Public Libraries in Trouble

[undertheradar]

The overhead is what kills our libraries. We have librarians, children's librarians making 6 figures a year. When you start cutting costs, these positions need to be reduced. I am all for volunteering, but why would anyone volunteer when others are being highly paid to be there?

 

[NotUrsula]

The overhead is what kills our libraries. We have librarians, children's librarians making 6 figures a year. When you start cutting costs, these positions need to be reduced. I am all for volunteering, but why would anyone volunteer when others are being highly paid to be there?

You have children's librarians making six figures? Really? Hot darn, sign me up! I've got 20 years of professional experience.

Only in my dreams am I ever making six figures, and the subspecialty I'm in is generally much better paid than Children's Services is. In most of the Midwest and South, it is the norm in public libraries that only one person has a good chance to make that much (the Director of the System).
I know a few large systems where regional managers make that much, but I've never known a Children's Services specialist who did. Your community is rather unique if it pays those kinds of salaries.

However, I will agree that payroll and benefits are a large part of most libraries budgets, not because we are highly paid, but because most of us are civil service and have very good benefit and pension plans. (FTR, I'm NOT civil service at this time, nor have I been for most of my career, but I'm a bit unusual that way.)

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

Children's librarians making six figures? Hot damn. Can we sign our librarians up for that kind of thing?

That's yet another problem our library has..staff turn over. We are a small town, so we can only afford a smalltown salary for our library staff. As soon as a spot opens up in one of the larger towns near by, we usually lose them to the better salary.

Our head librarian also recently shot herself in the foot in regards to budget money by asking for a very,v ery large sum (like almost 1/2 of the total budget!!) because she's in what I call 'peeing contest mode'. Nexttownover recently (like within the last 3-4 years I think) built a gorgeous 3-story library with a seperate room JUST for story time and a coffee bar (I think). We are stuck in an older building, with barely enough room to breathe, let alone do anything else. The reason she ASKED for so much was so that she could finally outdo Nexttownover's gorgeous library. She's tired of losing patrons and staff to them.