LM_NET: Library Media Networking
<html><DIV>Thanks to all who responded. I have so far received 22
responses. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Of those answers the average hourly salary for library aides/assistants/clerks
with various experience and education is $10.30 ($21,427.92/year)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Responses came from the following states : New York, California, Alaska,
Florida, Connecticut, Maine, South Dakota, Vermont, South Carolina, Michigan.
(Heard from some states more than once)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The state reporting the highest assistant salary was California :
$17.29/hr. or $35,976/year (based on a 40 hour week)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The state reporting the lowest assistant salary was Florida : $6.10/hr.
or $12,688.00/year (position reported in Florida is a parttime position, this
figure reflects 40 hours/week for comparions sake)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Following are the responses I received : (I have left out names and addresses
of the respondents for reasons of confidentiality)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>1. I currently make $18,000 a year</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>2. My salary is $2998 a month (I am paid once a month) for a total of
$35976.<BR>However, keep in mind I am a 12 month employee (I get 3 weeks
vacation,<BR>plus 12 holidays a year). Also, I live in the Bay Area in
California (land<BR>of the rolling blackouts...), one of the most expensive areas
to live in<BR>the country. For this area, which the average home price is
$350,000, my<BR>salary doesn't get you far.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>3. <FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=2>We pay the libary assistant 15.08
an hour. <BR><BR>4. My assistant has a take home pay of $22,000 and she is
well-worth it!!!. She<BR>doesn't know what her gross is.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>5. I was able to convince my administrators to hire an
assistant for our media<BR>center (Pre K-5, 740 students) after presenting a
powerpoint that gave<BR>information regarding student learning and how a certified
library media<BR>specialist can help students become successful learners when freed
up from<BR>clerical tasks. I used the paper prepared by Keith Curry Lance in
the<BR>Colorado study called "The Impact of School Library Media Specialists
on<BR>Student Achievement".<BR><BR>My part time asst. earns $6.10 an hour, works 5
hours a day, and gets part<BR>time union benefits. Her salary is paid for
from the Educational Excellence<BR>Committee which is responsible for writing the
School Improvement Plan and<BR>is also given $10 per student from the principal's
discretionary budget to<BR>use in the best way they see fit. She is in her
second year and has proven<BR>herself to be invaluable. I got myself elected
to the committee this year<BR>and make sure the library is very open, accessible
and filled with students<BR>doing meaningful activities.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>6. I'm a library assistant at a university and I make
$20K.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>7. I am a Teaching Assistant in our library here at
our K-12 school. We also<BR>have a K-12 LMS onboard too. A great one at
that. Anyway, 3 teacher's<BR>aides (including myself) had our positon changed
from teacher aide to<BR>teaching assistant. This is a certified position and
requires some college<BR>courses and some certifications. We our in the
process of negotiating, and<BR>in our area of New York, the average pay for a
teaching assistant would be<BR>8.50 to 9.00 an hour. Currently, I make a
salary of 8,554.00 and hope that<BR>my salary will be negotiated to a more equal
pay that others are making.<BR>As a teaching assistant, my duties include 1 outside
class, inwhich I help<BR>the technology teacher teach computer skills to grades
2-6. I love my job<BR>and am very interested in library paraprofessional job
descriptions and<BR>salaries information. Please keep me posted if you can!
Thanks again<BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>8. Our school system employs Library Technical
Assistants. I've<BR>been an LTA for 14 years in this school system. You can view
our job<BR>description at <A
href="http://209.185.240.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=b48a0a6dd8785004144aa13933af67c0&lat=986418873&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2egroton%2ek12%2ect%2eus%2fmts%2fmtslta%2ehtm"
target=_blank>http://www.groton.k12.ct.us/mts/mtslta.htm</A><BR>Even tho the
description says "performs copy cataloging" we are all doing<BR>original cataloging
too.<BR>As you can see on the LTA job description site, we are required to hold
a<BR>certificate in Library Technology or other related experience. This is a
30<BR>credit program offered by our local community college (link for that
college<BR>is also at the website- just scroll down further).Required courses
include<BR>Intro to reference Service (and I must say it was more intense than the
URI<BR>course), Public Service, Technical Services, Cataloging, Computers in
Library<BR>Applications, Media in Library Applications, YA or Children's Lit. plus
an<BR>English course and then 2 electives. I understand other colleges also
offer<BR>the program. Our pay scale starts at $7.50 and goes up to $12.50 with
6<BR>steps. The last step requires 10 years of continuous service. We
do<BR>everything in the library except teach-(but we do provide
one-on-one<BR>instruction). Many of us have continued our education. I am the first
one to<BR>get thru grad school (graduate in May) but others are presently working
on<BR>their bachelor's degrees with intentions of continuing. The high school has
2<BR>full-time LTA's. Two of the middle schools each have 1 full time LTA.
