ALMResearchBlog

Librarian Salaries: 2007 SLA Survey Shows Pay Increases Outpace Inflation

The Special Libraries Association recently released the results of its 2007 Salary Survey and Workplace Study. The study contains salary information and other data from respondents in Europe, including the UK. According to the press release, the average salary increases for SLA members in the U.S and Canada have outpaced inflation yet again. Based on salaries as of April 2007 for U.S. based respondents, the increase in salaries for 2007 over 2006 was 5.1%. This is 1.1% higher than the increase from 2005 to 2006. The average salary for U.S. members who answered the survey was US$ 69,446, compared with US$ 67,400 reported in 2006. The average for Canadian members was CAN$ 67,171 compared with CAN$ 65,522 in 2006. Salaries for Canadian members were 4.9% higher on 1 April 2007, than a year earlier, while the CPI had increased just 2% in the same period. More information about the survey can be found here.

On-line Instructional Video: Searching the EDGAR Database

As mentioned on the Stark County Law Library Blog, this 10-minute video on How to Search the EDGAR Database explains how to use the Securities and Exchange Commission's EDGAR database, covering both basic and advanced search features. You may use the table of contents to go directly to certain parts of the video, but this feature only works after the screencast loads completely. The video is part of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll’s Virtual Chase Library.

Librarians: The New “Hip” Generation

The New York Times had a story recently on the Hipper Crowd of Shushers, focusing on a group of young librarians from the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York who gather regularly at a professional soiree, complete with drinks named—rather, numbered—according to the Dewey Decimal System. As the article notes, “With so much of the job involving technology and with a focus now on finding and sharing information … a new type of librarian is emerging.”

Law Library of Congress Web Site Re-Design

The Law Library of Congress (“the world’s largest collection of law books and legal resources”) is celebrating its 175th anniversary by launching its newly re-designed web site. On the home page, a link is provided for offering feedback about the new site.

TGIF: Batgirl the Public Librarian

As always, thanks to the Law Librarians Blog and Joe Hodnicki for sharing their “Friday Fun” with the rest of us. In this never-aired 1966 pilot, the Dynamic Duo are introduced to, and saved by, Batgirl, who is a librarian at the Gotham Public Library. The 6-minute clip can be viewed by clicking here .

Lawyers Without Borders Seeks Book Donations

Sabrina Pacifici sent out this announcement on her blog Be Spacific: Lawyers Without Borders is seeking donations of law books for courts and lawyers in Albania and Liberia. The law library of the Supreme Court of Albania in the capital of Tirana, which is accessed by judges, practitioners, and law students, is seeking English-language major treatises, hornbooks, and other publications focusing on American law and legal institutions. Donations to Albania should be sent to Paramount Stamping and Welding, 1200 West 58th Street, Cleveland, OH 44102, with a marking that reads, Attention: Peter Kole–LAW BOOKS. Another donor has underwritten the costs of shipping to Albania from that address.

The organization is also seeking donations for the University of Liberia Louis Arthur Grimes Law School, as well as for judges, students, and lawyers in Liberia. In particular, complete sets of the AmJur series are requested. These include any edition of AmJur, AmJur Forms, and AmJur Trials. These donations should be sent to Mr. Ray Fallon, Fallon Moving and Storage, 800 Marshall Phelps Road, Building 3, Unit A, Windsor, CT 06095, with a marking that reads, Attention: Lawyers Without Borders, Book Donation Project, Liberia.

Commentary on Survey of Law Firm Librarians

Several web sites have posted commentary about the report of the  2007 Law Librarian Survey, published recently in Law Firm Inc. Joe Hodnicki, on the Law Librarian Blog focused on the issues of budget cuts, vendors, and knowledge management, and referenced another post which focused on the fact that “librarians are spending more time on rainmaking by performing marketing and competitive intelligence research which increases their prominence and influence with the lawyers who employ them.” The feature article accompanying the survey report in LFI focused on the fact that Librarians Like Their Jobs But Are Displeased With Vendors.

The survey results are available from the ALM Research Online Store in searchable spreadsheet format and includes data from both the 2007 and 2006 surveys for comparing trends. For a direct link to the product, click here.

TGIF: Librarians Seem to Have the Most Fun

That’s what one would think if you follow the occasional “Friday Fun” blog postings on the Law Librarian Blog. One recent Friday Fun featured a Monty Python bit in which the off-beat comics hold a Librarian Job Interview. Another features a song called Librarians Don’t Die. It’s Friday. Have fun!

Recent Release: 2007 Law Librarian Survey

The July/August issue of Law Firm Inc. includes the sixth edition of the Law Librarian Survey, which solicits feedback from the nation's top legal librarians. This year’s report, which combines the responses of 95 Am Law 200 firm librarians includes: average salaries for law librarians; average library budget & expenses; librarian satisfaction with major information providers; staffing and resource information; and more. The 2007 Law Librarian Survey is available in electronic spreadsheet format from the ALM Research Store.

New ALM Research Newsletter is Out

The July/August issue of our newsletter, ALM Research NewsLine is now available. Topics covered in this issue include a look at trends in the history of the Pro Bono Survey, 1993 - 2007, the methodology behind the A-List, historical trends (2002 - 2006) in the Law Librarians Survey, with a focus on the top librarians' salary and spending on library staff. In addition,  Also mentioned are the various salary surveys included in the ALM Research database. And related to that topic, ALM Research is offering a free Associate Salary Update spreadsheet to non-subscribers who purchase any other product from the ALM Research Store. Contact us by email to take advantage of this offer: [email protected].

If you want to receive NewsLine every other month by email, sign up here. It's free!