| Volume 4, No. 3 • March
2007
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I want to be in the Spotlight!
The ALA-APA Presidential Candidates Speak
Elections will be held in the spring! The candidates for ALA President are Jim Rettig, University Librarian at the University of Richmond (VA), and Nancy Davenport, President of the Council on Library and Information Resources. As the victor will also serve as ALA-APA President, the candidates were asked, “How would you would represent ALA-APA as President in 2007–2008?” Here are their responses.
Nancy Davenport
ALA-APA was created to fulfill several functions for ALA members: advocacy, more vigorous than that permitted to ALA, an organization with a 501(c)(3) status; to focus attention on the need for significant increases in library staff salaries; and to provide a mechanism to create certification programs for individuals. MORE
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Jim Rettig
http://rettigforala.org
I believe in the ALA-APA! Since its creation I have made an annual financial contribution to ALA-APA. Because I believe in the ALA-APA I have included it in my presidential campaign platform. In my platform I pledge to “Strengthen the ALA-APA so it will make a positive difference in the lives of library workers.” MORE
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National Library Workers Day Is April 17!
Start the celebration early for National Library Workers Day (NLWD) by submitting information about your favorite worker and what makes him or her special to the NLWD Stars Web site—http://www.ala-apa.org/about/nlwdstarsform.html. NLWD is celebrated on Tuesday, April 17, during the American Library Association (ALA)-sponsored National Library Week. MORE
Chilean Library Celebrates Worker Contributions Every July 10
Last month Library Worklife reported on Australia’s celebrations of library workers, Library Lovers’ Day and National Library Technicians’ Day. In our March issue we would like to feature the Severin Public Library of Valparaíso in Santiago, Chile. According to librarian Marta Moenen Barahona, every July 10 this library celebrates the contributions of professional librarians, administrators and auxiliary personnel. MORE
Salinas Strives to Fund Library Worker Salaries, Benefits
Original article by Robert Salonga, The Californian (Salinas, CA), February 27, 2007
Salinas, California, has valiantly rallied from its recent budget crisis. Yet the city struggles to fund the salaries and benefits of many city positions, including those of library workers.
Tax revenues and grants have restored $10 million of the $15 million cut from the budget during the lean years. And over the last year, the libraries, once in jeopardy, have steadily increased their operating hours. Yet the full restoration of some key services—including the libraries—has not yet arrived, and city officials face difficult decisions: $1.6 million that would have been allocated to salaries and benefits is now funding much-needed sidewalk repairs. MORE
Library Board OKs Budget Draft; Preliminary Budget Set at $7.56 Million
Original Article by Harry Franklin, State Editor, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (GA), February 23, 2007
The Muscogee County Library Board allotted almost 70% of its preliminary 2007–2008 budget to salaries, benefits, and a 3% across-the-board raise.
The county’s School Board must also approve this budget, currently set at $7.56 million. The board will review the draft at its March meeting. MORE
I want to write about Career Advancement!
How to Diminish a Profession without Really Trying
By Christopher Shaffer
A department head was showing a recent hire around our small campus and she brought him into my office, introducing me as “The Librarian.” Shaking off images of a khaki-clad Noah Wylie, I explained that I was indeed the library’s interim director, and that our facility employed two other librarians. ... Her confusion stemmed from a recent transition. In March 2005, librarians at Troy University’s Dothan campus achieved faculty status. Before this time only the library director was considered faculty; the university classified all other librarians as staff. As staff, these librarians were not encouraged to publish, attend conferences or partake of any other faculty privileges or responsibilities. MORE
Library Journal to Publish Long-Awaited Job Satisfaction Survey
On May 1, 2007, the Library Journal will publish the results of its first job satisfaction survey of the 21st century. Library Journal solicited responses from librarians and library workers on its website. Editor-in-Chief Francine Fialkoff plans to conduct two other surveys, one on non-MLS librarians and one on librarians of color. MORE
I want to write about Certification!
CPLA Approves Candidates and Online Courses
The Certified Public Library Administrator Program (CPLA) Certification Review Committee (CRC) approved 28 candidates and eight more program courses at the 2007 American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting in Seattle. The Public Library Association (PLA) will manage the new courses. The next deadline is March 16, 2007.
The Certified Public Library Administrator program is a voluntary post-MLS certification program for public librarians with three years or more of supervisory experience and ALA-accredited master’s degrees in library and information studies. MORE
Certification Program for Library Practitioners
On February 23, the Western Council of State Libraries (WCSL), a professional association of 22 state libraries, announced the start of its Library Practitioner Certification program. The certificate provides recognition for library directors and managers who do not hold a master's degree in library science. WCSL accepts candidates from all 50 states.
