Academic Library Salaries Rising

At institutions that are part of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), librarian salaries outperformed inflation for the fourth consecutive year, according to the ARL Annual Salary Survey, 2007–08. The combined median professional salary for academic librarians working in U.S. and Canadian ARL institutions was $61,833—a 3.7 percent increase.

By contrast, LJ's 2008 Placements & Salaries Survey (see “Jobs and Pay Both Up,” LJ 10/15/08, p. 30–38, and extended visual coverage at LibraryJournal.com) found that starting salaries rose by 3.1 percent for new graduates.

The ARL survey analyzes salary data for all professional staff working in the 123 ARL member libraries. Beginning salaries in the 113 ARL university libraries increased to $41,125, a 2.8 percent bump but roughly half the 5.5 percent increase from the previous year.

As highlighted in LJ's survey, gender-based salary differentials persist; the overall salary for women in the 113 ARL university libraries was 95.4 percent that of men. While the gap has closed over the years, analysts wonder whether it can be closed further. “There is a sense that the gender gap persists in academe in areas beyond the library and that a renewed commitment to resolve the problem is needed,” the report notes, saying female-dominated professions are undervalued.