[Libs-Or] Portland Library Employment Trends Survey

[Jeff Fernandez]

Hello,
I would like to post the following message to libs-or. It is in regards to a library survey I am conducting on the library employment trends in the City of Portland. Please let me know if I need to make any adjustments to the message.
Thank you,
Jeff Fernandez


Dear Library Directors/Managers,

I would like to invite the academic, public, and special libraries located in the City of Portland to participate in a study that I am conducting regarding library employment trends. The study will be survey based and can be accessed online through a Google Form at the following URL (http://goo.gl/forms/rtRqrNHkwy). As with any survey it is important to receive as much participation as possible but I do understand that the information I seek may not be available or that you may not be able to provide the data that I am requesting. For this reason I have provided options to cover these situations. Currently I am focusing on the calendar year 2014 but I will accept any data that a library is willing to provide for past and future years as I would like to eventually make this a longitudinal study depending on the success of this study.

The purpose of this study is to determine the current trends in library employment throughout the City of Portland. The research questions of the study will analyze different employment statistics including number of positions opened, number of applicants per opening, salary ranges, qualifications of applicants, and the reason for the opening. 

It is my belief that this study will benefit libraries and those seeking library employment. This study will inform current and future library professionals about the library employment market in Portland and provide them insight into what they can expect when searching for library employment in Portland. It will also provide libraries with information that they can use to compare themselves to other libraries in their field. Data regarding qualifications and number of applicants can help libraries determine if they are reaching the same number of qualified applicants compared to other libraries. Libraries will also be able to compare salary ranges and growth/loss with other institutions.

Due to the sensitivity of some of the data being collected I will not publish the names of the libraries that participated as a way to maintain anonymity. I will also be the only person who will handle the data for this survey and will not share sensitive information with other persons or organizations.

I will be submitting the study to the Oregon Library Association, Pacific Northwest Library Association, and American Library Association for publication. If none of these associations are interested then I will submit the study to open access journals; as of yet to be determined.

I look forward to hearing from you if you would like to participate and/or stay apprised of the study’s progress. Again, I understand that you are very busy and I appreciate your time and any assistance you can provide.

Below is a link to the survey which is being conducted online via Google Forms.

http://goo.gl/forms/rtRqrNHkwy

(Deadline for responses is August 31)                                                                               

Sincerely,

Jeff Fernandez

Jeff.fernandez at live.com
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