Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    An AI-Driven Work Force
    AI and Microcredentials
Sign In
News

Median Salaries of Library and Museum Professionals, by Institution Type, 2016-17

Almanac 2017 August 13, 2017

Among doctoral, master’s, and baccalaureate institutions, the head of a campus museum had the greatest median salary in 2016-17, and a library cataloger (Level I) had the lowest.

Return to the Almanac home page, or go to the Profession, Students, Finance, or States section. To purchase a copy of the Almanac in print or as a downloadable interactive PDF, visit the Chronicle Store.

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

Among doctoral, master’s, and baccalaureate institutions, the head of a campus museum had the greatest median salary in 2016-17, and a library cataloger (Level I) had the lowest.


Return to the Almanac home page, or go to the Profession, Students, Finance, or States section. To purchase a copy of the Almanac in print or as a downloadable interactive PDF, visit the Chronicle Store.


Librarians

SpecialtyDoctoralMaster’sBaccalaureateAssociateSpecial/other
Access services $60,141 $47,480 $43,603 $55,262 $56,375
Cataloger (Level I) $50,342 $41,563 $41,369 $50,000 $42,718
Cataloger/metadata (Level II) $62,490 $55,068 $54,230 $49,876 $52,294
Data and geographical information $61,561 $71,071 $63,925 - -
Distance education $60,853 $52,755 $56,371 $61,903 $48,750
Electronic resources/serials $61,970 $53,030 $55,554 $76,957 $37,908
Emerging technology $59,223 $58,396 $60,621 $84,246 $63,761
Government documents/publications $62,000 $57,043 $55,485 $53,075 -
Head of access services $73,250 $54,914 $68,055 $60,148 $65,266
Head of acquisitions $70,179 $60,732 $49,236 $52,218 $51,387
Head of branch library $82,650 $60,694 $76,229 $84,872 $49,375
Head of cataloging $71,567 $60,833 $64,525 $57,591 $52,000
Head of collection development $80,833 $69,180 $63,862 $58,263 $63,985
Head of public services $76,805 $61,333 $59,771 $62,583 $53,690
Head of reference and instruction (Reference Level II) $67,512 $61,498 $59,530 $68,916 $59,570
Head of special collections and archives $77,011 $57,510 $65,799 $52,981 $51,000
Head of technical services $79,682 $62,873 $57,643 $57,114 $56,328
Media $67,987 $56,000 $49,753 $69,332 -
Reference and instruction (Reference Level I) $58,227 $52,000 $52,562 $60,300 $47,840
Special collections and archives $61,305 $51,000 $56,838 $60,919 $63,491
Systems/digital resources $74,406 $56,784 $57,908 $56,794 $53,100
User experience/assessment $67,957 $52,576 $63,000 - $42,677

Museum professionals

PositionDoctoralMaster’sBaccalaureateAssociateSpecial/other
Archive/museum/gallery curator $56,000 $51,870 $59,562 $52,948 $82,897
Head, campus museum $126,232 $74,218 $88,813 $73,440 $64,891

Note: Data for 193,544 higher-education professionals in 355 positions were collected from 1,011 colleges and universities for salaries current as of December 1, 2016. Because 12 systems reported data in aggregate for their campuses, salaries were reported from a total of 1,108 institutions, with public and private institutions nearly equally represented. Data were gathered in late 2016 and early 2017. A hyphen indicates insufficient or no data.

Source: Bichsel, Jacqueline, and McChesney, Jasper. “Professionals in Higher Education Salary Report: Key Findings, Trends, and Comprehensive Tables for the 2016-17 Academic Year.” College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), April 2017. Research report. Available from www.cupahr.org/surveys/phe.aspx.

A version of this article appeared in the August 18, 2017, issue.
Read other items in The Profession.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Tags
Data Libraries
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email

More News

Photo illustration showing Santa Ono seated, places small in the corner of a dark space
'Unrelentingly Sad'
Santa Ono Wanted a Presidency. He Became a Pariah.
Illustration of a rushing crowd carrying HSI letters
Seeking precedent
Funding for Hispanic-Serving Institutions Is Discriminatory and Unconstitutional, Lawsuit Argues
Photo-based illustration of scissors cutting through paper that is a photo of an idyllic liberal arts college campus on one side and money on the other
Finance
Small Colleges Are Banding Together Against a Higher Endowment Tax. This Is Why.
Pano Kanelos, founding president of the U. of Austin.
Q&A
One Year In, What Has ‘the Anti-Harvard’ University Accomplished?

From The Review

Photo-based illustration of the Capitol building dome propped on a stick attached to a string, like a trap.
The Review | Opinion
Colleges Can’t Trust the Federal Government. What Now?
By Brian Rosenberg
Illustration of an unequal sign in black on a white background
The Review | Essay
What Is Replacing DEI? Racism.
By Richard Amesbury
FILE -- University of Michigan President Santa Ono speaks during a Board of Regents meeting in Ann Arbor, Mich., Dec. 5, 2024. The University of Florida's new president will be Ono, a biomedical researcher lured from the top job at the University of Michigan with a large pay package, despite criticism of him that social conservatives raised.
The Review | Opinion
The Ruination of Santa Ono
By Silke-Maria Weineck

Upcoming Events

Plain_Acuity_DurableSkills_VF.png
Why Employers Value ‘Durable’ Skills
Warwick_Leadership_Javi.png
University Transformation: a Global Leadership Perspective
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin