Study to assess the compensation and skills of medical library professionals relative to information technology professionals

• Published in: Bulletin of the Medical Library Association Vol. 89; no. 3; pp. 249 - 262
• Main Authors: WEISE, Frieda O, MCMULLEN, Thomas D, GROUP, Hay
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL Medical Library Association 01.07.2001
• Subjects: Exact sciences and technology; Humans; Information and communication sciences; Information Management; Information science. Documentation; Interviews as Topic; Librarians - statistics & numerical data; Libraries, Hospital - economics; Libraries, Hospital - organization & administration; Libraries, Hospital - statistics & numerical data; Libraries, Medical - economics; Libraries, Medical - organization & administration; Libraries, Medical - statistics & numerical data; Library and information professionals; Library and information science. General aspects; Library Science; Medical libraries; Professional aspects; Professional Competence; Salaries; Salaries and Fringe Benefits; Sciences and techniques of general use; Surveys; United States; USA; United States; Workplace layout; Wage; Questionnaire; Higher education library; Hospital library; Professional status; Remuneration; Information technology; Medicine; Professional competence; Librarian; Comparative study; Information professional
• ISSN: 0025-7338

The study seeks to determine how medical library professionals performing information-technology (IT) roles are compensated and how their positions are designed compared to information technology staff in their institutions. 550 medical library directors in hospital and academic medical libraries were surveyed. The data was then compared to survey data from other compensation studies of the IT industry. There is a gap in compensation between medical library professionals and IT professionals performing similar functions using information technology. Technology-intense library jobs are compensated at higher levels than more traditional jobs. To compete with IT salaries, managers of medical library professionals will need to be ever more cognizant of the employment practices of IT professionals in nonmedical library disciplines. It is typically in the medical library's best interest to ensure that IT-related jobs, accountabilities, and capabilities of the medical library are known and understood by others, especially in the human resources and information technology staff departments.