BY TWO TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY LIBRARIANS

The news has been inundated with reports of relentless attacks on intellectual freedom and attacks on libraries. Just last week a blog detailed the many ways in which books and information are being challenged in schools and in public service sectors. Less well-reported, however, is the ongoing attack on academic freedom and tenure for librarians. We know full well that academic freedom is critical for librarians in order to effectively promote intellectual freedom for and among the individuals whom they serve; the two are inextricably tied. Furthermore, librarians need academic freedom to continue to make progress improving and advancing the technology and services that their academic constituents and other patron groups require, shielding them from pressures from university administrations and vendor interests.

Recent attention has been paid to the resolutions of various faculty on the importance of academic freedom. However, communication is a two-way street; it goes beyond what a faculty member can say individually and must also be addressed where those may listen. Equally important for intellectual freedom is protecting the access that audiences have to the material that faculty write. Libraries and librarians are at the forefront of mediating student access to multiple perspectives on topics and maintaining quality, unbiased materials. An attack on the academic freedom of librarians has a direct impact on the voices of marginalized groups. The process of demoting and disempowering librarians is less explicit, perhaps, than the overt attacks on specific subjects such as critical race theory and other controversial topics, but such attacks are just as dangerous and just as important in the ongoing battle for freedom of speech and against censorship.

Texas A&M University has recently become such a battleground for such censorship. The administration, under the purview of TAMU President Dr. M. Katherine Banks, employed a team of outside management consultants, MGT Consulting Group based in Tampa, Florida, that resulted in a final “institutional realignment” called “The Path Forward.” The proposal has come under extensive criticism for the way which it is managing the redesign of the libraries. The changes that are being proposed, including the stripping of librarians of tenure if they wish to stay in the library, will have devastating effects on the ability of the organization to retain faculty and staff. The proposed redesign has been so unpopular within the institution that 96 percent of the faculty senate supported a resolution against it. There has also been visible protest by groups of students against the redesign.

One of the most notable aspects of this entire situation is that neither President Banks nor any member of her staff or MGT Consulting have ever provided the libraries with an explanation of the reasons or justifications—whether fiscal, administrative, or otherwise—for this reform, nor a rationale for its odd hastiness. (This reform was initially proposed in December 2021, and the administration has demanded its completion by the beginning of the fall 2022 semester.)

Simultaneously, freedom of the press has also been a target of these attacks while the administration has ordered that the 129-year-old student newspaper, The Battalion, must stop printing paper editions, and may no longer function as an independent entity. This same newspaper’s recent investigation has uncovered an organization with politically conservative ties as taking credit for the proposals and changes that limit freedom of speech and increase the chances of censorship at Texas A&M University.

Steps must be taken to help librarians defend academic freedom by protecting their function and ability to speak freely in the academic realm. Faculty can help by fostering a collective effort to create a collection of resolutions in alignment with the current set that are currently being promoted that includes the protection of librarian’s freedom to uphold their version of the truth. Additionally, faculty need librarians to have an open voice in these conversations so they will be educated and made aware of the possible implications for changes that are being made in university library institutions. Finally, academic freedom for librarians should be promoted and celebrated in the same way that the American Library Association and similar organizations have celebrated all authors contributions in the realm of intellectual freedom.

The authors are two Texas A&M University librarians who wish to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.