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Volume 3, No. 2• February 2006
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I want to be in the Spotlight!
In preparation for National Library Workers Day and Equal Pay Day in April, LW is publishing reviews of two books that purport to answer why a gender gap still remains in the salaries for most professions and what can be done to remedy the situation. We invite your comments.
Getting Even: Why Women Don’t Get Paid Like Men—And What to Do About It
By Evelyn Murphy, with E.J. Graff
Over her working lifetime, a woman will lose between $700,000 and $2 million—just because of her sex.
Most career women today earn only 77 cents for every dollar that is earned by their male counterparts. If you’re a woman, what would you do with that extra 23 cents, an increase of nearly one third on top of your current paycheck, a raise that got you even with men? GETTING EVEN ... discusses how the wage gap has been stalled for more than a decade and how it affects the daily lives of women throughout the country, at every economic level. MORE |
Exploiting the Gender Gap
By Warren Farrell, author of Why Men Earn More: The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap—and What Women Can Do About It.
NOTHING disturbs working women more than the statistics often mentioned on Labor Day showing that they are paid only 76 cents to men’s dollar for the same work. If that were the whole story, it should disturb all of us; like many men, I have two daughters and a wife in the work force. ...
After years of research, I discovered 25 differences in the work-life choices of men and women. All 25 lead to men earning more money, but to women having better lives. MORE
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Diversity Research Grants Call for Proposals
The American Library Association’s Office for Diversity is pleased to announce its 2006–2007 Diversity Research Grants Call for Proposals. MORE
Librarians Vote in Favor of Forming Labor Union
The Enquirer (Cincinnati, OH), January 31, 2006
Saying they wanted a stronger voice, a majority of librarians at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County voted January 30th in favor of forming a union. MORE
Piedmont (WV) Librarian Works Many Hours Without Pay
By Bobbie L. Carpenter, Clayton News Daily-Online (MD), February 2, 2006
As Piedmont librarian for 32 years, Paula Boggs has watched generations of children pass through the doors of the corner library on Child’s Avenue. When the two major funding sources for the library—the Allegany and Mineral County United Way—didn’t reach their goal this year, she knew there was a possibility the building she spent her life in would be forced to slash hours or even close completely. MORE
Clinton (LA) Library Board Approves Operating Budget, Raises
The Advocate (LA), December 16, 2005
The Audubon Regional Library’s Board of Control on December 15, 2005, approved a tight operating budget for 2006 that includes raises of approximately 7 percent for employees. MORE
Memphis Public Library Must Cut Spending
By Lela Garlington, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN), January 27, 2006
The Memphis public library must cut $700,000 from its operating budget for the upcoming year, part of the city administration’s drive to reduce costs across departments, according to the board. The library system plans to leave between 30–40 positions unfilled, saving about $500,000. Other cost savings will be achieved by canceling or cutting existing contracts and purchasing fewer supplies and materials. MORE
Mesa (AZ) Public Libraries Facing Budget Crisis
By Art Thomason, The Arizona Republic, January 25, 2006
The Mesa, Arizona, Public Library is dealing with what some would see as crushing blows as the budget was cut $500,000 and 42 staff positions have been lost over the past year. Services and programming have been scaled down or eliminated even as circulation and visitation grows. MORE
Salinas (CA) Still Squeezed for Money
By Claudia Melendez Salinas, Monterey County Herald (CA), January 18, 2006, and February 8, 2006
Salinas City Council voted on January 17, 2006, to increase library hours to 69 a week and hire three librarians and two clerks. Rally Salinas, a campaign to raise funds to keep libraries open when money from the city could not cover operations, will pay for additional staff. MORE
Pennsylvania Area Facilities Rebound after State Funding Cuts Two Years Ago
By Hal Marcovitz, Morning Call (Allentown, PA), January 11, 2006
For two years, state funding for Pennsylvania libraries was halved. Bucks County Free Library and others have recalled laid-off workers, re-instated positions, increased library hours and services, and resumed buying materials due, in small part to the state restoring funds, but in larger part to assistance from private donors, local governments, and grants. MORE
I want to write about Career Advancement!
Where Is Norman Rockwell When You Need Him? Appreciating the Results of Challenges
By Larry Nash White, Ph.D.
