August 29, 2006

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) announces the publication of the ARL Annual Salary Survey 2005–06. The report analyzes salary data for all professional staff working in the 123 ARL member libraries during 2005–06. Data were reported for 9,655 professional staff in the 113 university libraries and for 3,921 professional staff members at the 10 nonuniversity libraries at ARL member institutions. The university population is generally treated as three distinct groups: staff in the general library system, staff in the university medical libraries, and staff in the university law libraries.

The 2005–06 data show that librarians’ salaries substantially outperformed inflation. The combined median salary for US and Canadian universities was $57,074, an increase of 3.3% over last year. The Consumer Price Index in the US increased by 3.2% last year and in Canada by 2%.

The ARL Annual Salary Survey analyzes salary data from a number of different perspectives, including race, ethnicity, and gender. Minority librarians comprise 13.1% of the professional staff in the US university libraries; the percentage of minorities in managerial or administrative positions is lower. Women comprise 70% of minority staff members.

Gender-based salary differentials continue. The overall salary for women in the 113 university libraries is 95.4% of that paid to men; this figure compares to 94.8% in 2004–05. While the data show a marked closure of the gender gap in ARL member libraries over the long term—in 1980–81, women made roughly 87% that of men—they also indicate that bridging the gap is a very slow process and salary differentials persist over time.

Other characteristics of the university libraries, such as size, public/private status, and location are also significant determinants of salary. The current state of these indicators is outlined in the Salary Survey’s introduction and extensive tables.

Ordering Information

ARL Annual Salary Survey 2005–06
Martha Kyrillidou and Mark Young, comps. and eds. • 2006 • ISSN 0361-5669 • 113 pp. • $145 ($70 ARL members)

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