Library Support Staff Job Titles

By Denise M. Davis
Director, Office for Research & Statistics

Since 1993, the annual questionnaire for the ALA Survey of Librarian Salaries has included a “Supplementary Questions” section to gather, for one time only, information needed to answer questions from the field about library human resources. In 2004, the question asked about the most frequently used job titles for library support staff. This supplement was to inform the ALA-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) < www.ala-apa.org > in preparation for a separate Library Support Staff Salary Survey to be conducted in 2005. Beginning with the 2005 survey, both the librarian and the support staff salary surveys will coordinated by the ALA-APA as part of its mission of “improving the salaries and status of library workers.”

Thirty-seven commonly used titles (shown in Figure 1) were listed on the 2004 supplementary questionnaire. For each one, respondents were asked to check all job titles used for non-MLS staff (shown in Figure 2), and had an opportunity to provide titles not listed. In reviewing the results described below, the reader must remember that this survey did not cover all libraries. The sample was restricted to academic and public libraries with at least two ALA-MLS librarians, even though we were asking about library support staff. Eight hundred thirty eight libraries responded to the supplemental questions, or 95% of total respondents. An open-ended question asking about “other” support staff position titles yielded 4,221 cases, with 2,571 unique responses. > in preparation for a separate Library Support Staff Salary Survey to be conducted in 2005. Beginning with the 2005 survey, both the librarian and the support staff salary surveys will coordinated by the ALA-APA as part of its mission of “improving the salaries and status of library workers.”

Thirty-seven commonly used titles (shown in Figure 1) were listed on the 2004 supplementary questionnaire. For each one, respondents were asked to check all job titles used for non-MLS staff (shown in Figure 2), and had an opportunity to provide titles not listed. In reviewing the results described below, the reader must remember that this survey did not cover all libraries. The sample was restricted to academic and public libraries with at least two ALA-MLS librarians, even though we were asking about library support staff. Eight hundred thirty eight libraries responded to the supplemental questions, or 95% of total respondents. An open-ended question asking about “other” support staff position titles yielded 4,221 cases, with 2,571 unique responses.

Figure 1. Titles for Library Support Staff

_____ Administrative Assistant _____ Clerk
_____ Archivist _____ Computer Specialist/Associate
_____ Assistant/Associate Archivist _____ Computer Technician/Assistant
_____ Assistant/Associate Director _____ Database Manager
_____ AV/Media Services Assistant _____ Information Specialist
_____ AV/Media Services Manager _____ Inter-Library Loan Specialist
_____ AV/Media Services Supervisor _____ Library Aide
_____ Branch Manager _____ Library Assistant
_____ Branch Supervisor _____ Library Associate
_____ Building Maintenance Assistant _____ Library Manager
_____ Building Manager _____ Library Page/Shelver
_____ Building Supervisor _____ Library Supervisor
_____ Business Manager _____ Library Technician
_____ Cataloging Manager _____ Network Administrator
_____ Cataloging Supervisor _____ Technical Services Manager
_____ Circulation Aide _____ Technical Services Assistant
_____ Circulation Assistant _____ Technical Services Supervisor
_____ Circulation Manager _____ Webmaster
_____ Circulation Supervisor _____ Other (See next page)

Figure 2 is a summary of responses for the 37 titles. In addition to the 37 pre-determined titles, libraries provided an additional 507 titles they used and recorded these as “other.” The top 20 responses by each library type are reflected in Figure 3. Figure 4 presents response frequency by position title for all libraries excluding “other.” Not surprisingly, titles associated with general administrative or clerical positions were the most common regardless of library type.

Figure 2 - Titles of Library Support Staff as Reported by Academic and Public Libraries

