Compensation & Benefits Resources

The following bibliography of salary surveys was compiled by Marisa Conte for the MDMLG Compensation & Benefits Committee. It was most recently updated in June 2010 by Diane LeBar and Nancy Bulgarelli.

American Library Association (2009). Librarian salary survey reports mean librarian salary $58,860, median $54,500 in 2009. Retrieved June 8, 2010 from http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2009/july2009/salsurvey_apa.cfm

Results from the 2009 survey are available for purchase from the ALA’s online store.
Includes data from 1,179 public and academic libraries.
Salary mean decreased slightly from 2008; salary median increased by 2%.

American Library Association (2007). ALA Survey of Librarian Salaries 2007, Summary Article. Retrieved April 30, 2008 from http://www.ala.org/ala/ors/reports/SalarySummary2007.pdf

Public and academic libraries were surveyed; response rates were low.
The mean salary of librarians - $57,809 - rose faster than some estimates of inflation.
For academic librarians, increases were seen in the average salaries for beginning librarians, department heads, and supervisors of support staff.

Bland, L. (2009). ARL salary survey highlights. Research Library Issues (266), 17-20.

The ARL 2008-2009 Annual Salary Survey reported a 3.8% increase in the median salary to $63,673.
Despite the increase, U.S. salaries did not keep up with inflation as defined by the CPI.
ARL university library workforce was 63% female and 37% male. Average salaries for men were 3.8% higher than those for women, an improvement over the previous survey where the difference was 5%.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor ( 2007). Librarians. In Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2007-08 Edition. Retrieved April 30, 2008 from http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos068.htm

“Despite slower-than-average projected employment growth, job opportunities are still expected to be favorable because a large number of librarians are expected to retire in the coming decade.”
The reported median salary for librarians in 2006 was $49,060.
Job outlook and related occupations are discussed.

Davis, D. & Grady, J. (2005). Librarian salaries: Revised survey yields broader results. American Libraries, 36 (11), 73. Retrieved 14 February 2006 from ProQuest database.

The ALA Survey of Librarian Salaries 2005 used a different methodology designed to reflect state as well as regional data
24,184 salaries were reported. The average salary was $53,799 and the median salary was $50,274.
The mean regional salary for librarians who do not supervise was $47,246.

Hay Group / MLA (2008). Salary Survey: Executive Summary, 2009. Available at http://www.mlanet.org/publications/hay_mla_08ss.html?focus_20090611

Conducted in the Fall of 2008.
Full survey is available for purchase from the Medical Library Association.

Hennen, T.J. & McGrorty, M. (2005). Best (and worst) averages in the library majors. American Libraries, 36 (9), 52. Retrieved 14 February 2006 from ProQuest database.

Aimed at beginning librarians, and focusing on public libraries, this article details the top 25 libraries' starting salaries, salary adjusted by cost of living, and percentage of salary for living area.
King County ( Wash. ) ranks #1, Houston ranks last at #25.

Latham, J.R. (2007). How Do SLA Member Salaries Compare With Those of Colleagues in Other Associations? Information Outlook, 11(2), 44. Retrieved April 30, 2008 from ProQuest Research Library database.

“SLA has a more diverse membership than ALA and Association of Research Libraries, with a large percentage of members working in the corporate world, which generally pays higher salaries than the non-corporate world.”
“The salaries paid to academic librarians show ARL members receiving the highest salaries at the information specialist level.”

Maatta, S. (2009). Jobs & pay take a hit. Library Journal, 134 (17), 21-9.

Report of the ALA 2008 annual survey
Job searches for new grads averaged almost 5 months; postgraduate unemployment was 5.9%; there were fewer full-time jobs reported than in 2007
Average starting salaries decreased 1.8% from 2007 to $41,579

Maatta, S. (2007). What's an MLIS Worth? Library Journal, 132(17), 30-38. Retrieved April 30, 2008 from General BusinessFile ASAP database.

