Library Worklife

Salaries & Pay Equity

Working @ your library

For LOVE or MONEY Advocacy Video Is Here!

for Love or Money video The crowd-pleasing ALA-APA video, Working @ your library: For Love or Money, was debuted at the American Library Association Annual Conference in Orlando. It was shown in many forums, including an advocacy program hosted on Sunday by Advocacy Subcommittee and at the ALA-APA Board of Directors meeting. But the highlight was seeing it on the big screen, before the viewing of Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 911.

Featured in the 10.5 minute video are library workers representing public, academic and school libraries. Those interviewed showed the value and challenges of their work, whether it was acquisitions, archives, directing, facilities management, network administration, reference or training patrons.

The cheers from the audience made it clear that the film accomplished four goals:

Illustrating the importance of work done by library workers
Highlighting the variety of work done by library workers
Emphasizing the inequities of library pay in comparison to other similarly trained professions
Making it clear that something must be done

This video and the Advocating for Better Salaries and Pay Equity Toolkit are important tools as you formulate strategies for 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.

How Can You Get a Copy?

The video is your free gift with a donation to the ALA-Allied Professional Association of $25 or more. You may also order a copy by faxing (312-944-6131) or mailing the form to ALA-APA, 50 East Huron, Chicago, IL 60611.

The video was the brainchild of past-ALA President Maurice J. (Mitch) Freedman, now Chair of the Standing Committee on the Salaries and Status of Library Workers. ALA-APA thanks Mary Berman, co-Chair of the video project, and the countless others who coordinated, starred in, interviewed for, submitted stories for and produced the video.