I want to be in the Spotlight!

Spotlight on the SirsiDynix–ALA-APA Award for Outstanding Promotion of the Salaries and Status of Library Workers: Theresa McMahan

In our final installment of the 2007 SirsiDynix award winners, Library Worklife proudly presents Theresa McMahan, Library Director for the Sullivan County Library System. McMahan’s tireless efforts won her employees their first major pay increase in the library’s recent history. She also created a culture that inspires and supports professional development activities.

Headquartered in Blountville, Tennessee, with four branches countywide, the Sullivan County Library System operates on a budget of less than $750,000 and with a staff of 16. Yet McMahan and her colleagues have spearheaded innovative community outreach programs, and have identified and maintained partnerships with media sources, local business and schools to publicize the library’s services. McMahan also updated her library’s technology and provided avenues for the staff to master that technology. MORE

Indianapolis-Marion County Library Selects AFSCME As Union

On May 23, 2007, 146 staff members of the Indianapolis-Marion County Library voted to be represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 62. Voter turnout was high, at almost 90%, and 68% of those who voted were in favor of the decision. MORE

New Graduates Urged to Participate in Library Journal Salary Survey

If you graduated with a Master’s in 2006 and haven’t heard from your school about Library Journal’s annual survey of salaries and placements, please let your school know that you want to participate. MORE

Bridgewater-Raritan School District Trying to Save Library Assistants

By Kara L Richardson, Courier News (Bridgewater, NJ), May 24, 2007

To accommodate $1.6 million in budget cuts, the Bridgewater Township Council and Raritan Borough Council proposed to cut all library assistant positions. This cut would save the system over $200,000 in salaries and benefits. MORE

Chattanooga Library Seeks Funding For Staff

By Ian Berry, Chattanooga Times Free Press (TN), May 10, 2007

The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library is seeking an additional $481,000 each from the county and the city. MORE

Craig County Hires Part-Time Librarian

By Ruth L. Tisdale, The Roanoke Times (VA), May 23, 2007

The Craig County Board of Supervisors awarded the library more than $16,000 ... MORE

I want to write about Career Advancement!

Effective Habits, Habitual Effectiveness: Four Ways Library Employees Can Cultivate Excellence

In a recent article in the electronic version of The Chronicle of Higher Education, Yale University librarian Todd Gilman outlines “Four Habits of Highly Effective Librarians.”¹ By adapting bestselling author Steven R. Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Gilman equips academic library workers with strategies to improve their effectiveness in the workplace. Gilman’s habits are summarized below; visit his article on Chronicle Careers for more information. MORE

I want to write about HR Law!

Congress Approves Minimum Wage Increase

On May 25, 2007, President George W. Bush signed H.R. 2006, primarily authorizing increased and continued funding for the war in Iraq, but including a much-anticipated federal minimum wage increase from $5.15/hr to $7.25/hr. The bill, Making emergency supplemental appropriations and additional supplemental appropriations for agricultural and other emergency assistance for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2007, and for other purposes, passed in the U.S. House of Representatives 221-205 and in the Senate with an amendment by voice vote. It is now Public Law No: 110-028. MORE

The Louisiana Equal Pay for Women Act (House Bill 158)

The Louisiana Equal Pay for Women Act (House Bill 158) has been introduced in the 2007 session of the Louisiana State Legislature. HB 158 guarantees salaries will be equal regardless of gender if a job requires “equal skill, effort, education and responsibility.” MORE

I want to write about HR Practice!

A Profession Worth Defending: A Call for Advocacy!

An opinion piece by The Committee of Concerned Librarians (CCL), a Canadian advocacy group for librarians.

Librarians are the fierce defenders of the principles of intellectual freedom and access to all expressions of knowledge and intellectual activity. We are the defenders of equitable service policies and users’ rights to privacy and confidentiality. Yet we have failed to defend ourselves. The fervor librarians exhibit for libraries and their collections, whether in print or electronic formats, is noticeably absent when it comes to advocating for our own profession.

One might argue that libraries are comprised of all classes of employees, from librarians to clerical assistants to paraprofessionals. The absence of a significant number of librarian-only associations seems to support the stereotype of the "mild-mannered librarian": selfless, inclusive, democratic and -- less flatteringly -- timid or apathetic. This all-too-prevalent stereotype has accelerated deprofessionalization. MORE

I want to write about Recruitment!

Recruitment Online

The Nebraska Library Commission’s created this Work @ Your Library video for You Tube. MORE

I want to write about Salaries & Pay Equity!

Pay Gap Exists As Early As One Year out of College, Says New Research Report

WASHINGTON—New research released today by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation shows that just one year out of college, women working full time already earn less than their male colleagues, even when they work in the same field. Ten years after graduation, the pay gap widens.

In the report, Behind the Pay Gap, the AAUW Educational Foundation found that just one year after college graduation, women earn only 80 percent of what their male counterparts earn. Ten years after graduation, women fall further behind, earning only 69 percent of what men earn. Even after controlling for hours, occupation, parenthood, and other factors known to affect earnings, the research indicates that one‑quarter of the pay gap remains unexplained and is likely due to sex discrimination. Over time, the unexplained portion of the pay gap grows. MORE

I want to write about Statistics!

The Library Meets the Rest of the World: Who’s Getting Paid More? A Comparison of Library-Specific Positions and Non-Library-Specific Positions

By Florence M. Jumonville, Marilyn Hankel, and Janette J. Griffin

This first nation-wide study of the salaries of non-MLS personnel not only places those salaries in national perspective, it also spotlights the variety of such positions in the United States’ public and academic libraries. Some of those positions, such as shelver/page, interlibrary loan assistant and circulation clerk, are specific to libraries. With some adaptation, these positions have served libraries for many years. Other positions, such as webmaster, volunteer administrator and grant proposal writer, are found in various types of businesses and organizations, and are perceived as relative newcomers to library staffs, added in response to the growing role of technology and to the need to compensate for budget shrinkage. Instructive information can be gleaned by comparing data pertaining to library-specific and non-library-specific positions which do not require the MLS. MORE

I want to write about Support Staff!

Can a Substitution Pool Keep HR from Diving off the Deep End?

By Brian L. Mortimore, SPHR

Libraries struggle to maintain a talented, committed workforce. When employee turnover is high, customer service suffers. High turnover also harms staff morale when workers are forced to work extra shifts as managers scramble to fill vacancies. ...

Kent District Library (KDL) is the busiest library in the state of Michigan with over four million items in circulation. In 2006, KDL’s Human Resource Department developed a staffing strategy that decreases vacancy-to-staffing delays, saves management attention hours and decreases miss-hires. We hope that this strategy might help other libraries that struggle with high turnover, particularly in circulation. MORE