In one of my more recent librarian incarnations, I served as a Library Director for a quiet, rural Midwestern public library. The library was an old Carnegie library building with all wood floors, a hearth fireplace, and a beautiful wooden staircase to the top floor. The town the library served was the picture of the middle class Mid-West, sleeping peacefully and lazily along the Ohio River. The library staff was convinced that their lives were full of hectic challenges like the office being too cold, or Mr. Jones always sneaking off to lunch early and leaving someone stuck on the reference desk by themselves for three minutes, or the worst: running out of coffee in the staff lounge. Yet, I was amazed at the peace and quiet in the building. To me, our library was like working in a library featured in a Norman Rockwell painting... MORE
What’s Stopping You? Achieving Success by Avoiding Procrastination
By Julius Rhodes
As a child I often heard my parents say, “never put off ’till tomorrow what you can do today.” Unfortunately in our society today more often than not we are faced with a reversal of fortune that says, “never do today what you can put off ’til tomorrow.” Procrastination is not only rampant in our world but it has reached epidemic if not pandemic proportions.MORE
American Library Association offers e-Learning Service for members
CHICAGO-The American Library Association (ALA) has contracted with the Southeast Florida Library Information Network (SEFLIN) to make more than 1,500 e-learning courses from Element K®, the largest provider of Web-based courseware in the country, available to ALA members at affordable prices starting January 20, 2006. MORE
I want to write about Certification!
Seven Courses Approved for Public Library Administrator Certification Program
Chicago—The American Library Association-Allied Professional Association Certified Public Library Administrator Program (CPLA) Certification Review Committee has approved seven courses in its first provider application review during the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting in San Antonio, Texas. MORE
I want to write about HR Practice!
Evaluation Instruments—More than the Forms.
By Julie Todaro, Ph.D.
Of all the human resources issues and management responsibilities "out there," evaluating employees is the most hated. Managers hate to evaluate; employees hate to be evaluated. It doesn’t seem to matter whether employees feel they are doing well or not, and it doesn’t seem to matter if managers are going to give an employee a good evaluation or a bad one—everyone hates to evaluate. Evaluations should be taken as an opportunity to sum up and provide specific direction on performance elements and discussions that have been occurring all year long. MORE
Editorial: Health Insurance Problems and Solutions in Libraries
By Jon Goodell
Library Journal recently reported that entry level salaries for librarians entering the job market in 2004 rose by 2.91% past 2003 levels. Although this increase does not keep up with inflation, hovering around 3.5%, it is much better than the previous year (October 15, 2005 online edition). Unfortunately, from the view of many library employees this upward trend is outweighed by the dramatic rise in health care expenses. MORE
I want to write about Salaries & Pay Equity!
Working@Your Library Free Video Guide
Remember the video—Working@Your Library: For Love or Money? It now has a FREE detailed guide to accompany it that will help those who are convincing your colleagues, managers, trustees, and elected officials that it is fair and possible to align library workers’ salaries with those positions requiring similar education and responsibility. MORE
I want to write about Statistics!
Finding Local Library Salaries: Not Just from Black Box Web Sites
By Joseph R. Zumalt
For most, the job seeking and negotiating salary and benefits process can seem like a daunting task. Naturally, people looking for work find it easy to first consult the Web. Job posting and salary information can be accessed on several popular Web sites. Having an average figure from a salary survey does not give one the information one needs to negotiate an individual salary in a larger organization. Where can one find information on local salary structures? MORE
I want to write about Support Staff!
IN TRIBUTE: Gerald Hodges, a True Friend to Support Staff
By Jennifer Kutzik
 Gerald Hodges, Associate Executive Director for Communications and Marketing for the American Library Association, passed away on Jan. 10. Honoring his wishes, there will be no formal funeral services.
Library support staff are indebted to Gerald for his tireless recruiting efforts, resulting in our increased participation and visibility at all levels of ALA. MORE
Keep Your Job Growing
By Cheryl Teresi
You finally got the job you’ve always wanted (or needed) as a library support staff employee! Everyday you arrive at work happy to be there, learning the job, making new friends. Day after day you are doing the same thing—if you are a circulation clerk, you’re checking in and checking out; writing up reserves and unpacking delivery. The magic is gone. After awhile you start to think, "Is this all there is?" Where did the joy and job satisfaction go? You also come to the realization you are not going to move up the “corporate” ladder, either because you don’t want to or can’t. How do you make your job more interesting and like it more? MORE
I want to write about Work/Life!
Library Worker By Day, Blogger By Night: Using Blogs to Increase Visibility in Your Library
By Gwyneth Mibeck
Looking for a fun place to take your break? Don’t move! The blogosphere is your ticket to knowledge as current as today’s entry. Either an informed library worker sharing ideas with colleagues, or a speaker on behalf of a whole library system, bloggers and blogs are the latest technology to increase awareness among library users. MORE
Librarianship Is an Excellent Career!
Librarianship was on the list of "Excellent Careers for 2006" in an article by Marty Nemko, in the U.S. News & World Report, posted on January 5, 2006. Nemko says it’s an underrated career and predicts job growth for librarians in nontraditional settings. MORE
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