Technology, Gender & the Academic Library

Social scientists have long posited a link between masculinity and technology. With technology becoming a dominant force in academic librarianship over the past 30 years, how has the technological shift impacted the library in social terms? According to University of Puget Sound's Lori Ricigliano, associate director for information and access services, and Renee Houston, a professor in the department of communication and theater arts, the link between masculinity and technology has created "subtle, yet significant changes in libraries."

Ricigliano and Houston's study, "Men's Work, Women's Work: The Social Shaping of Technology in Academic Libraries," was presented at the Association of College and Research Libraries National Conference in Charlotte, NC, April 10–13.

nC: What drew you to this topic?

LR: About two years ago I was having a discussion with a professor, Renee Houston, about the impact of technology in the workplace, and I remarked that technology has been a dominant force in reshaping the nature of academic library work over the past several decades. For librarians, much of what we do involves some facet of technology, and computer skills have become an integral part of our work. As our needs become more complex, academic libraries have responded by restructuring positions. Hiring priorities shifted from traditional roles to more technical ones. Given the strong cultural association between masculinity and technology, I wondered if more men were entering the profession. It seemed that most of the systems librarians I knew were men. Renee suggested that we test my hypothesis.

nC: Can you talk a bit about your results. Is there a disproportionate number of men in technology-related jobs?

LR: Yes, there is a disproportionate number of men in technology-related jobs. A review of archival data from the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) revealed that 53% of men were head of computer systems in 1991; 66% in 2000–01. This is the highest concentration of men across all job categories. It reflects a 12% increase in the number of positions over the previous period. By way of contrast, the number of serials department heads decreased by 35% in 2000–01. Of these positions, 63% were held by women.

nC: Do you sense the balance of male/female in librarianship shifting?

LR: It remains to be seen if the balance will shift over time. Although there has been some growth in the number of professional positions since 1991, the overall composition of men and women in ARL libraries has remained relatively stable. Academic librarianship continues to be a female-dominated profession, with 63% of the positions held by women.

nC: What do you think is the most important question raised by this study?

LR: While the impact of technology on academic libraries has been explored in countless articles and books, there has been limited research on its social consequences. Organizations tend to value men more highly for their technical expertise—regardless of the proportional representation of men in an occupation. It is especially evident in predominately female professions.

nC: Does your study point to the existence or incursion into libraries of the general wage discrepancy between male and female employees?

LR: While progress has been slow over the years, women have made gains in several job categories. For example, female heads of computer systems surpassed their male counterparts by 1% in 2000–01. It should be noted, however, that women in these positions had, on average, more years of work experience than had men. Historically the average salary for women has been less than the average salary for men in research libraries. In 1990–91 women earned the equivalent of 90% of men's salaries across all job categories. The earnings gap lessened in 2000–01, with a female-to-male earnings ratio of 93%.