Library Workforce

New Fast Facts: More Opportunities, Lower Pay: 2012 Insights from Library Jobline

May 2013

Our new Fast Facts uses data from Library Jobline to evaluate Colorado’s library job climate. In 2012, almost 400 library jobs were posted to Library Jobline, thus marking the third year in a row in which there was an increase in the number of jobs posted. Although there appear to be more opportunities for library-related […]

Colorado’s Public Computer Centers: Bridging the Great Digital Divide

September 2012

In September 2010, the Colorado State Library (CSL) secured a Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP) grant through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This grant funded 50 grantees to build or enhance Public Computer Centers (PCCs) in 88 high-need urban and rural communities in […]

Off to a Good Start: A Look at First-Quarter 2012 Statistics from LibraryJobline.org

August 2012

A recent LRS Fast Facts used statistics from LibraryJobline.org, an online service for job seekers and employers hosted by LRS, to assess the state of Colorado’s library job market in 2011 as compared to previous years. The report showed that after bottoming out in 2009, Colorado has seen a slow but steady increase in the […]

School Librarian Numbers Decline from 2004-2005 to 2010-2011

July 2012

Our new Fast Facts discusses recent trends in public school librarian staffing and student enrollment. Based on an analysis of National Center for Education Statistics data, public school librarian staffing numbers remained relatively stable from 2004-05 (the first year this data was reported) to 2007-08. However, these positions nationwide declined by 8 percent from 2007-08 […]

New Fast Facts: ALA-MLS Librarian Staffing Levels in Colorado and U.S. Public Libraries

July 2012

Our new Fast Facts, “ALA-MLS Librarian Staffing in Colorado and U.S. Public Libraries,” will pique the interest of anyone who has wondered about the distribution of librarians to ALA-MLS-accredited librarians, or about the proportions of librarians to other staff, in Colorado or the U.S. at large. Based on an analysis of Colorado and national public […]

What is the value of an MLIS to you?

June 2012

Forbes.com recently posted an article on “The Best And Worst Master’s Degrees For Jobs,”  and a Master’s in Library and Information Science was ranked the No. 1 worst degree. These rankings were based on mid-career median pay and estimated rate of growth of careers in 35 popular degrees. The results of our 60-second poll “The […]

New Fast Facts: “A Brief Look at Librarian Salaries in U.S. and Colorado Public Libraries”

May 2012

Comparisons between the 2010 ALA-APA Annual Salary Survey and the 2010 Public Library Annual Report (PLAR) compiled by the Library Research Service show that across professional library positions in Colorado, salaries are pretty evenly matched with national averages, with the exception of library directors. Within Colorado and nationally, library professionals in large and very large […]

School Library Studies-Next Steps

September 2011

In response to some questions we’ve received about our School Library Journal article and our future plans for school library research: The results reported in this article represent the first part of a larger study we are conducting to look at the relationship between school librarian staffing and achievement scores. Our next step is to […]