A Look at Wisconsin Public Library Staffing Since 1990

Source:  Wisconsin Public Library Service Data

Peak years:

• 2002 - Total librarians
• 2009 - Other paid staff
• 2008 - Total staff (which fits the national trend)

Source:  State & Local Governments Still Struggling

Glassman Wealth Services, LLC (3/14/2012)

Red vertical bar added.

What happened in 1997?  It certainly can be called an anomaly.

• Total librarians increased 8%
• Other paid staff decreased nearly 3%,  then more than recovered its losses in 1998.

We lost a significant number of librarians in 2009, a decrease of 3.6%.  It couldn't have been all retirements!

Wisconsin Public Library Staffing, 1990-2011

The numbers speak for themselves.

The "Doing More With Less" Debate

• How Libraries are Doing More with Less.  (Shareable: Cities, 10/17/2011)
• Retire the Phrase “Doing More With Less”. (Agnostic, Maybe; 10/19/2011)

Where do you stand?