Library Worklife

Statistics

Comments on West Virginia Public Libraries Salary Survey 2004

By Steve Fesenmaier, State Data Coordinator, WV Library Commission

Every two years The West Virginia Library Commission surveys salaries for its 97 main libraries. This is only the second time that the results have been posted to the agency’s Web site.

This year we decided to post tables that show the information for our public libraries based on the service population and expenditures. Libraries with larger populations and larger expenditures usually pay their staff higher salaries.

This year for the first time we surveyed our staff for benefits. Approximately 1/3 of our MLS library directors did NOT have full benefits. Only about half of our non-MLS directors—most WV public library directors do NOT have a MLS—have full benefits. Fortunately, almost all of the non-director MLS staff did receive full benefits. Only 170 non-MLS staff of the 273 received full benefits.

Below you will see tables created that were not posted. They are similar to the ones we created in 2002, which show comparisons nationally and regionally for several positions, but not all—MLS directors and beginning MLS librarians. ALA’s annual salary survey only surveys for MLS positions. Hopefully this will change in the future.

The survey from this year included 87 of our 97 libraries, a 23 % increase over the 2002 survey. 40 % more staff results were reported this year. The most important change noted by the survey is that despite the increase in reporting libraries, there was a DECREASE in full-time library assistants—and a 113 % increase in PART-TIME assistants.

WV MLS library directors earn approximately 30-40% less than the national and Southeast means and median incomes. Since all but a few of our libraries are in towns of populations less than 50,000, this is not surprising. MLS non-director staff earn $2,767 LESS than the median for BEGINNING MLS staff who earned $35, 911.

According to the FSCS comparison table for total staff expenditures for FY 2002, WV ranks 48th at $8.62 per capita with three states lower. Ohio is the first ranked state at $31.64—spending three times as much per capita on library staff salaries.

2004 Library Staff Salaries

Bibliography of Selected Sources

Compiled by Steve Fesenmaier, WVLC State Data Coordinator, July 1, 2004

AFL/CIO (American Federation of Labor/Congress of Industrial Organizations). Living wage. Internet on-line. Available from www.aflcio.org/yourjobeconomy/livingwage.
AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees). LaborLinks including Living and Minimum Wage. Internet on-line. Available from www.afscme.org/otherlnk/weblnk30.htm. [July 1, 2004]
ALA-APA (American Library Association-Allied Professional Association), New affiliate of ALA created to lobby for improving library staff salaries. Internet on-line. Available from www.ala-apa.org . [July 1, 2004]
American Library Association. (2003). ALA Survey of Librarian Salaries 2003. Chicago, IL: American Library Association. [only available in print edition]. Summary [July 1, 2004]
Association of Research Libraries. (2003–2004). Annual Salary Survey 2003–2004. Washington, DC: Association of Research Libraries. Internet on-line. Available from www.arl.org/stats/salary>. [July 1, 2004]
Chute, Adrienne, and Kroe, Elaine. (2003). Table A10. Total staff expenditures and salaries and wages expenditures per capita: Fiscal year 2001. Public Libraries in the United States: Fiscal Year 2001 (p. 118). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Internet on-line. Available from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2003399. [June 30, 2004]
Freedman, Mitch. (July 2004). Special Presidential Task Force on Better Salaries and Pay Equity. Internet on-line. Available from www.mjfreedman.org/freedmantf/tfhome.html. [July 1, 2004]
Institute of Industrial Relations Library. More than 400 contracts including those for librarians and staff. Internet on-line. Available from www.iir.berkeley.edu/library/contracts/index.html. [July 1, 2004]
Leslie Burger and Beverly Lynch, "Pushing for Higher Library Salaries: Now or Never?" American Libraries , Jan 2003, Vol. 34 Issue 1, p55, 3p, 2c. Internet on-line. Available from Ebsco Database
Mary Jo Lynch, "Librarian Salaries Increase 0.7% More Than Other Civilian Workers," American Libraries 34, no. 10 (Oct. 2003). Internet on-line. Available from www.ala.org/ala/ors/reports/alasalarysurvey summary.htm. [July 1, 2004]
National Committee on Pay Equity. Internet on-line. Available from www.pay-equity.org/info-education.html. [July 1, 2004]
Occupational Outlook Handbook , 2004–2005 Edition. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Internet on-line. Available from: www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm
Librarian—www.bls.gov/oco/ocos068.htm.
Library Technicians—www.bls.gov/oco/ocos113.htm.
Library Assistants—www.bls.gov/oco/ocos147.htm.

Steve Fesenmaier is State Data Coordinator at the WV Library Commission.