12 · Survey Results: Executive Summary
Many report that decisions are made by a staff com-
mittee. The allocation of a set annual allowance per
librarian to be used for conferences or other profes-
sional development opportunities is prevalent report-
ed amounts range from $300 to $2,000. A variation
on this method is the allocation of a set amount for
librarians with more than one funding level based on
tenure, permanent status, or rank. For example, one
library provides $1000 per year for non-permanent
(non-tenured) librarians and $800 per year for other
librarians. Another method is to pay a set percentage
of conference expenses. Percentages reported include
80 and 90 percent. The comments also indicate that the
level of participation by the librarian at the conference
is a common determinant of the amount of funding.
Personal Memberships for Professional
Associations
Only 7% of respondents reported that their library
pays or reimburses librarians for personal member-
ships to professional associations such as the American
Library Association. Of those five, the comments indi-
cate that librarians receive professional development
allowances under a formal plan and may use those
funds for a variety of purposes including personal
memberships to relevant professional associations.
Among those who don’t pay, a number reported that
payment or reimbursement for personal memberships
to professional associations was prohibited by a state
regulation or institutional policy.
Financial Support for College Credit Courses
The survey asked whether the library covered any
expenses for college credit courses that are either job
related or for personal development. The majority
of respondents provide no financial support either
for registration or books, materials, and equipment
regardless of whether the course is job related or for
personal development. Fifty-one percent of the respon-
dents provide no financial support for registration
expenses for either job-related or personal develop-
ment credit courses. Seventy-one percent provide no
support for books, materials, and equipment.
Just under half provide at least partial support for
registration for job-related courses, but fewer than a
third do so for personal development classes. Only 15
provide any support for books, materials, and equip-
ment for job-related courses and only four of these
cover books for personal development courses.
[The authors note that the amount of financial
support for both categories of coursework may not
include institution support beyond the libraries (at
the university level, for example) and suspect there
is more financial support in many instances than re-
ported here.]
Thirteen institutions (23%) require job-related
courses to be taken at the home institution 12 (26%)
require personal development courses to be taken at
the home institution. Ten of these institutions cover
expenses for these courses.
In the majority of cases (42 responses or 62%) time
spent to attend job-related courses is treated as time
worked, though a significant number of respondents
indicated that the employee uses vacation/personal
time or makes up the time. Only nine of the respond-
ing institutions (14%) treat time spent to attend per-
sonal development courses as time worked. In the
majority of cases the employee uses vacation/personal
time or makes up the time spent on these courses.
The maximum number of credit hours that librar-
ians may take per session for courses that are either
job related or for the librarian’s own personal devel-
opment is quite similar. In either case the minimum
number reported is three and the maximum is “no
limit.” For those respondents who specified a number,
the mean is about 6.5 and the median is 6.
[See the tables on page 15 for a detailed compari-
son of institutional support for job-related and per-
sonal development college credit courses.]
Financial Support for Internships
The survey also asked whether the library covered any
expenses for internships that are either job related or
for personal development. As with courses, the major-
ity of respondents (39 or 60% for job-related intern-
ships 56 or 89% for personal development) provide
no financial support either for registration or books,
materials, and equipment, or for travel regardless of
whether the internship is job related or for personal
development. Only 17 respondents (26%) cover any
costs for job-related internships and only five of these
cover costs for personal development internships.
Many report that decisions are made by a staff com-
mittee. The allocation of a set annual allowance per
librarian to be used for conferences or other profes-
sional development opportunities is prevalent report-
ed amounts range from $300 to $2,000. A variation
on this method is the allocation of a set amount for
librarians with more than one funding level based on
tenure, permanent status, or rank. For example, one
library provides $1000 per year for non-permanent
(non-tenured) librarians and $800 per year for other
librarians. Another method is to pay a set percentage
of conference expenses. Percentages reported include
80 and 90 percent. The comments also indicate that the
level of participation by the librarian at the conference
is a common determinant of the amount of funding.
Personal Memberships for Professional
Associations
Only 7% of respondents reported that their library
pays or reimburses librarians for personal member-
ships to professional associations such as the American
Library Association. Of those five, the comments indi-
cate that librarians receive professional development
allowances under a formal plan and may use those
funds for a variety of purposes including personal
memberships to relevant professional associations.
Among those who don’t pay, a number reported that
payment or reimbursement for personal memberships
to professional associations was prohibited by a state
regulation or institutional policy.
Financial Support for College Credit Courses
The survey asked whether the library covered any
expenses for college credit courses that are either job
related or for personal development. The majority
of respondents provide no financial support either
for registration or books, materials, and equipment
regardless of whether the course is job related or for
personal development. Fifty-one percent of the respon-
dents provide no financial support for registration
expenses for either job-related or personal develop-
ment credit courses. Seventy-one percent provide no
support for books, materials, and equipment.
Just under half provide at least partial support for
registration for job-related courses, but fewer than a
third do so for personal development classes. Only 15
provide any support for books, materials, and equip-
ment for job-related courses and only four of these
cover books for personal development courses.
[The authors note that the amount of financial
support for both categories of coursework may not
include institution support beyond the libraries (at
the university level, for example) and suspect there
is more financial support in many instances than re-
ported here.]
Thirteen institutions (23%) require job-related
courses to be taken at the home institution 12 (26%)
require personal development courses to be taken at
the home institution. Ten of these institutions cover
expenses for these courses.
In the majority of cases (42 responses or 62%) time
spent to attend job-related courses is treated as time
worked, though a significant number of respondents
indicated that the employee uses vacation/personal
time or makes up the time. Only nine of the respond-
ing institutions (14%) treat time spent to attend per-
sonal development courses as time worked. In the
majority of cases the employee uses vacation/personal
time or makes up the time spent on these courses.
The maximum number of credit hours that librar-
ians may take per session for courses that are either
job related or for the librarian’s own personal devel-
opment is quite similar. In either case the minimum
number reported is three and the maximum is “no
limit.” For those respondents who specified a number,
the mean is about 6.5 and the median is 6.
[See the tables on page 15 for a detailed compari-
son of institutional support for job-related and per-
sonal development college credit courses.]
Financial Support for Internships
The survey also asked whether the library covered any
expenses for internships that are either job related or
for personal development. As with courses, the major-
ity of respondents (39 or 60% for job-related intern-
ships 56 or 89% for personal development) provide
no financial support either for registration or books,
materials, and equipment, or for travel regardless of
whether the internship is job related or for personal
development. Only 17 respondents (26%) cover any
costs for job-related internships and only five of these
cover costs for personal development internships.