Developed with support from an Institute of Museum and Library (IMLS) grant in response to calls for improved training opportunities, the Western Council identified a set of competencies that define the skills and knowledge needed for success as a library practitioner. The Certification program is based on these competencies. MORE
I want to write about HR Law!
U.S. House Passes Employee Free Choice Act
ALA-APA’s June 2006 resolution supporting the Employee Free Choice Act has borne fruit: on March 1, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 800, 241 to 185. Senators expect the bill to reach the Senate floor in the next few weeks.
The Employee Free Choice Act, which amends the National Labor Relations Act, “goes a long way toward protecting library employees who form unions,” says Emily Sheketoff, Executive Director of the ALA’s Washington, D.C. office. MORE
I want to write about HR Practice!
It’s Not Too Late: Last-Minute Tax Tips, Plus Two Changes for 2007
By Christine Martin
Tax returns on due on April 16 this year, a day later than usual because April 15 falls on a Sunday. As most librarians know, the IRS Web site (http://www.irs.gov) provides forms and publications, and IRS Publication 17 (“Your Federal Income Tax”) is a good place to start. So if you haven’t filed your return yet, you may find the following tips helpful. MORE
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want to write about Salaries & Pay Equity!
WAGE Survey Collecting Pay (In)Equity Stories
The WAGE (Women Are Getting Even) Project is soliciting data and stories from women across the country who may have experienced pay discrimination. The organization will be collecting information until March 22, 2007. They will release the collective national data on Equal Pay Day, April 24, 2007, and the findings from this survey will be posted on their web site (http://www.wageproject.org). MORE
ALA-APA Is Part of the Illinois WAGE Hub
The Illinois WAGE Hub Web page is now linked and live on the WAGE Project site (http://www.wageproject.org). It is linked under Community WAGE Clubs from the Main WAGE Club. Visit their website at
http://www.wageproject.org/content/illinoiswage/illinoismainpage.php. MORE
Pennsylvania Minimum Librarian Salary is $33,748, According to 2006 Update
In March 1996 the Pennsylvania Library Association Board of Directors endorsed a structure of minimum salaries and benefits for library staff. Last year PaLA adjusted the 1996 salaries by 2006’s CPI increase of 2.5 %, and the PaLA Board endorsed the following minimum salaries ... MORE
Jim Rettig Blogs about Low Salaries in Virginia Library Systems
On February 2, 2007, the Newport News (VA) Daily Press reported that librarians in the Blackwater Regional Library System receive a starting salary of $21,280. The system plans a study that will place this salary in context with those of other area public libraries.
The following response, by Jim Rettig, was published as a letter to the editor. Library Worklife reprints the letter from a February 4, 2007 entry on Rettig’s blog, Twilight Librarian—Jim Rettig’s ruminations on libraries, librarianship, the infosphere and more, http://keillor.richmond.edu/blojsom/blog/jrettig.
The bad news is the $21,280 starting salary for librarians in Isle of Wight and Surry counties. The good news is that the Daily Press has brought attention to this sorry state of affairs. MORE
2007 ALA Annual Conference Explores Wage Concerns of Rural, Small Libraries
Salaries for librarians working in rural areas have historically been far below those of their urban counterparts. How can rural libraries make their salaries more competitive and attract qualified job candidates? A program at the 2007 ALA Annual Conference will address this topic in Washington, DC. The program is entitled “Rural and Small Libraries vs. Small Salaries.” Panelists will discuss where salaries now stand and how several rural and small libraries are addressing salary concerns. MORE
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want to write about Staff Support!
Library Journal Paraprofessional of the Year
By Sue Knoche, President ALA/LSSIRT
Library Journal declared Jackie Cornette Paraprofessional of the Year 2007. Jackie manages the Western Branch of the Watauga County Library, one of three county library systems headquartered in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. MORE
I want to write about Work/Life!
Office Fitness
By Br. Raphael Daoud Jackson
Lower back pain and injuries are common ailments among Americans. Many assume that lower back pain or injury usually results from heavy lifting or other physically strenuous activities that accompany an active lifestyle. But this assumption is false. ... A slight adjustment in our daily work routine can enable us to combat the plague of chronic back problems and increase our overall health, appearance, attitude and productivity. MORE |
