The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has published the ARL Annual Salary Survey 2023, which analyzes salary data for professional staff working in 126 of the 127 ARL member libraries during 2023. Data are reported for 11,118 professional staff from 120 university ARL libraries in Canada and the United States and for 2,044 professional staff of the 6 US federal, nonprofit, and public ARL libraries. In the Salary Survey, data for university library staff are usually reported in three distinct groups: general library systems, health sciences libraries, and law libraries.
The report introduces four new figures and tables that provide insights into the workforce within ARL university libraries for FY 2023. Figure 3 examines historically underrepresented groups in managerial roles, while Figure 7 explores the distribution of salaries and labor force characteristics across institution type. Table 14 highlights the average salaries and experience levels for managerial/supervisory roles, and Table 15 breaks down these metrics by institution type. Together, these additions reveal critical trends in diversity, compensation, and career progression within the academic library workforce.
The ARL Annual Salary Survey 2023 analyzes salary data from a number of different perspectives, including race, ethnicity, and sex. Individuals from historically underrepresented groups make up 19% of the professional staff in US ARL university libraries; the percentage of individuals in managerial or administrative positions who are also from historically underrepresented groups is lower at 15%. Women make up 71% of historically underrepresented staff members. Sex-based salary differentials persist in ARL libraries in 2023. The overall salary for women in the 120 ARL university libraries is 95% of that paid to men.
Other characteristics of ARL university libraries also illustrate differences in salary. Some of these indicators are outlined in the Salary Survey’s introduction and extensive tables.
Publication Details
ARL Annual Salary Survey 2023
Anam Mian
2024 • 152 pages
Online Edition
The online version of the ARL Annual Salary Survey 2023 includes access to a downloadable Microsoft Excel file of the data tables that are presented in the publication.
ISBN 978-1-948964-53-1
$175 (ARL member institutions have free IP access as a benefit of membership.)
Print Edition
Print copies of the ARL Annual Salary Survey 2023 are available for purchase.
ISBN 978-1-948964-52-4
$175 ($90 ARL members)
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About the Association of Research Libraries
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of research libraries in Canada and the US whose vision is to create a trusted, equitable, and inclusive research and learning ecosystem and prepare library leaders to advance this work in strategic partnership with member libraries and other organizations worldwide. ARL’s mission is to empower and advocate for research libraries and archives to shape, influence, and implement institutional, national, and international policy. ARL develops the next generation of leaders and enables strategic cooperation among partner institutions to benefit scholarship and society. ARL is on the web at ARL.org.
