Primary Research Group has published The Survey of Academic Librarians: Satisfaction with Library Employment, ISBN 1-57440-154-8.

This study presents the results of a survey of 555 academic librarians about how they view various aspects of their treatment as employees, their career prospects and their relationship with faculty, students, and library administration. Data is presented in the aggregate and broken out by various characteristics such as gender, age, library work title or field, institutional enrollment, Carnegie class, level of education, USA or Canada and other factors.   The report includes detailed information on levels of satisfaction with salary, retirement, job security and health benefits, office surroundings, physical security and other aspects of the library work experience. It also gives precise information on academic librarian experiences with sexual harassment, and views on the existence of prejudice related to race, income, ethnicity, age, gender and other factors.

Just a few of the report’s many findings are that:

†      Less than 6% of academic librarians were dissatisfied to any degree with their job security while more than 72% were satisfied

†      Twice as high a percentage of females than males were dissatisfied to any degree with their relationship with library management.

†      Only 1.7% of librarians sampled report dissatisfaction with their relationship with students.

†      14% of librarians sampled are dissatisfied with the quality of the office, furnishings and general creature comforts in their library.  Librarians in cataloging and technical services were the most unhappy.

†      11.35% of librarians sampled say that they have been the victim of sexual harassment in their current or some previous library job.  

†      20.69% of Canadian librarians in the sample felt there was gender bias in their libraries.

†      More than 87% said that they would take a job with their current library employer if they had to do it all over again.

The 119-page report has approximately 250 tables of data as well as explanatory commentary.   For further information view our website at www.PrimaryResearch.com or call us at 212-736-2316.