Contact: Jenifer Grady

Director, ALA-APA

312-280-2424

jgrady@ala.org

For Immediate Release

February 27, 2007

Libraries nationwide invited to participate in ALA-APA
Library Salary Survey

CHICAGO –Almost 4,000 public and academic libraries are being asked to participate in the 2007 ALA-APA Library Salary Survey.   This year, the Librarian and Non-MLS Salary Surveys are combined.  The deadline is Friday, March 30, 2007, for completing the Web-based survey.

Letters will be sent out the week of February 26 and will be addressed to the attention of the library director or human resources manager, in envelopes with the ALA-APA logo.

The public and academic libraries that receive the letter are part of a scientifically selected sample, chosen to reflect the variety of sizes of libraries as well as to ensure that the sample will be statistically significant for state salary data reporting.  It is very important that all who are asked to participate respond so that the surveys provide the highest quality information to managers who set and benchmark salaries and for library employees who are in the process of evaluating their career prospects. Participants receive a discount on the printed version.

Changes were made to the survey based on feedback from 2006.  There will only be one survey this year, which includes both MLS and Non-MLS positions.  Full-time and part-time salaries are requested, as well as how your institution defines full-time.  There are 68 positions, and for several, you may specify departments (or functional area).  For some positions, you may report MLS as well as non-MLS staff with similar responsibilities, e.g., director (MLS) and director (non-MLS).  Positions were redefined, added and removed from 2006.  Finally, no supplemental questions are included in 2007 because we respect that completion of this survey is a substantial task for many of you.

ALA has collected and published salary information on librarians with ALA-accredited masters degrees since 1982.   ALA-APA continues to consult with the ALA Office for Research and Statistics to conduct the survey.   In 2005, that survey was expanded to address the request by the library community to have state-level data.  In 2006, we conducted the first annual non-Masters degree in Library Science (non-MLS) Salary Survey.  

ALA-APA will soon launch the Library Salary Database with salaries from 68 librarian and non-MLS positions.  Users may choose reports for each position by library type, state and/or region.  There is a trial version of the database at http://cs.ala.org/websurvey/salarysurvey/trial/index.cfm.  There will be a special rate of $30 offered for the next few months for a one-month subscription to the database, which will have 30-day and annual subscription options.

If you have any questions, please contact the ALA-APA Office at 800-545-2433, x2424 or jgrady@ala.org.

ALA-APA: the Organization for the Advancement of Library Employees is a service organization to the American Library Association and the library community.  It has two missions: providing certification in specializations of librarianship and advocacy for salary improvement efforts.