Library Jobline, LRS’s website for library job postings and resources, broke its own record for the number of jobs posted in 2017 while the number of job seekers and job posters continued to rise. Data collected from the Library Jobline website are highlighted in the most recent Fast Facts report.
In 2017 employers posted 701 jobs to Library Jobline, an average of 13 new jobs a week. January was Jobline’s busiest month, with 73 new jobs posted. Similar to 2016, about two-thirds (67%) of the jobs posted were located in Colorado. However, the percentage of full-time jobs posted saw a big jump, from about half (53%) in 2016 to over three-quarters (78%) in 2017. The majority of jobs posted were in public libraries (66%), followed by academic libraries (21%), “other” (8%), institutional libraries (3%), and school libraries (2%).
Average hourly salaries for both academic ($22.06) and public ($22.26) library positions remained steady and didn’t change much from 2016. The average salary for school library positions ($19.86) has risen 19% since its low in 2015 ($16.62). About a third (32%) of the jobs posted required a MLIS degree, while a little under half (44%) preferred a MLIS.
Subscriptions to Library Jobline continued to grow, adding 407 new jobseekers and 128 new employers in 2017. This led to almost 960,000 emails with job opportunities sent to job seekers – edging closer to one million!
Are you hiring at your library? In the library job market yourself? Sign up for Library Jobline as an employer or jobseeker. Jobseekers can specify what jobs they’re interested in and get emails sent straight to their inbox whenever new posts meet their criteria. Employers can also reach more than 5,000 jobseekers and more than 1,000 followers on Twitter @libraryjobline.
Note: This post is part of our series, “The LRS Number.” In this series, we highlight statistics that help tell the story of the 21st-century library.