Hello, I positioned myself well for working in an academic library demonstrating research and writing ability and high academic scholarship while obtaining my MLS. I networked to obtain an unpaid internship in the exact department and university I wish to work (the only commutable location without selling my home and uprooting my family not the best time for that). I impressed all colleagues and supervisors during the internship and have proved an asset in multiple departments preferring digital collections. In the midst of the economic crisis, I was offered a temporary, part time low hourly wage librarian position. I accepted and nearly a year has passed with guarantees that funding has been obtained for me to continue. I am learning and producing a lot including articles for publication and part time hours work for my current family situation. I am concerned that without benefits or status (full time librarians are nontenure faculty), and having accepted a low hourly wage I have pegged myself into a slow career track despite doing major projects including direct collaboration with faculty on digital projects, partnering with other special collection dept. at other institutions, workflow improvements for ILL, LibGuides and a coll. dev. policy for the digital library, etc. Essentially I am a bargain and I am not sure how or when to say "these wages are deplorable and if I needed this job to eat I would never have been able to take it." It is a second income and I don't need a whole lot more money just something respectable for a graduate degree I am afraid future employers will think I don't need to make any money at all based on passed earnings. At what point do I say I need a raise for performance when I won't even get an annual review?

Thanks for the reply. It is a fairly large state university library. I interned for a semester and was offered the part time librarian position upon completion. The trend is to promote and hire within the last two librarians were promoted from within after attaining their degrees from the same grad program as myself. The Dean was even a prof. for the MLS program. I know they are under a hiring freeze (this will likely continue). I am optimistic about the long term prospects I am just worried that I will be in this position for another year without any improvement in pay and for the institution I am doing a librarians job at basically a grad assist pay rate. They love me and I completely understand why, this contributes to the downward pressure on wages for other entry level librarians.