Librarians and Media Collections Specialists

Education and TrainingO*NET 25-4022.00United States

Administer and maintain libraries or collections of information, for public or private access through reference or borrowing. Work in a variety of settings, such as educational institutions, museums, and corporations, and with various types of informational materials, such as books, periodicals, recordings, films, and databases.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $68,266
Projected change: +5.1%
Typical education: Master's or Professional degree
Employment: 140.91K jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What librarians and media collections specialists do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

Check books in and out of the library.
Teach library patrons basic computer skills, such as searching computerized databases.
Review and evaluate materials, using book reviews, catalogs, faculty recommendations, and current holdings to select and order print, audio-visual, and electronic resources.
Keep up-to-date records of circulation and materials, maintain inventory, and correct cataloging errors.
Search standard reference materials, including online sources and the Internet, to answer patrons' reference questions.
Analyze patrons' requests to determine needed information and assist in furnishing or locating that information.
Supervise daily library operations, budgeting, planning, and personnel activities, such as hiring, training, scheduling, and performance evaluations.
Plan and teach classes on topics such as information literacy, library instruction, and technology use.
Confer with colleagues, faculty, and community members and organizations to conduct informational programs, make collection decisions, and determine library services to offer.
Code, classify, and catalog books, publications, films, audio-visual aids, and other library materials, based on subject matter or standard library classification systems.
Respond to customer complaints, taking action as necessary.
Explain use of library facilities, resources, equipment, and services, and provide information about library policies.
Plan and deliver client-centered programs and services, such as special services for corporate clients, storytelling for children, newsletters, or programs for special groups.
Locate unusual or unique information in response to specific requests.
Troubleshoot problems with audio-visual equipment.
Develop library policies and procedures.
Direct and train library staff in duties, such as receiving, shelving, researching, cataloging, and equipment use.
Evaluate materials to determine outdated or unused items to be discarded.
Develop, maintain, and troubleshoot information access aids, such as databases, annotated bibliographies, Web pages, electronic pathfinders, software programs, and online tutorials.
Engage in professional development activities, such as taking continuing education classes and attending or participating in conferences, workshops, professional meetings, and associations.
Compile lists of books, periodicals, articles, and audio-visual materials on particular subjects.
Confer with teachers to select course materials and to determine which training aids are best suited to particular grade levels.
Evaluate vendor products and performance, negotiate contracts, and place orders.
Arrange for interlibrary loans of materials not available in a particular library.
Represent library or institution on internal and external committees.
Set up, adjust, and operate audio-visual equipment, such as cameras, film and slide projectors, and recording equipment, for meetings, events, classes, seminars, and video conferences.
Assemble and arrange display materials.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $43,659
25th percentile: $56,306
50th percentile: $68,266
75th percentile: $84,490
90th percentile: $104,000

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $68,266 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+5.1%average or slower

2025140,906 jobs

2035 projected148,080 jobs

7,174 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

Master's or Professional degree: 69.3%
Bachelor's degree: 10.9%
Some college: 10.2%
Certificate: 4.5%
Associate degree: 3.7%
Doctoral degree or more: 1.4%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Library Science
Library Services
Collections
Library
Collection Development
Library Programming
Cataloguing
Educational Technologies
Statistics
Integrated Library Systems
Readers' Advisory
Workflow Management
Academic Libraries
Emerging Technologies
Public Service
Digital Citizenship
Library Instruction
Organizational Communications
Project Management
Interlibrary Loan

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Management of Material Resources: Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Systems Evaluation: Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Librarians2,016 postings
02Library Media Specialists440 postings
03School Librarians284 postings
04Reference Librarians255 postings
05Elementary School Librarians252 postings
06Library Directors252 postings
07Library Managers167 postings
08Youth Services Librarians163 postings
09Research Librarians127 postings
10Law Librarians121 postings
11Middle School Librarians110 postings
12Children's Librarians107 postings
13School Library Media Specialists105 postings
14Media Specialists103 postings
15Librarians/Media Specialists99 postings
16University Librarians83 postings
17Teacher Librarians79 postings
18Adult Services Librarians77 postings
19Elementary Library Media Specialists74 postings
20Metadata Librarians73 postings

Top employers

01EMIT Learning375 postings
02Allied Universal73 postings
03Herc71 postings
04Library Systems & Services65 postings
05Chesterfield County Public Schools54 postings
06Maximus51 postings
07The New York Public Library44 postings
08Jefferson County Public Schools42 postings
09Dallas Independent School District41 postings
10Edjoin.Org38 postings
11State Of Texas37 postings
12Yale University33 postings
13Jefferson County30 postings
14United States Congress28 postings
15Wayne-Finger Lakes Boces26 postings
16High Plains Library District23 postings
17Memphis-Shelby County Schools21 postings
18Alabama Department Of Education20 postings
19Broward County Public Schools17 postings
20Clark County School District14 postings

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