non-voting members of the College of Medicine faculty. All UA librarians weather a storm in about 972 as to whether they should be retain faculty status. From UA Executive Vice President Weaver’s November 22, 1974 memo to COM Dean Neil Vanselow it’s clear that are considered faculty in the College of Medicine.

On January 31, 1978 members of the Arizona Health Sciences Center (AHSC) Library’s faculty formed the AHSC Library Faculty Assembly. In August, 2013 Karen Williams became dean of the University of Arizona Libraries (UAL) and the Health Sciences Library became a part of UAL. As a result plans were made to merge the two libraries’ faculty governance groups and at the end of April, 2015 the UA Health Sciences Library’s Library Faculty Assembly was dissolved.