Does gender and race have an impact on earnings in the library and information science labor market in the United States of America?

Abstract

Using data from the 2003 US National Survey of College Graduates, a longitudinal survey administered by the US Bureau of Census for the National Science Foundation, this study examines earnings in the library and information science labor market and assesses the impact of gender and race on the earnings attainment process. This cross-sectional dataset is used to determine if there are significant differences in income among library and information science professionals with respect to gender and race. The approach taken in this study is to build a theoretical model of earnings attainment for librarians and information scientists. This is followed by a discussion of the methodology used to analyze the data and test the model, and the results, discussion including recommendations for further research, and conclusions.