Section 4: library
services respondents
When it comes to respondents
from the library sector, 77% of
the 44 who said they worked
in libraries were female and
23% were male. At 40 years,
the average age is slightly
higher than participants from
the bookselling sector, whose
average age was 38, and nine
years above the average age of
those in the publishing sector,
where respondents’ average
age was 31.
The ethnicity of the
respondents in the
library sector was also
overwhelmingly white, with
95% classing themselves as
white British or white. The
picture was mixed in terms
of work location—London
and the Midlands were
the most popular areas
for respondents to work
in, with 20.45% saying that
they worked in each of
these areas. Those who
participated in the survey
overwhelmingly described
themselves as a librarian
(61%). Other job titles
highlighted included:
assistant (11%), senior
librarian (11%) and senior
manager or director of
services (9%). The hours
worked were mainly fulltime
(84%), but 9% also gave
their employment status as
part-time, while 6% said that
they were on a temporary
contract. The average time in
respondents’ current job was
almost five years.
The majority of respondents
said that they were in the
career they “always wanted”
(22%), while 36% said that
they “fell into it”. At £24,090,
the average salary for those
in library services is above
Q1 HOW MUCH ARE YOU PAID?
Percentage
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Up to £20,000
Average salary: £24,090
(Sample: those in library services sector)
£20,000 to £40,000
£40,000 to £60,000
More than £60,000
THE BOOKSELLER SALARY AND BENEFITS SURVEY 2008: THE RESULTS
those in the bookselling sector
(£17,500) and slightly below
their peers in publishing
(£26,577). However, 41% of
those asked gave their salary
as being below £20,000.
When asked to rate their
level of pay, the majority of
those in the library services
sector say that they believe
they are reasonably well
paid (38%), while 27% say the
pay isn’t great but they love
Q2) How would you rate
your level of pay?
I am thinking of leaving the
book industry for a better
salary 2%
I am reasonably well
paid 38%
It’s low, but I am the ownermanager
and I am trying to
build the business 0%
It’s low and I struggle to
pay my bills 11%
The overall package is
adequate 20%
The pay is not great, but
I love working with
working with books. A fifth of
respondents also say that they
think their overall package
is adequate (20%), compared
with 15% in publishing and just
4% of those in the bookselling
sector.
In fact, the respondents
from the library sector seem
more positive overall with
their situation than their
counterparts in publishing and
bookselling—only 2% say that
books 27%
(Sample: those in library
services sector)
Q3) How important is pay
when considering changing
jobs?
Factors such as ethos and
location are just as
important 45%
I’d move for more pay,
even if there were other
drawbacks 9%
Pay is a medium or low
priority compared with
other factors 7%
This picture the British
Library; below from
left Birmingham
Central Library,
Blyth Library in
Northumberland, and
Newquay Library
they are considering leaving
the library services sector
for better pay, compared with
16% of those in publishing
and 16% of their colleagues in
bookselling.
The majority of library
services respondents report
that they have been given a
pay rise in the past year, with
59% saying that they have
received a boost to their pay
packet.
Pay is by far the most
significant consideration 7%
Promotion and new
challenges motivate me as
much as pay 31%
(Sample: those in library
services)
Q4) Have you had a pay
rise in the past year?
No 39%
Yes 59%
(Sample: 43 of 44
respondents)
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