Library Type

Medium-Sized Public Library

Large Public Libraries

Two Year College

Four Year College

University

Total

Count

%

Count

%

Count

%

Count

%

Count

%

Count

%

Administrative Assistant

132 48.00% 99 49.70% 18 15.30% 36 31.90%

64

48.10%

349 41.60%

Archivist

3 1.10% 9 4.50% 3 2.50% 15 13.30%

24

18.00%

54 6.40%

Assistant/Associate Archivist

1 0.40% 2 1.00% 2 1.70% 3 2.70%

4

3.00%

12 1.40%

Assistant/Associate Director

28 10.20% 27 13.60% 2 1.70% 0 0.00%

2

1.50%

59 7.00%

AV/Media Services Assistant

11 4.00% 3 1.50% 9 7.60% 9 8.00%

8

6.00%

40 4.80%

AV/Media Services Manager

7 2.50% 10 5.00% 6 5.10% 5 4.40%

6

4.50%

34 4.10%

AV/Media Services Supervisor

6 2.20% 5 2.50% 3 2.50% 4 3.50%

10

7.50%

28 3.30%

Branch Manager

52 18.90% 65 32.70% 1 0.80% 1 0.90%

1

0.80% 120 14.30%
Branch Supervisor

12

4.40%

17

8.50%

0

0.00%

1

0.90%

0

0.00%

30

3.60%

Building maintenance Assistant

36

13.10%

17

8.50%

0

0.00%

0

0.00%

1

0.80%

54

6.40%

Building Manager

27

9.80%

12

6.00%

1

0.80%

0

0.00%

8

6.00%

48

5.70%

Building Supervisor

15

5.50%

19

9.50%

1

0.80%

0

0.00%

2

1.50%

37

4.40%

Business Manager

46

16.70%

35

17.60%

0

0.00%

3

2.70%

6

4.50%

90

10.70%

Cataloging Manager

6

2.20%

12

6.00%

5

4.20%

5

4.40%

1

0.80%

29

3.50%

Cataloging Supervisor

5

1.80%

6

3.00%

2

1.70%

10

8.80%

6

4.50%

29

3.50%

Circulation Aide

20

7.30%

11

5.50%

4

3.40%

4

3.50%

2

1.50%

41

4.90%

Circulation Assistant

75

27.30%

34

17.10%

18

15.30%

31

27.40%

28

21.10%

186

22.20%

Circulation Manager

51

18.50%

32

16.10%

13

11.00%

18

15.90%

16

12.00%

130

15.50%

Circulation Supervisor

78

28.40%

60

30.20%

15

12.70%

43

38.10%

34

25.60%

230

27.40%

Clerk

123

44.70%

88

44.20%

22

18.60%

6

5.30%

22

16.50%

261

31.10%

Computer Specialist/Associate

16

5.80%

24

12.10%

2

1.70%

2

1.80%

9

6.80%

53

6.30%

Computer Technician/Assistant

37

13.50%

39

19.60%

5

4.20%

1

0.90%

5

3.80%

87

10.40%

Database Manager

3

1.10%

7

3.50%

0

0.00%

2

1.80%

2

1.50%

14

1.70%

Information Specialist

10

3.60%

20

10.10%

4

3.40%

3

2.70%

6

4.50%

43

5.10%

Inter-Library Loan Specialist

38

13.80%

19

9.50%

11

9.30%

26

23.00%

25

18.80%

119

14.20%

Library Aide

39

14.20%

37

18.60%

13

11.00%

1

0.90%

5

3.80%

95

11.30%

Library Assistant

155

56.40%

125

62.80%

46

39.00%

39

34.50%

55

41.40%

420

50.10%

Library Associate

50

18.20%

59

29.60%

8

6.80%

7

6.20%

15

11.30%

139

16.60%

Library Manager

8

2.90%

9

4.50%

0

0.00%

2

1.80%

1

0.80%

20

2.40%

Library Page/Shelver

192

69.80%

119

59.80%

1

0.80%

4

3.50%

3

2.30%

319

38.10%

Library Supervisor

5

1.80%

7

3.50%

2

1.70%

3

2.70%

5

3.80%

22

2.60%

Library Technician

24

8.70%

30

15.10%

38

32.20%

8

7.10%

24

18.00%

124

14.80%

Network Administrator

35

12.70%

33

16.60%

1

0.80%

0

0.00%

10

7.50%

79

9.40%

Technical Services Assistant

61

22.20%

24

12.10%

10

8.50%

26

23.00%

20

15.00%

141

16.80%

Technical Services Manager

26

9.50%

18

9.00%

3

2.50%

4

3.50%

3

2.30%

54

6.40%

Technical Services Supervisor

15

5.50%

13

6.50%

5

4.20%

2

1.80%

8

6.00%

43

5.10%

Webmaster

13

4.70%

30

15.10%

2

1.70%

2

1.80%

7

5.30%

54

6.40%

Other (see next page)

188

68.40%

156

78.40%

62

52.50%

63

55.80%

92

69.20%

561

66.90%

Total Number of Libraries

275

199

118

113

133

838

Note: The table is for a multiple response question. The column percentage indicates the percentage of libraries in each library type which use that particular job title (e.g., the job title Webmaster was used by 4.7% of medium-sized public libraries responding (N=275).

Figure 3: 20 Top Responses, Support Staff Titles

Medium Sized PLs

Large PLs

Two Year Colleges

Four Year Colleges

Universities

Library Page/Shelver Library Assistant Library Assistant Circulation Supervisor Administrative Assistant
Library Assistant Library Page/Shelver Library Technician Library Assistant Library Assistant
Administrative Assistant Administrative Assistant Clerk Administrative Assistant Circulation Supervisor
Clerk Clerk Administrative Assistant Circulation Assistant Circulation Assistant
Circulation Supervisor Branch Manager Circulation Assistant Inter-Library Loan Specialist Inter-Library Loan Specialist
Circulation Assistant Circulation Supervisor Circulation Supervisor Technical Servics Assistant Archivist
Technical Servics Assistant Library Associate Library Aide Circulation Manager Library Technician
Branch Manager Circulation Manager Archivist Clerk
Circulation Manager Library Aide Inter-Library Loan Specialist Cataloging Supervisor Technical Servics Assistant
Library Associate Business Manager Technical Servics Assistant AV/Media Services Assistant Circulation Manager
Business Manager Circulation Assistant AV/Media Services Assistant Library Technician Library Associate
Library Aide Network Administrator Library Associate Library Associate AV/Media Services Supervisor
Inter-Library Loan Specialist Circulation Manager AV/Media Services Manager Clerk Network Administrator
Computer Technician/Assistant Library Technician Computer Technician/Assistant AV/Media Services Manager Computer Specialist/Associate
Building maintenance Assistant Webmaster Technical Services Supervisor Cataloging Manager AV/Media Services Assistant
Network Administrator Assistant/Associate Director Cataloging Manager Circulation Aide Technical Services Supervisor
Assistant/Associate Director Technical Services Assistant Information Specialist Technical Services Manager Building Manager
Building Manager Computer Specialist/Associate Circulation Aide AV/Media Services Supervisor Webmaster
Technical Services Manager Information Specialist Technical Services Manager Library Page/Shelver Cataloging Supervisor
Library Technician Inter-Library Loan Specialist Archivist Information Specialist AV/Media Services Manager

