Diné College Librarians Granted Faculty Status

Diné College Library Faculty in Refurbished LibraryDiné College librarians have been granted faculty status, a first for Tribal Colleges and Universities.

Dr. Herman A. Peterson, director of libraries at Diné and associate professor of Humanities, said that the time was overdue.

“Many of the most prestigious colleges and universities give faculty status to their librarians.”

Being faculty means that Diné’s librarians are now able to climb the ranks of assistant, associate, and full professor by writing grants, joining committees, and contributing to peer-reviewed publications. Their work will be assessed yearly by school deans, and they will be judged by a peer-led committee before promotion.

Rhiannon Sorrell, the instruction and digital services librarian at Diné, now holds the rank of assistant professor of English. She said the new ranking system will give her the motivation to advance her career.

“Working through the ranks gives me a goal and helps me to focus on what’s important for the students,” said Sorrell. “It helps me to be the best librarian I can be.”