Polytechnic librarians saw the pay gap with their university peers widen this year, according to a recent remuneration survey.

LIANZA, the professional organisation for the New Zealand library and information services sector, has released the results of its remuneration survey of librarians.

The survey shows that librarians in the university sector receive a mean total remuneration of $54,980 while librarians in institutes of technology and polytechnics receive just $47,978. The total mean remuneration for a university librarian in the 90th percentile is $80,000 whereas it is $66,000 for a polytechnic librarian in the equivalent bracket.

TEU general staff vice-president Helen Kissell said of the survey:

“The disparity between polytechnic and university librarian remuneration levels highlights the need for strong general staff collective agreements within the ITP sector.”

The survey identified a significant gender pay gap amongst librarians, with males paid on average 5 percent ($2600) more than their female peers.

LIANZA also noted an increase in the number of part-time librarians, up from 32 percent in 2007 to 46 percent this year.”  That compares an average of 11 percent nationally for all workers.