Salary Advocacy Toolkit For Librarians and Library Workers

Press Release By Aliqae Geraci

The American Library Association – Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) has released the fifth edition of its Advocating for Better Salaries Toolkit. Initially created in 2002, the revised Toolkit is designed to help library workers advocate and negotiate for better salaries and address pay equity issues in a post-Recession, more-with-less environment.

While too many salary negotiation and library advocacy resources are one-size-fits-all, the Advocating for Better Salaries Toolkit addresses the varied needs, interests, and capabilities of library workers, including support staff, librarians, and library managers, in public, academic, or special libraries. Readers will find guidance on determining fair market value, comprehensive negotiation strategies for both individual workers and union members, and targeted advice for librarians seeking faculty status and managers looking to raise staff pay. Since the release of the fourth edition in 2007, the Toolkit has been updated to reflect the economic concerns of today’s library workers, with sections on incorporating pay issues into library advocacy campaigns, negotiating in a saturated labor market, and the continued importance of recruiting, rewarding, and retaining a quality library workforce.

ALA-APA is a companion organization to the American Library Association (ALA), established “to promote the mutual professional interests of librarians and other library workers.”