Hit: Library Aide/Assistant salaries, part 1

[Elizabeth Hart <ehart@supreme.cde.ca.gov>]

Here is the hit regarding libray aide/assistant salaries.  I am sending it
in 3 parts because of length. Thanks to everyone who sent me a response.
It helps to know there are other people who face a similar situation.

Several people asked for more information regarding my own situation.  The
salary range for a library technical assistant I (my position) is $2031.00
to $2470.00 a month ($24,372.00 to $29,640.00 a year.)  I am a twelve month
employee, 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week, so I work during the summer as
well as the regular school year.  I have full medical and dental benefits,
10 days vacation (this will increase to 15 days a year in July), paid
holidays, and sick leave.

I work in a state special school that has approximately 130 students.  The
school is ungraded, and the students range in age from 3 to 22 years of
age.  All the students are blind or visually impaired, and most have
multiple disabilities (developmental and/or physical disabilities.)  About
9 students attend the local public high school for part of the day, and
another 15 or so are in the more academic classes.  Many of our students
are in a transition program, where they work in community for part of the
time (for example, folding boxes at Round Table Pizza ) under the
supervision of a job coach.  Many of these students are teenagers, but have
a 3rd to 4th grade reading level at the most (if they read at all).

I have a B.A. in anthropology.  Previous to working here, I worked for
seven years for a rural library system in St. Mary's County, Maryland, two
years as a library assistant and five years as circulation supervisor.  I
also took the Library Associate Training Program in Maryland (70 hours.)
After we moved to California, I worked for two years in the local public
library system as a library assistant until the state budget crunch in
1993.  I've also taken two semesters of braille, and can both read it
(visually) and write it.

The comments:
**********
I believe my assistant makes $10/hr....... she is WONDERFUL, too....... I
wish she'd either a) get paid MORE or b) go get her MLS and make as much as
I do, but she won't "jump thru the hoops" of all that college work........
heck, she could TEACH some of those classes!

**********
        I don't know what my assistant is paid, but she makes less than the
office secretaries.  The district's reasoning is that she doesn't
have as much contact with the public as an office secretary.  We librarians
contend that lib. secretaries have _more_ contact with our public (read
students) and should be paid at the same level.  She is not officially in
charge of the library, but there are many times when I am
in a classroom teaching for an hour at a time and she does circulation,
reading to kids, etc.
        The district pays secretaries by the hour, and they are paid every
other week.  They have ten paid holidays.  The salary schedule is
as follows:     A library secretary just entering the district is paid
$7.15 an hour and they receive health, dental, and vision (very good
plans!) A secretary who has been in the district for 13 year is paid $13.01
an hour.

**********
You probably don't want to hear this, but . . . all library assistants in
our county are part-time with no benefits. Pay is minimum wage for
the first two full school years. The most you can make is $1.00 more per
hour after 5 years!  Our school is over the 600 pupil count that calls for
a full-time assistant by state recommendations, but nothing has been done
yet. I work with a certified librarian and I am working on my MLS also.
The amount of experience or education you have does not make a difference.
Hope things improve with your situation soon.

**********
Here I am!!  I don't what level your school is, but if I may add:   that
those put in charge of the libraries in high schools have additional
duties/considerations than an elementary "librarian" does and I believe
this, too, should be taken into consideration when pay/salary is
negotiated.

I am at the top step of my salary range and I make $9.15/hour and am paid
for 205 days in a year plus benefits for being full time.  All the other
secretaries whose duties are divided up make at least $2.00 more an hour
than me.  I agree, I should be making what an office
supervisor/manager  does for what I do.

I possess a college degree in journalism (lots of research, writing and
reading) and have passed the CBEST (miniumum sustitute teacher requirement),
 also.  Previous to my hiring, I had 3 years experience as a Library
Assistant in a public library before I was hired.  All other librarians,
including the one I replaced had no previous experience.

I have been here 3 years and have gone through 3 "supervisors" each one not
having any previous experience in libraries, nor any desire to learn.

**********
I'm sorry you are not supported by a professional.  A very dear family
friend of ours, David Fraley, worked there for years and still subs once in
a while.  Our library assistant gets 15. per hour for 8:30-4 M-F.  (She is
out right now on medical leave and her sub
receives less).  Our LA is a certificated teacher, but does mostly
assistant type jobs; she's wonderful and I miss her.  We're spoiled here
in that we have two MLS library school credentialed professionals as
well(myself and another)!  On the other hand, we do all our own
cataloging, processing, etc., and it reflects the measure of support our
administration gives the library program....

Our library aides called paraprofessionals all work for the same wage
whether they are in the library alone most days or work under the direct
supervision of a teacher-librarian.  If they have less than 30 hrs. of
college, they make $6.05, for 30 to 60 hours they make $6.15, and with a
degree they receive $6.25.  They all work a 30 hr week.  They  also have
full dental and medical benefits.  They have 10 days of sick leave as well
as 2 days of personal leave.  They can take a 3 month leave of absence for
illness and come backk to their same job.  They can also take a year of
educational leave and come back to the district.

**********
My assistants are called secretaries (not that they function that way) and
are paid from $9 to $12 per hour. They do a lot of professional type work
because they are both studying to be librarians (I'm about to lose them
both :/).  After that, the professional level of the work will probably be
reduced.  I am glad to have had them here.

**********