Declines in librarian and archivist complement can have a detrimental impact on their working conditions. A “do more with less” approach leads to increases in assigned workloads that cut into research and service time. This also allows and encourages the assignment of librarian and archivist duties to non-academic staff, which de-professionalizes the professions and negatively impacts the academic integrity of the institution.

Complement language, as found in Acadia University Faculty Association’s agreement, provides protection from workload increases and de-professionalization:

50.02 …There shall be a minimum continuing complement of ten (10) full-time Librarians and Archivists who are members of the bargaining unit.³²

De-professionalization can also be resisted through language that blocks the assignment of librarian or archivist work to non-bargaining unit members. A good example is from the Mount Allison University Faculty Association collective agreement:

12.26 The Employer agrees not to employ non-members of the bargaining unit to perform duties in the operation of the library normally and  historically performed by professional librarians at Mount Allison University except as specified below:

i) persons excluded from the bargaining unit by Clause 1.01(n); and

ii) other persons agreed upon by the Employer and the Union.

The Employer also agrees not to employ non-members of the bargaining unit to perform new duties established by the Employer in the operation of the library which require the qualifications of a professional librarian to be performed effectively. The parties also agree that responsibilities that have normally and historically been performed by other full-time and part-time Library staff do not constitute duties in the operation of the library normally performed by professional librarians.”³³