Association for Research Libraries (ARL) Releases 2017–2018 Salary Survey

Note: The complete ARL Salary Survey 2017-2018 is a fee-based report.

The publication announcement (below) includes a few report highlights.

From an ARL Announcement by Shaneka Morris:

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has published the ARL Annual Salary Survey 2017–2018, which analyzes salary data for professional staff working in the 123 ARL member libraries during 2017–2018. Data are reported for 10,518 professional staff in the 114 university ARL libraries and for 3,259 professional staff in the 9 nonuniversity 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 2017–2018 data show that Canadian ARL librarians’ salaries kept pace with inflation, but US ARL librarians’ salaries did not. The median salary for professionals in US ARL university libraries in 2017–2018 was $73,357, an increase of 1.1% over the 2016–2017 median salary of $72,560. The US CPI rose 1.7% during the same period. The Canadian CPI rose 1.2%, and median salaries in Canadian university libraries increased from $97,380 (Canadian dollars) to $99,912 (Canadian dollars), a rise of 2.6%.

The ARL Annual Salary Survey 2017–2018 analyzes salary data from a number of different perspectives, including race, ethnicity, and sex. Individuals from historically underrepresented groups make up 15.5% 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. Women make up 68.2% of historically underrepresented staff members. Sex-based salary differentials persist in ARL libraries in 2017–2018. The overall salary for women in the 114 ARL university libraries is 94.9% of that paid to men.

Other characteristics of ARL university libraries, such as size, public/private status, and location are also significant determinants of salary. The current state of these indicators is outlined in the Salary Survey’s introduction and extensive tables.

How to Access Full Text Report (Fee-Based)

Online Version
The online version of the ARL Annual Salary Survey 2017–2018 includes access to a downloadable Microsoft Excel file of the data tables that are presented in the publication.

ISBN 978-1-948964-10-4 • ISSN 1930-367X
$170 (ARL member institutions have free IP access as a benefit of membership.)

Print Edition

Print copies of the ARL Annual Salary Survey 2017–2018 are available for purchase.

ISBN 978-1-948964-09-8
ISSN 0361-5669

Order online IP access and print copies from:

ARL Publications Distribution Center
PO Box 531
Annapolis Junction MD 20701-0531
Phone: 301-362-8196
Fax: 240-396-2479
Email: arl@brightkey.net

Filed under: Academic Libraries, Associations and Organizations, Data Files, Libraries, News