Findings from Library Journal's 2007 Placements & Salaries survey are examined.
The average annual starting salary for women finally cracked through the $40,000 glass barrier.
There was a substantial increase in graduates reporting jobs outside of the library and information science professions.
“On the negative side, there were more graduates in nonprofessional jobs, rising temp positions, more graduates taking multiple part-time positions, and longer average job searches.”

Medical Library Association. (2005). Hay Group/MLA 2005 Salary Survey. Retrieved 17 February 2006 from www.mlanet.org.

In 2005, the average reported salary was $53,800
In 2005, the median reported salary was $57,952.
Average annual base salaries for 8 work groups, ranging from non-faculty, administrative to support staff are reported.
The average annual base salary for a library/info specialist is $50,000

Special Libraries Association (2007). 2007 Salary Survey & Workplace Study. Retrieved April 30, 2008 from
http://www.sla.org/content/resources/research/salarysurveys/salsur2007/index.cfm

The average salary for U.S. respondents was $69,446.
This is the first SLA Salary Survey that has included members of SLA Europe as well as members in the U.S. and Canada.
The survey results show that the average salary increases for SLA members have outpaced inflation.

Sweeper, D. & Smith, S.A. (2010). Assessing the impact of gender and race on earnings in the library science labor market. College and Research Libraries 71 (2), 171-83.

Research study using data from the 2003 National Survey of College Graduates. The sample included 357 college graduates working in library science.
. . . “assessment of the impact of gender, race, and ethnicity on earnings in library science found no significant differences between men and women or between racial and ethnic groups.”

Wallace, M., McMullen, T.D. & Corcoran, K. (2004). Findings from the most recent Medical Library Association salary survey. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 92 (4), 465-472. Retrieved 14 February 2006 from www.pubmed.gov.

This article is based on the 2001 MLA Salary Survey and discusses racial and gender disparities, and employee satisfaction with compensation
Academic medical centers pay more than teaching hospitals, which pay more than non-teaching hospitals
The average annual base salary for a librarian in an academic medical center was $50,000

Weise, F.O. & McMullen, T.D. (2001). Study to assess the compensation and skills of medical library professionals relative to information technology professionals. Bulletin of the Medical Library Association, 89 (3), 249-262. Retrieved 14 February 2006 from www.pubmed.gov.

This article compares the compensation of medical library professionals performing IT roles with that of institutional IT staff
The study revealed a gap between the job design, skills and educational backgrounds of the two groups.
There was also a difference in salaries, ranging from 13% to 40%. Reasons are discussed.
Academic medical centers paid more than hospitals for similarly-titled jobs

Werts, C.E. (2005). Do you make enough money? A quick tour of the SLA salary survey. Information Outlook, 9 (3), 31- 33. Retrieved 14 Feburary 2006 from http://www.sla.org.

One woman's observation of where she falls relative to the SLA Salary Survey, and how this knowledge will benefit her in future salary negotiations.

Wu, L. & Li, P. (2008). What do they want? A content analysis of Medical Library Association reference job announcements, 2000-2005. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 96(4), 378-81. Retrieved 3 June 2009 from http://www.pubmed.gov.

“The study used content analysis to identify the qualifications and duties prospective employers noted in reference librarian positions posted in the MLA News from 2000 to 2005.”
The top five responsibilities requested in MLA News job advertisements were: reference assistance, teaching or instruction, outreach activities, technology, leadership and management
Advertisements were analyzed for seven variables, including minimum salary. “Based on the minimum stated salary, the mean salary rose from $35,012 in 2000 to $42,156 in 2005.”

Young, M. (2007). ARL Salary Survey Highlights. ARL, no. 254, 4-5.
Retrieved April 30, 2008 from WilsonSelectPlus database.

The Association of Research Libraries’ annual salary survey reported that the median salary for university librarians in the U.S. rose to $57,173 in 2006-07.
The increase kept pace with inflation.
The New England, Pacific, and Middle Atlantic regions continue to have the highest average salaries in the U.S.

Updated June 2010