The Minority Report: Library Roles
Salary growth still lags behind overall average for minorities, except in the Southeast
Stephanie Maatta -- Library Journal, 10/10/2008
The other gap that exists is one of diversity. That said, graduates claiming ethnic and racial minority status fared better in the marketplace than did women in general. In 2007, approximately 11.8% of the graduating class claimed minority status. This has been consistent across the last several reporting periods, ranging from 12% in 2005 to 10.7% in 2006. Along with the ALA Spectrum Scholarship program, several of the LIS schools have received IMLS grants and other funding to recruit actively and retain minority students, and the profession is seeing the fruits of these efforts.
From 2006 to 2007, average starting salaries for minority graduates popped by 5.1%, growing from $40,750 to $42,831 and exceeding the 2005 high of $42,233. Contributing to the surge was an unprecedented 10.9% rise in salaries for minorities in the Southeast. This echoes the other signs of health in the Southeast. Unfortunately, a gender gap exists for minority graduates as well, with men earning 3.8% higher starting salaries than women ($44,828 compared to $43,656 in 2007). Much like the other positive trends for school library media centers, minority salaries sizzled for media specialists, with a 12.9% increase to $47,248.
