The meanings of professional and academic as qualifiers of librarians are discussed and it is concluded that there is little difference in the expectations they engender. It is then argued that if librarians in academic institutions are to be accorded a status comparable with that of faculty, they must be prepared to be assessed by the comparable and traditional means, namely qualifications, research and publications. To make the attainment of true faculty status possible, it is then necessary for the "professional" librarian at all levels to have opportunities to perform to these standards. This will require positive support from chief and other senior librarians and a significant change in attitudes to those prevailing in most Australian academic libraries.