pay issue, The

Unfortunately, there are some library trustees who believe that libraries don't have to pay their employees competitive wages because the employees enjoy working in a library. And a few also believe that they don't have to offer benefits to female employees who are married because they can be covered by their spouse's benefits. The fact that such a practice is illegal doesn't seem to prevent it from still being done.

Other trustees believe that libraries always need to salt away a large carryover at the end of each year, regardless of whether there is an identified goal for the funds. And still other trustees seem to always operate under the assumption that money is a problem for their library-regardless of whether that assumption is correct.

What a shame it is whenever a library loses valued employees because it cannot afford to pay them what they deserve. What a crime it is when it loses valued employees because it wouldn't pay them enough even though it could afford to.

If a library is indeed having money problems its trustees must take drastic actions, including hiring freezes, holding the line on salary increases, and reducing the money spent on acquiring materials. The key to taking any of these actions is that the library's revenue isn't keeping pace with its expenses.

If revenue is exceeding annual operating expenses then trustees owe it to their employees to periodically find out if the library's pay ranges are competitive with wages paid by other libraries with similar-sized budgets.

Many library trustees have a tendency to wear blinders when it comes to looking at other libraries for ideas on ways to improve their own libraries.

Other trustees take advantage of knowledge to be gained from regional or state library associations. Such associations often produce salary surveys, or they might offer workshops or conference sessions on wages and benefits.

Increasing staff pay by the cost of living isn't enough if the pay is already lower than what it should be to be competitive.

If research shows that the current wages are significantly lower than they should be, the trustees might want to make a three-year commitment to get the pay ranges to the level they should be. It doesn't have to be a quick fix, but the employee needs to know that the trustees recognize the disparity and agree to correct it.

Library trustees who take pride in their libraries usually have their staffs to thank for that. They should also take pride in a well-paid staff.

David C. Miller, in Rural Library Services Newsletter, Paulding County (OH) Carnegie Library,

December 2001

Copyright BCPL Foundation Mar 2002
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