Why we do not need a Hera

While agreeing with your editorial comment (THES, June 6) that academic librarians are not paid much, I have to express some reservations about the validity of Hay Management Consultants' conclusions that they are paid more than librarians elsewhere. My investigations over the past 20 years, based on comparisons of salary surveys conducted by the relevant professional bodies, suggest that on average academic librarians are paid 5 to 10 per cent less than librarians and information scientists in the specialist libraries and information services which employ about half the total professional workforce.

Ian Johnson

Robert Gordon University