What about labor trends for library professionals in the field?
Our experts didnt want to make any promises about the direction of the field. Things are obviously shifting technologically, but as Professor Caswell has pointed out multiple times, archives and libraries tend to move much slower than other fields. As Giselle mentioned, the economy has stopped people from retiring on time, and so jobs open up much more slowly than they might be tracked to. Still, Jeremy pointed out that a lot of departments need a refresh at many academic libraries, and young people need to come in with technical knowledge to revitalize.
As far as 2023 labor trends for library professionals, there were a few highlighted by the Department for Professional Employees. Firstly, after a significant drop in 2020, cumulative employment has held relatively steady since 2021. Also, there has been an increase in employment of library assistants since 2020. Secondly, in the past fifteen years, the persistent lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the field has not seen a signficant change. Librarians also tend to be older than other professions, with more librarians over the age of 55 than other fields.
Lastly, there was significant different in salary and social service benefits for librarians who were union members. Those who were part of a union in 2022 earned 37 percent more than those who were not. Furthermore, union library professionals were more likely to be covered by a retirement plan, health insurance and paid sick leave than those without union membership.
A repeated pattern is the impact of COVID on library job availability and growth.
The AFL-CIO put together a 2021 Fact Sheet entitled Library Professionals: Facts & Figures. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Current Population Survey Microdata. 2020, they say:
“Cumulative employment among librarians, library technicians, and library assistants dropped severely in 2020 to 264,270, down from 308,000 in 2019. This is most likely due to the widespread health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the vast majority of libraries to close for at least part of the year. Before the pandemic, employment of professionals had been gradually declining after hitting a peak of 394,900 in 2006.”
Predicted Growth
Educational Instruction and Library Occupations
Overall employment in educational instruction and library occupations is projected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations from 2022 to 2032. About 857,600 openings are projected each year, on average, in these occupations due to employment growth and the need to replace workers who leave the occupations permanently.
The median annual wage for this group was $57,490 in May 2022, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $46,310.
Diversity and Demographics of Library ProfessionalsThe librarian profession suffers from a persistent lack of racial and ethnic diversity that has not changed significantly over the past 15 years [1]
Just over 82 percent of librarians identified as white in 2022. Library technicians and assistants were slightly more diverse. Among library assistants, 77 percent identified as white in 2022.[15]
In 2022, only 4.3 percent of librarians identified as Black or African American, a steep decline from 9.5 percent in 2020. Librarians who identified as Hispanic or Latino (of any race) numbered 8.0 percent, and those identifying as Asian-American or Pacific Islander made up 5.1 percent.[16]
The American Library Association-Allied Professional Association published the 6th edition of their Advocating for Better Salaries Toolkit in April 2017. The toolkit includes sections on how to determine fair compensation for librarians, advocating for raises, identifying pay inequities and salary negotiation tips. Importantly, the toolkit identifies union organizing and collective bargaining as an effective means to increase librarian pay and increase equity in the workplace.
COMPENSATIONThe American Library Association-Allied Professional Association published the 6th edition of their Advocating for Better Salaries Toolkit in April 2017. The toolkit includes sections on how to determine fair compensation for librarians, advocating for raises, identifying pay inequities and salary negotiation tips. Importantly, the toolkit identifies union organizing and collective bargaining as an effective means to increase librarian pay and increase equity in the workplace.
Regional Variance in Salaries
Librarian earnings vary significantly from region to region. The District of Columbia had the highest mean annual earnings for full-time librarians at $87,540 in 2021, followed by Washington, California, Maryland, and New York. The five lowest paying states were Mississippi, where the mean annual salary was $44,240, followed by Idaho, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Utah.[26] These salaries were not adjusted for differences in cost of living across states.
Institutional Variance in Compensation
Library staff compensation also varied based on the type of library employer. On average, librarians working full-time at colleges, universities, and professional schools earned $69,070 in 2021, elementary and secondary school librarians earned $66,520 and librarians employed by local governments (excluding education) made $58,750.