From the Editor

Raising Librarian and Library Staff Salaries: What MLA is Doing

Better pay scales and pay equity for the nation’s library personnel, professional and non-professional alike, remain central concerns of the American Library Association’s current “Campaign for American’s Libraries.” Maurice Freedman, 2002-03 president of ALA, vows that his presidency “will focus attention and resources on better pay for library workers.¹” Patricia G. Schuman, coordinator of ALA’s Better Salaries Task Force, emphasizes that “we must work together to speak out loudly, clearly, and with a unified voice to ensure pay equity for all library workers.²”

Allocations to libraries are undergoing drastic reductions in a number of states, Michigan included, with commensurate negative effect on library personnel remuneration. Therefore, it is critical at this time, according to Schuman, for library workers “to stand united to persuade the public and decision-makers that library staff must be paid 21^st century wages if Americans are to enjoy 21^st century library and information services.” Accordingly, library personnel from 33 states, Michigan included, sent representatives to the ALA Annual Conference 2002 in Atlanta to receive specialized training in how to addressing such salary and pay equity issues in their respective states.

As a result of this advocacy training session, the Michigan Library Association is planning to hold several meetings within Michigan in the upcoming months which will assess the current salary situations of our state’s library personnel and devise constructive solutions. These workshop meetings, sponsored by MLA’s Academic and Research Library Division, are designed to help library staffs—both professionals and non-professionals—to attain pay equity in today’s economy. The first two meetings are scheduled to be held in Ypsilanti and in Lansing. Please plan to attend at least one of these sessions. For further information, contact Lothar Spang at (313) 577-3367 or e-mail at lothar.spang@wayne.edu; or Jean Raber at (517) 394-2774 or e-mail at raberj@mlcnet.org.

Working together, we can present a strong front and find solutions to the economic dilemma presented to Michigan libraries and library staffs.

Notes

¹ Comments from Maurice Freedman, “Advocacy Training Program,” ALA Annual Conference 2002 in Atlanta. Back to editorial
² Comments from Patricia Schuman, “Advocacy Training Program,” ALA Annual Conference 2002 in Atlanta. Back to editorial

Increasing Library Personnel Salaries in Michigan Workshops For Librarians and Library Staff: Methods and Strategies For Improving Pay Scales and Pay Equity Location Date Ypsilanti District Library Wed., Feb. 5, 2003 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Capital Area District Library (Lansing) Mon., Feb. 10, 2003 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. View the .pdf Brochure for more details For more information,contact Lothar Spang at (313) 577-3368 or e-mail lothar.spang@wayne.edu; or Kristy Padron at kmpadron@wayne.edu

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