Figure 4: Frequency of Title Use, All Libraries (excluding “other”)

100+ Libraries Use Title 50-99 Libraries Use Title 25-49 Libraries Use Title 1-24 Libraries Use Title
Library Assistant Library Aide Building Manager Library Supervisor
Administrative Assistant Business Manager Information Specialist Library Manager
Library Page/Shelver Computer Technician/Assistant Technical Services Supervisor Database Manager
Clerk Network Administrator Circulation Aide Assistant/Associate Archivist
Circulation Supervisor Assistant/Associate Director AV/Media Services Assistant
Circulation Assistant Archivist Building Supervisor
Technical Services Assistant Technical Services Manager AV/Media Services Manager
Library Associate Webmaster Branch Supervisor
Circulation Manager Building maintenance Assistant Cataloging Supervisor
Library Technician Computer Specialist/Associate Cataloging Manager
Branch Manager AV/Media Services Supervisor
Inter-Library Loan Specialist

The supplemental questions allowed for an open-ended response by libraries if they had support staff position titles that were not reflected in the 36 prescribed titles. There were 4,221 cases in the “other” response, and 2,571 unique responses. Figure 5 lists the responses to “other” from more than 20 libraries. Not surprisingly, the most frequently mentioned “other” titles were quite general staff positions present in most libraries – custodian, secretary, assistants, and clerks. It also is the case that general position titles were identified by as few as one library, but the titles did not match well to the prescribed titles in the questionnaire.

Figure 5 - "Other" Support Staff Titles Reported By 10 or more Libraries

Job Title Libraries Reporting
Use of Job Title
Job Title Libraries Reporting
Use of Job Title
Custodian

41

Reference Librarian

15

Secretary

35

Cataloger

14

Cataloging Assistant

30

Circulation Coordinator

14

Administrative Secretary

28

Courier

13

Library Specialist

27

Page

13

Senior Library Assistant

25

Librarian I

12

Senior Library Clerk

25

Acquisitions Coordinator

11

Reference Assistant

23

Acquisitions Supervisor

11

Bookkeeper

22

Head of Circulation

11

Library Clerk

22

Interlibrary Loan Assistant

11

Account Clerk

20

Librarian II

11

Accountant

19

Library Assistant I

11

Acquisitions Assistant

19

Library Assistant III

11

Library Assistant II

17

Maintenance Supervisor

11

Library Technical Assistant

17

Receptionist

11

Circulation Clerk

16

Senior Clerk

11

Office Manager

16

Supervising Library Assistant

11

Executive Secretary

15

Volunteer Coordinator

11

Facilities Manager

15

Children's Librarian

10

Graphic Artist

15

Computer Operator

10

Graphic Designer

15

Principal Library Clerk

10

Figure 6 summarizes the top 36 prescribed functional areas identified from all responses, and “other.” This list was determined by looking at frequency of departmental and functional areas, such as reference, acquisitions, etc. Thirteen core staff classifications or rank were derived from the total of responses (prescribed titles and “other”) and also are presented in Figure 6. Both the functional areas and classifications will be used in the field-test instrument for 2005 ALA-APA Support Staff Salary Survey.

Figure 6 – Functional Areas and Classifications, Support Staff

Functional Area:

Accounting Information Services
Acquisitions
Administrative (aide, etc.) Interlibrary Loan
Adult Services Literacy
Archival Maintenance, Janitor, Custodian
Automation (Automated Systems – Network staff, Computer Systems, Information Systems, Information Technology, Systems Admin, Systems Operations) Marketing
Bookmobile Media Services
Cataloging Outreach
Children’s Services Periodicals, Serials
Circulation Processing (materials processing)
Collection Development/Management Public Information
Community Relations/Service Public Relations
Development (fund raising) Public Service
Facilities Reference
Financial (Accounting, Budget, Finance, Fiscal, Payroll, Purchasing) Technical Services
Government Documents Volunteer Services (coordinator, supervisor, etc.)
Graphics Youth Services
Human Resources, Personnel Young Adult Services

Classification:

Director Lead
Manager Technical Assistant (with levels I-V)
Librarian (with levels I-V) Clerk (with levels I-V)
Assistant, Associate (with levels I-V, also Senior, etc.) Office (Assistant, Manager, etc.)
Head Secretary, Receptionist
Supervisor Page
Coordinator