Hefty pay rises on books for librarians

SALARIES for law librarians are outstripping the national average, a new survey reveals.

Pay has gone up by 10 per cent over the last two years, according to research carried out for the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (Biall).

But the inflation-busting settlements have not been matched by a significant increase in bonus payments. Only 17 per cent of librarians received a bonus in the year up to June 1994, compared to 22 per cent in the previous 12 months.

The survey also reveals a wide discrepancy in salary levels which go from u5,200 to u63,000.

But the median level is u17,300 compared to u15,700 in the 1992-93 Biall survey. Average starting levels are u13,000 compared to u11,000 two years ago.

The last two years have also witnessed a widening of the gap between the salaries of men and women. Median salaries for men are 13 per cent higher than for women.

Among the fringe benefits for law librarians are cheap legal services (24 per cent), season ticket loans (50 per cent) and Biall subscription (52 per cent). But only two of the 260 respondents could boast a company car.