Library Worklife

ALA-APA News

Library Disparity Shows up in Salary

Workers at Small Sites Struggle with Benefits

By Victor Greto
06/29/2004, www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2004/06/29librarydisparit.html

As director of the Frankford Public Library, Joan Loewenstein gets to talk to patrons regularly about their lives, the weather, their kids and their interests.

She’s surrounded by stuffed shelves of books and works in the town she’s grown to love.

But in the job that has become her second career, she only makes about $25,000 a year and gets no benefits.

She’s just started a distance-learning, two-year master’s degree program in library science from the University of Pittsburgh. She’s gotten a $10,000 loan from the state to help, but that will pay for barely a third of the coming year’s tuition.

Yet even armed with a degree, Loewenstein does not expect any major bumps in salary, comprehensive benefits, or even a larger library. She’s not complaining, either. This is just the way things are.

But it’s a situation that some librarians want to change. Low wages and benefits for librarians are a national issue, said Carol Brey-Casiano, president-elect of the American Library Association and director of the El Paso (Texas) Public Library.

According to a 2003 survey, salaries of librarians nationwide range from $18,500 to $276,500. The median is $47,914.

“This has been a struggle for the library profession, and it started 100 years ago when we were definitely a female-oriented position,” she said. “The assumption was that there was a breadwinner at home.”

The state’s Division of Libraries recently hired consultants, in part to address inequities in librarian pay, the lack of benefits for many, and unequal service levels, especially in the smaller libraries in Sussex County.

Some of those challenges may be traced to differences in the way Delaware libraries are governed. The state effectively has four library systems: Wilmington, and those in the three counties. Outside of Wilmington’s independent library and its three branches, there are eight county libraries and three independents in New Castle County. Kent County has one county library, one independent and three city libraries. Sussex County has 11 independent (including Frankford) and three county libraries.

Frankford’s library, once home to a bank, looks nostalgically cozy—especially when older patrons gather at the front desk talking about everything under the southeastern Delaware sun.

The coziness of the library can stifle growth, however. It is out of room, and has been out of room for years. The shelves cannot hold another book, and the state consultants have said shelves should be no more than 80 percent filled.

The books Loewenstein weeds out often end up in boxes in a little green shed nearby, which a local contractor built for free.

She has had the ducts in the mechanical room insulated so water won’t drip on the computer servers in a corner, near a pile of few-days-old newspapers. “There’s no room to keep them out there for more than a couple of days,” Loewenstein said.

She is fortunate, professionally and personally, that her husband provides her with benefits, and will help pay for schooling.

The library’s lack of benefits may force Terra Hudson, 23, to leave her job as circulation clerk. After nearly six years of part-time work, she is set to go full time by the end of summer.

Even if she gets the three extra hours, the only benefits she will receive are six vacation days and six sick days.

She may need them, because Hudson has asthma and spends about $200 a month for medication. While getting a degree at Delaware Technical & Community College, she was covered through her parents’ medical plan. After graduating last year, she had to get off the plan, stopped her medication, and got so ill she went into the hospital.

Although living with her parents and supplementing the $8.50 an hour she earns at the library by selling Mary Kay cosmetics, Hudson has $26 left over from her paycheck every other week, after paying medical bills, student loans and a car payment.

She’s thinking of applying for a county library position for its employee benefits, but she doesn’t want to leave Frankford.

“It’s going to have to happen because I have to have benefits,” she said.

Even if the independent libraries join with the county for benefits, the pay would not be much higher.

June Moran, Southern Coastal Public Library’s director, said that although her library is under the county, “We start entry level at $17,000, so it doesn’t matter if we’re county or town in that respect. I’ve lost an employee because she couldn’t afford to live here.”

Even so, “We’re grateful for the benefits,” she said.

Only five miles from Frankford sits Selbyville’s public library, converted from a former governor’s home and recently reopened an addition.

Its director, 26-year-old Jill DiPaolo, earns $28,500 a year. She also has no benefits, but receives a $300 monthly stipend to help defray health costs.

Although DiPaolo is just starting her career in library work, like Loewenstein, she has begun to pursue a master’s degree in library science. Also like Loewenstein, DiPaolo describes herself as a jack-of-all-trades, helping patrons and staff, ordering books, managing employee schedules and watching the budget.

DiPaolo said she tried to get some of the independent librarians and staff together to enlist enough people for a health plan, but it remained too expensive. “It’s tough to get quality people without benefits,” she said.

Lois Dorman, director of the Millsboro Public Library, said compensation is a big issue.

“My youth services coordinator left because of salary,” she said. “It is difficult to retain staff when they can find better compensation and benefits elsewhere.”

The paradox for both Loewenstein and DiPaolo is that if Delaware or Sussex County adopted more stringent measures for library directors, neither might have their jobs because neither yet has a master’s degree in library science. Loewenstein said the money and benefits were never a motivating factor for her, though.

“I found my niche at this stage in my life,” she said. “I’m just so happy to have found something I love to do. It’s different every day, and patrons sense that we like helping them.”

Reach Victor Greto at 324-2832 or vgreto@delawareonline.com.

Educator’s Reference Desk Seeks Volunteers

“The Educator’s Reference Desk [a project of the Information Institute of Syracuse] is looking for librarians to help maintain the online resource collection available at this Web site. The collection focuses specifically on the practice and theory of education. Interested volunteers should be familiar with sources of education information on the Internet, have experience with Internet search tools and evaluation of online information sources, and have a basic knowledge of html or web-editing software (e.g. FrontPage).”

As you may recall, the sixteen federally funded ERIC clearinghouses were closed in December 2003. Experts staffed the clearinghouses, answering questions, analyzing research and writing reports. The government contracted with Computer Sciences Corporation to “streamline” ERIC. The new site will be up on September 1, 2004.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you agree with Jean Peterson of the New York Public Library, that librarians should not volunteer because, “this work includes maintaining files, checking links for integrity, identifying new resources and deleting old ones. This requires a Librarian’s time and expertise of html and knowledge of web editing software. These are marketable skills that librarians are paid to do.” Do you think librarians should volunteer? Send feedback to the Editor.

No Room for Poverty Rally

The Community Action Partnership is holding the "No Room for Poverty" National Rally September 4, 2004, on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. to unify the nation around the need to end poverty. Focus on five key areas: health care, jobs, housing, education, and the Digital Divide. The Partnership is calling for a White House Conference on American Poverty because they believe that only the White House can assemble expert theorists, practitioners, and policymakers needed to address this issue. They also feel it is of utmost importance for the nation to tackle fundamental issues that particularly impact low-income Americans. www.povertyrally.org

Special Library Association’s Diversity Leadership Development Program

www.sla.org/content/SLA/awardsrecognition/awardsdescriptions/dlpnomform.cfm

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Round Table Changes Dues

GLBTRT now has the following categories of membership and dues, beginning in September 2004:

$15.00 regular member
$5.00 student member
$20.00 corporate/organization member

As Political Conventions Hit Headlines, Libraries Help Citizens “Register to Vote @ your library^®”

Libraries can register online for free program materials through September

With the Democratic National Convention wrapping up in Boston this week and the Republican National Convention poised to begin in just one month, the upcoming Presidential election is dominating the headlines. Among all of the growing chatter, libraries across the country are helping their communities be prepared to make an informed decision when they head to the polls in November.

One way libraries are helping citizens get ready is by participating in Register to Vote @ your library®, a nationwide voter registration drive sponsored by ALA and Working Assets. To date, more than 1,500 libraries have signed up for the program, which allows individuals in most states throughout the country to register to vote or update their registration information at a single Web site: www.yourvotematters.org/ala. Libraries can still register to receive free promotional materials in the mail through early September at www.ala.org/requestmaterials.

When citizens register to vote through this Web site, they help raise funds for library advocacy thanks to a generous grant from Working Assets. Voters in all states, except New Hampshire, North Dakota and Wyoming, are eligible to complete registration via this Web site.

Here is a sample of how libraries across the country are promoting the Register to Vote @ your library program and helping their communities stay on top of local and national issues:

New Port Richey Public Library, Fla.: The library hosts an elections web page with a link to the Register to Vote program, as well as links to local and national election resources and to various advocacy groups. It has also hosted a series of programs intended to make complex issues, such as health care reform and gun control, clear and relevant to today’s voters. Community leaders and educators have participated in the series and local media has covered the programs.
Roy O. West Library, DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind. : The library’s new web page—www.depauw.edu/library/voting—links to the Register to vote Web site as well as to current news sources that have pages devoted to election updates. It also puts users in touch with candidate information, including bipartisan sites as well as official position pages from major candidates. Among other activities, the library has reached out to faculty in the political science, history and communications departments to make sure they know that librarians are available to meet with their students to talk about how to find information on candidates and elections.
Medina County District Library, Medina, Ohio: This fall, the six branches of the Medina County District Library will promote the Register to Vote @ your library program. The Register to Vote program buttons and bookmarks will complement displays about the upcoming general election, featuring books and the library’s own "Election Notebooks," which contain local candidate and issue information, polling locations, and newspaper clippings. In addition, the children’s department is having an election of its own: children will be able to cast their vote for their favorite children’s book character.
Newark High School, Newark, Del.: The library used information from the Register to Vote @ your library program at a technology fair in May, where a state senator helped students register to vote on-line.
William C. Overfelt Library, San Jose, Calif.: When school begins again in the fall, the library will promote the Register to Vote program to high school seniors, sponsor register days in the library, and try to get all the seniors absentee voter cards to fill in. The Register to Vote site is included on the library’s web page.

For more election season programming ideas, to register to have free promotional materials sent to your library or to find out about grants that will be awarded to libraries in zip codes with the largest number of registrants, visit www.ala.org/registertovote.

For more information about Working Assets, visit www.workingassets.com.

Contact: Megan Humphrey, Campaign Coordinator, 312-280-4020

ALA-APA Establishes a Union Electronic Discussion List

ALA-APA has established an electronic discussion list for those who are interested in and participating in unions. It is an open forum for asking questions, sharing news and carrying on discussions. To subscribe, send an e-mail to apa-union-subscribe@ala-apa.org.

Orange County Library System Union Contract Renewal Update

Submitted by John Henkle

Negotiations continue at the Orange County Library System in Orlando for the professional unit contract renewal. The previous contract expired June 14, but all provisions remain in force except pay raises and COPE deductions which management refused to continue withholding. The last 2 sessions have yielded some progress with agreement reached on most non-economic issues.

The main economic items still under discussion involve parity. The union is seeking to obtain benefits extended to other employees after the previous contract was signed. Among these are sick leave cash out, fully paid health insurance, retiree insurance, and attendance requirements. The union is also seeking larger pay increases. Bargaining unit employees have been contractually limited to 4% raises while the other employees have averaged 8.4 %. 67% of the raises given to managers over the last 3 years have been 5% or higher with some of them granted semiannually. Given the circumstances, the union believes this is a reasonable request.

The current contract also has no link between annual evaluations and pay raises. Management seeks to re-establish this but the union feels that evaluations have too often been subjective and used punitively.

Another meeting is scheduled for Monday, 8/9/2004.