Public Library Unions:

Abstract

A recent survey of 2317 unionized and nonunionized public librarians found that public librarians who were pro-union were most likely to (1) be employed in larger libraries, (2) have worked less years as librarians, (3) command lower salaries, (4) be politically liberal, (5) have had less administrative experience, (6) be employed in libraries without staff associations or in libraries where union representation was nationally affiliated, and (7) be union members. The study also found that public library union members held less favorable attitudes toward service than their col- leagues who were not members of the union. The findings indicate that unions may not be the preferred mode of representation for public librarians and [hat they may be causing a decrease in professionalism within the field.