SLA member salaries outperform inflation rate - KEx Corner

Information Outlook, Dec, 2002 by John Latham

In these difficult times for librarians, it is good to see that SLA member salaries for 2002 outperformed inflation. SLA's 2002 salary survey indicates an overall increase in earnings since 2001. As shown in the table:

* The median salary (the salary in the middle of the distribution) for full-time information professionals in Canada as of April 1, 2002, was $56,653; the mean (average) salary was $59,328.

* The median salary for full-time information professionals in the United States as of April 1, 2002, was $56,500; the mean salary was $60,583.

* The median increase in salary for information professionals in Canada was 2.4 percent, while a healthy increase of 3.7 percent was reported in the United States. The overall inflation rate in both countries, measured by the consumer price index, was 1.3 percent.

* Canadian respondents in the same positions between April 1, 2001, and April 1, 2002, reported a mean percentage change in earnings of 4.0 percent. The mean percentage change reported for respondents in the same positions in the United States was 4.2 percent. (Note that the mean percentage changes in this report are calculated only for respondents in the same job at the same organization from 2001 to 2002 that do not represent the mean percentage changes from the data in the 2001 survey.)

In early April 2002, SLA mailed questionnaires to a random sample of less than half of the U.S. membership and to all regular and associate Canadian members, a total of 6,038 surveys. Members returned 2,778 surveys to Association Research, Inc. (ARI). As in previous years, ARI entered and tabulated data from the 2002 salary survey to ensure respondent confidentiality. A second mailing was sent in May, reminding respondents who had not completed the survey of its importance. Simultaneously, SLA posted a similar reminder on SLA discussion lists. After eliminating the 40 surveys returned for incorrect addresses, the completion rate for the 2002 salary survey is 46 percent. This response rate is excellent and continues SLA's record of response rates of between 41 percent and 50 percent over the past five years.

More information on the survey, including a table of contents, can be found on Virtual SLA at www.sla.org/2002 salary survey. The price for a copy of the survey is $45 for members and $125 for nonmembers. Orders can be placed at the website by phone at 202/234-4700, or by e-mail at tamara@sla.org.

We know that whatever the increases are, they are just not good enough. As a profession, how can we accept a 10th percentile figure of $37,287 (meaning that 10 percent of the salaries are below that figure)? We are constantly hearing about the difference between the "information-rich" and "information-poor," but this also applies to SLA members' salaries. The difference between the 10th and 90th percentile figures for Canada and the United States has increased by $4,666 and $3,235, respectively.

The August 2002 Information World Review includes an interesting article by Mark Field of the UK's Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) titled "Salaries: You're Underpaid? Then Tell Me What You're Worth." The main point of the article is that there is a big debate about the value of the information professional and about salary levels. Although CILIP (the association created from the recent merger of the Library Association and the Institute of Information Scientists) is doing its best to change the way information professionals are recognized and rewarded, it needs help from its well-remunerated members. Why are we underpaid and not respected? Field's view is that "some of us are very rich and successful, and don't see the need to contribute to the debate. We don't communicate, we lecture each other..., we don't offer any evidence of why we should get the cash." In Field's inimitable British way, he says that we "need lots and lots of stories, statistics, any damned thing whic h shows that if you have one or more information professionals, properly engaged with your business, wonderful things will happen."

So what should we do about this situation? For a start, let's pull together and identify those well-remunerated members. They can supply us with lots and lots of stories, statistics, and reasons why information professionals are so respected in their organizations and help us promote the value of the information professional. If you have a contribution to make on this topic, please contact John Latham (john@sla.org) or anyone in the Knowledge Exchange (kex@sla.org), so we can add to the Value of the Information Professional section on Virtual SLA.