There are 97 public library systems in the state, and the smaller ones are losing qualified librarians, the West Virginia Library Commission heard on Friday in Charleston.
Library systems require someone with a master’s degree in library science to run them, and the smaller systems often only pay about $25,000 a year, said J.D. Waggoner, the commission’s executive director. In the last year, the Mason County Public Library and the Taylor County Public Library lost directors with master’s degrees, he said.
“It’s salaries and, in some cases, location,” Waggoner said.
$25,000?!
I know there’s always more to a job than the paycheck…but $25,000 for a qualified librarian? That seems like a pretty bad deal! I make more than that, and I’m just a library assistant still working toward my degree.
Re:$25,000?!
Yeah, that’s a pathetic salary.
Why Pay Them at All?
Just give them a sack of flour and a can of lard at the end of the month and be done with it.