Current Occupational Trends

While scanning the feed for "Library Journal--Library Culture," I discovered that the Library Journal recently published the results of its yearly "Placements and Salaries Survey." You can read a brief overview of the current statistical trends at http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6605987.html?nid=3279. As a current library science student, I am naturally interested in occupational trends for the library and information science field. In good news, this past year's graduates' salaries averaged $42,361 per year, which was a 3.1% increase over last year's graduates. Unfortunately, there was also an increase in the number of temporary positions graduates took, which generally provide less money, benefits, and security than permanent positions.

For more detailed results, including a dozen different sections, check out http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6602490.html&cache=FALSE. I found Stephanie Maatta's section titled "Inside the Library Gender Gap" particularly thought-provoking. Despite the fact that women were far more numerous in the field (80% of new workers), they earned on average 7.7% less than men did. The article details some variance resultant from library type and region. Unfortunately, some of the lowest starting salaries were earned in the Midwest, the region where I currently live and work. Granted, cost-of-living may be somewhat less as well, but that news is still a bit distressing.

Another section worth examining for current and prospective librarians is Maatta's look at "Beyond the Library: Public vs. Private Sector Jobs," which you can read at http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6604391.html. She discusses some trends occurring in the private sector, ranging from corporate positions to non-profit jobs. As a result of this wide variance, private sector positions included some of the best and worst salaries for library/information science graduates.

Overall, I would recommend checking out the Library Journal website or subscribing to one or more of their feeds, which are helpfully divided into subgroups depending on your interests at http://www.bloglines.com.