Job Posting in Camden, S.C. (fwd)

[Publib Poster]

Sender: "James B. Casey" <jimcasey at lib.oak-lawn.il.us>
Subject: Re: Job Posting in Camden, S.C.

Dear Jacalynn:  I wasn't at all surprised to see a salary range of 
18 to 22 thousand for a library position.  Even here in suburban Chicago 
we see smaller public libraries advertising for M.L.S. trained librarians 
for such abysmally low salaries.  I know of one M.L.S. who recently left 
a department head position paying less than $21,000 - and that person had
held the position for a number of years. Of course, such low pay jobs aren't
always filled with M.L.S. trained librarians.  Occasionally, even public 
library director positions in the low 20s are filled with non-degreed 
persons.

Although our own library has a far more competitive salary and benefits 
package than most public libraries in the Chicago area, it is still not
able to match the salaries paid by public schools.  We recently lost a
gifted librarian to a public school librarian position which paid better
than us for a 9 month school year with loads of holidays and had no 
weekend or evening work.  In my previous job, the local school district's
starting (lowest) pay for a daytime custodian and that for a studyhall
monitor were higher than what my public library could afford to pay my 
department heads.  Check out the pay scales of your local public school 
district.  

It is small wonder that M.L.S. degree programs have been closing and the 
library profession is having a difficult time attracting minorities.  We 
have been badly beaten on the money front by many other entities of 
government for many years.  The sad thing is that we have sometimes stood 
still and allowed ourselves to be beaten or even administered the punishment 
on ourselves.  This self inflicted whipping happens whenever librarians 
willingly concede that other entities of government and the work which 
they do are more important than the work performed by libraries. "Of course,
police, fire protection and garbage pickup are of greater importance than
the library."  "Funding of schools must take priority over libraries." 
etc. etc.  I even know of public library directors who have given money 
back to their Counties because "it could be put to better use elsewhere." 
Cooperation has too often become subserviance.  The cumulative 
results have been devastating and plain to see.

James B. Casey -- My own views as a public library administrator and member of 
ALA Council.

Jacalynn McIntyre wrote:
> 
> The educational requirements were not posted for this position, although
> the position title is "Automated Systems/Catalog Librarian.  Is this a
> non-professional position or possibly a position of less than 40 hours
> per week?  I am asking this because the librarians
> on our staff are questioning the low salary range of $18,610-$22,823.
> 
> Jacalynn McIntyre
> Branch Librarian
> Washington Branch Library
> Washington, MI