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Salaries of Academic Librarians: A study of living wages

Stephen Woody
Emporia State University

Abstract

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The purpose of this research paper is to provide an oversight into the current situation regarding
salaries of Academic Librarians. An analysis will be conducted over the state of Academic
Librarians to determine if salaries are increasing over time, to investigate where academic
librarians are paid the best and why, along with exploring the gender gap of median salaries.
Introduction
As any newcomer to the real world who has just graduated from school can attest to,
there are many aspects on the next chapter of ones life that one must consider. Places to live,
where to find work, potential relationships both personal and professional, and money. As
individuals enter the workforce one of the driving factors has been and always will be, salary. It
is central to the question of what do I want to be when I grow up. Even if the prospect of
making money is not a top priority, individuals must still consider the trade-offs of not earning a
big salary. When considering earning potential there are various factors that come in to play.
Most importantly how much will I earn is on top of that list. Upon entering the field of
interviews, individuals will often look to what regions or areas are hiring, and attempting to
identify where the salaries are the best compared to the cost of living. This article will seek to
point out and reveal why a difference in salaries for similar position exists across the United
States. Finally, it is important for the individual to understand the challenges that he or she may
face when seeking to argue for a specific salary, as in the case of Academic Librarians, woman
often earn less than their male counter parts.

Role of an Academic Librarian

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For the purposes of this paper, it is important to describe the typical role of an Academic
Librarian to inform the reader of what an Academic Librarian is being compensated for. One of
the most cited sources for statistics with regards to jobs available in the United States is the
Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS is an extension of the U.S Department of Labor whose main
objective is to observe labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the
economy (BLS, 2015). The BLS creates and maintains profiles for nearly all job and career fields
in the United States and as such, applies descriptions to each field or position. The BLS website
provides an overview of the field of librarianship in general which can include public, academic,
and special librarians and for this paper, the focus will be maintained on Academic Librarians.
The BLS gives a broad description of a librarian as being someone who Administer libraries
and perform related library services. Work in a variety of settings, including public libraries,
educational institutions, museums, corporations, government agencies, law firms, non-profit
organizations, and healthcare providers. (BLS 2015). With such a job description, and an
ongoing struggle within the career field to prove its worth, librarians are consistently arguing for
better wages.
What The Statistics Say
Statistically the Bureau of Labor Statistics contains statistics for the entire field of
librarianship, but for the purposes of this paper, only statistics that are relevant to Academic
Librarianship will be included. The entire occupational field consists of 133,150 people
according to the latest survey conducted back in May of 2014. Of that 133,150 people,
approximately 19,490 of them were considered Academic Librarians under Colleges,
Universities, and Professional Schools (BLS, 2015), and it is also important to note that Junior
Colleges was a separate category that would still fit under the Academic Librarian descriptor,

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the number of people in this category was approximately 4,700 people (BLS, 2015). As a Library
professional looking at the statistical descriptions, it becomes easy to separate them into the
typical Academic, Public, and Special categories. Looking at the list Academic Libraries are the
highest median earners at $63,420 with the Junior College category listing a $60,780 (BLS,
2015). Finishing out the list were Elementary and Secondary schools at $59,790, Other
Information Services at $52,670, and Local Government (OES Designation) at $52,590.
Analyzing this information statistically speaking, it pays the most in the field to be an Academic
Librarian. Geographically, the region that pays the best median salaries is the Northeast region,
specifically in the New England are that includes Maryland and Vermont. In these areas the
annual mean wage range of $62,350 - $80,280. This is compared to the lowest that make up most
of the central United States with a annual mean wage range of $35,310 - $49,050 (BLS, 2015).
Why and Why not the Northeast?
When looking at the statistics, it becomes apparent at first glance that the Northeast is the
best place to work as an Academic Librarian. It has the highest annual wage mean, and often
times has the highest concentration of available jobs. However statistics can be misleading, and
when looked at critically it becomes apparent why these positions may not be desirable. The
Northeast region comprises some of the highest tax levels, and cost of living rates in the United
States. Librarians are typically considered to be middle class earners, as the lifestyles are
comparable to other middle class associated career paths. Because of the cost of living, and tax
rates, only the upper class can truly survive in this region. Barone writes (But) theres not much
opportunity for people with mid-level skills who want to raise families (Barone, 2013) further
exemplifying the problem. The figures within both the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the
Department for Professional Employees (A coalition of 22 national Labor Unions), note that

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these salaries in their given state are not adjusted for differences in cost of living across states
(DPE, 2015). Essentially these numbers can be misleading, and when cost of living, and tax rates
are taken into consideration, the pay differences are not that significant.
Pay Inequality
As is prevalent across the entire job industry in the United States, pay inequality based on
race, and gender does exist. For the purposes of this paper, only inequality of the genders will be
analyzed. The interesting fact to point out is that the librarian field is dominated by women, yet a
considerable wage gap exists between men and women. According to DPE In 2013, women
working as full-time librarians reported a median annual salary of $48,005, compared to $51,879
for men. A pay gap of 93 percent (DPE, 2013). These statistics are even more staggering when
taking into account that 82.8 percent of librarians are female (DPE, 2011). Interesting to note that
in while men are an overwhelming minority in the librarian field, they account for 40 percent of
library directors in universities which is the highest attainable position in the academic librarian
field (DPE, 2011). A 2010 survey concluded that even when years of experience in a particular
job were equal, men still outpaced women in salary by nearly 3.7 percent: $69,277 for women
and $71,953 for men (DPE, 2011). All of these numbers are arguable the most important salary
statistics, because of the awareness for such a female dominated field may not be all that
apparent to MLS students. It is important to note that women typically have more experience
than men yet mens salaries are still higher across all library positions (DPE, 2011). The pay gap
between women is a sad truth to the field of librarianship, but pay inequality is prevalent across
the job industry in the United States.
Conclusion

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The field of librarianship is filled with opportunities no matter what route a freshly
graduated MLS student takes. The field itself is growing albeit at at a slow pace, but
opportunities can still be found. With regards to salary, there are many things that should be
made aware to those seeking employment in the industry. In the field of librarianship, academia
provides some of the best wages that can be found in the field with jobs in the academic librarian
sectors offering the highest wages found. The northeast region of the United States holds both
the most amount of opportunity and the highest wages, however deeper analysis of the numbers
concluded that the northeast region also contained the highest tax rates along with some of the
highest cost of living found in the United States. Finally, according to research from the ALA and
the Department of Professional Employees, statistics show that their is a wide gender inequality
gap with regards to salary. This inequality gap exists even when the field of librarianship is
dominated by women.

References
Barone, M. (2013). Why are Americans fleeing the the northeast. Retrieved from http://
nypost.com/2013/10/31/fleeing-the-nightmarish-northeast/

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Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2015) Occupational employment and wages, May 2014. Retrieved
from http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes254021.htm
Department for Professional Employees. (2014). Library workers: Facts and figures. Retrieved
from http://dpeaflcio.org/programs-publications/issue-fact-sheets/library-workersfacts-

figures/#_edn33

Department for Professional Employees. (2011). Library workers: Facts and figures. Retrieved
from http://ala-apa.org/files/2012/03/Library-Workers-2011.pdf