The<BR>elementary schools share LTA's- 1 LTA for two schools. We get paid
medical<BR>insurance, life insurance, contribute to the town retirement system, get
12<BR>paid holidays, 12 paid sick days (which can be carried over from year
to<BR>year), 5 paid family days (illness, emergency,etc), and 2 paid personal
days<BR>(legal, etc). The director of Media services for the school system is
trying<BR>to get a full-time LTA at each school but has been unsuccessful so
far.<BR>I'm really hoping that whatever school system I work for will employ
LTA's</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>9. My aides earn about $8.50/hour. I have 2 who work 6
hours per day.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>10. I have been at two schools in the NYC Metro area
(one<BR>about 30 min. north of Manhatten, the other about 30<BR>min. east of
Manhatten). One school, the library<BR>assts were on the salary scale for
teaching asst-<BR>started in the low-mid 20s. The other school, the<BR>assts
are Senior Library Clerks (a civil service<BR>position) but still make in the low
to mid 20s to<BR>begin.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>11. Our library papaprofessional earns between $10.64
and<BR>$11.86 an hour, depending where on the step he/she is.<BR>The position on
our school is for 8 hr. a day, 200<BR>days a year - the 180 school days, 5 days
before<BR>school starts and 5 days after, to close the library<BR>and do inventory,
and 10 days in the summer, to<BR>process as many of the books as possible that
have<BR>come in. Insurance is also provided.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>12. I know of many candidates in the UMA Associate and
Bachelor program in <BR>Library Science and Information Studies who would be
interested in such a <BR>position. I began in a support position, full time, at
$9.25 per hour. I'm <BR>now working towards my masters and now am salaried (approx
13.75 per hour) <BR>with full benefits. In the eight years I've been working
in Maine libraries <BR>(public, special, school, and corporate) I can tell you that
the need for <BR>support staff exceeds the pool of qualified candidates. This was
not the <BR>case just a few short years ago. <BR><BR>When I was still in college
full time and worked part time my main goal was <BR>to receive benefits--health,
vacation, holiday, retirement. If you can <BR>offer those things you will have many
applicants. A flexible schedule also <BR>is attractive. You may also find a retiree
interested in a part time position. <BR><BR>Be sure to list the job with Jean
Thomas, head of the UMA degree program. <BR><BR>13. As a Library Aide, that's my
title, eventhough I am the librarian, I make<BR>$7.00 an hour. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>14. I have two assistants here, and they are paid on
the associate contract as<BR>technicians (positions require a college degree, but
not library<BR>certification.) Starting salary for these positions are
$17,296 or $11.50<BR>per hour.<BR>You did not say how large your student population
is, but I could not<BR>imagine running a library without assistants and
assistance.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>15. I, too, am working all alone - grades 9-12, over
1600 students and in a school with heavy library usage. I'm about to go
under! Several teachers have gone to the school board to plead for help for
me, pointing out the TEA standards, etc. So your answers should be very
enlightening.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>16. My library aide is paid the same salary as
any other aide in our school;<BR>however, we have been trying for years (so far
unsuccessfully) to have the<BR>library aides paid as para-professionals. Our
districts has no such thing, and<BR>trying to establish one is like pulling
teeth. However, she knows so much more<BR>and does so much more than the
study hall aides who sign passes all day that it<BR>really is a shame she isn't
compensated. Just a thought for someone starting<BR>out.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>17. Here's a link to a study on Library Technical
Assistants done by the<BR>Connecticut Library Association.<BR>I think it may be
helpful to you (and perhaps some others, too.) Good luck<BR>and congratulations on
getting some help up there!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>18. Please take into consideration that the hourly
wage for paras depends a lot<BR>on the state and locale. The wage for an elementary
para here in my<BR>district in Southern California (remember that here, paras
usually run the<BR>library programs in the k - 6 sites, not credentialed folk)is
now over $12<BR>per hour (this is a part-time position - usually less than 4 hours
per<BR>day). Neighboring districts are about the same. I am within 7 miles
of<BR>Disneyland and due to the resorts here, there are a lot of
immigrants<BR>(think lots of hotel help and gardeners, and fast food employment;
and<BR>low/unskilled factory work). Therefore it is a bit harder for the
school<BR>districts to find qualified folk in the general community, so they
pay<BR>more. Plus, the areas with immigrants are busting at the seams
with<BR>children. The school I work at is about 95% Hispanic and I would
estimate<BR>that probably at least 50% are children of (recent)immigrants. This
changes<BR>dramatically from one area to another.<BR><BR>So keep this in mind when
you compare wages - other areas of the country<BR>and even other areas of
California do not pay comparable amounts. I would<BR>limit your comparisons to
districts near yours.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>19. I am a library parapro on Long Island and I make
$11.63 an hour, having been<BR>there 7 years. I am on step 7. Step 1 paras make
$8.20. We are members of<BR>New York State United Teachers, div. of AFT. I work 5.5
hours a day which<BR>includes a paid 15-minute break (lunch) and a 45-minute period
for lunch and<BR>recess duty for 4th grade. I understand that the parapro at the HS
works 7<BR>hours a day, with no lunch duty, but she makes less than I do, having
been<BR>there only two years. She also gets medical benefits since she is
employed<BR>for 6 hours a day or more. They also have a full-time
secretary.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>20. <BR>I AM the assistant and I earn $9.22/hr
in my third year, OUCH!!!<BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>21. our district pays an hourly wage based on
previous job experience<BR>and years in the district. So my aid of 7 years,
with previous secretarial<BR>jobs, makes more than a first year person with no
previous experience. I<BR>believe my aide is making close to $10 an hour
now. She works 30 hours a<BR>week/6 hour days. That is the max for
aides in our district and is based on<BR>school size.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>22. I'm a "paraprofessional" media/library
assistant at a parochial high<BR>school in Traverse City, MI, which has the slogan
"the view of the<BR>bay is half the pay". Have a master's in food and
nutrition.<BR><BR>Consider my work as somewhat missionary, but did get a raise to
just over<BR>$10/hr. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><BR> </DIV></FONT>
<DIV>
</DIV><br clear=all><hr>Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at <a
href="http://explorer.msn.com">http://explorer.msn.com</a><br></p></html>
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