Latest ALA salary survey

Citation

Fitzsimons, E. (2005), "Latest ALA salary survey", The Bottom Line, Vol. 18 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/bl.2005.17018aab.001

Latest ALA salary survey

On October 29, 2004 The American Library Association (ALA) released the ALA Survey of Librarian Salaries 2004 (see www.ala.org/ala/pr2004/october2004/Salarysurveyshows23gain.htm), which was conducted by the ALA Office for Research and Statistics (ORS). The survey shows that salaries increased 2.3 percent overall. This is just slightly below the 2.5 percent gain reported for other civilian workers. The greatest gain was for beginning librarians, with an overall increase of 7.5 percent.

Salaries were usually highest in large public or university libraries and lowest in medium-sized public libraries or two-year college libraries. For all positions, salaries are usually highest in the North Atlantic and West/Southwest regions and lowest in the Southeast. Although the patterns do vary from year to year, salaries in the Southeast have consistently been at the bottom.

The survey was sent to a random sample of 1,275 libraries, of which 881 (69.1 percent) responded. Altogether, 15,027 salaries were reported for six categories of positions ranging from a low of $13,878 to a high of $241,280, with a mean of $52,188 and a median of $48,792. The survey is based on a survey of full-time positions in public and academic libraries.

The full report can be ordered by phone (1-866-746-7252) or online at the ALA Online Store (see www.alastore.ala.org/SiteSolution.taf?_sn=catalog2&_pn=product_detail&_op=1685). To see additional reports from the ALA Office for Research and Statistics, visit www.ala.org/ala/ors/reports/reports.htm