Library Salaries Information

Salaries for library workers vary depending on a number of factors including the type of library (i.e. public, school, academic, etc.), size of library, the region of the country, years of experience, etc. 

In general, salaries are usually higher in academic libraries (vs. public), large metropolitan areas (vs. rural).

The American Library Association-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA): the Organization for the Advancement of Library Employees advocates to improve the salaries and status of librarians and other library workers   According to the Salary Survey conducted in 2008 by the ALA-APA:

• Salaries ranged from $22,000 to $331,200
• Mean salary for librarians  -- $58,960 
• Median ALA MLS salary -- $53,251

For more information and details, see the following pages:

•  Librarian Salary Survey
  
  
•  Salaries of library workers in various parts of the country
  
  
• List of minimum salaries by state

Additional Resources

•   Living Wage Resolution Passed by ALA-APA Council
  
  
• Library Salary Database (trial database now available) 
  Includes data from both the Librarian and Non-MLS Salaries – Public and Academic.  The Non-MLS data is for 62 positions from 836 public and academic libraries. The Librarian data is for positions from 1,053 public and academic libraries. See Caveats and Response Rates. The Salary Surveys are a project of the ALA-APA and the American Library Association Office for Research and Statistics.
  
  
  
• Description of the Library Salary Surveys
  http://www.ala-apa.org/salaries/alaapasurveys.html
  
  
  
• Other Library Salary Surveys
  
  
• Advocating for Better Salaries and Pay Equity Toolkit (pdf)
  
  
• Resources for Better Salaries and Pay Equity
  
  
• Library Workers: Facts & Figures Published by the AFL-CIO Department of Professional Employees 
  Gives trends and salary data for library workers.

For additional information and resources on salaries for library workers, visit the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association's (ALA-APA) web site.

If you know of other resources that should be included on this page, contact the ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment (HRDR) at 800/545-2433 ext. 4280, or email Beatrice Calvin.