Librarian: Career Information

Job Description of Librarians: Librarians select materials, organize those materials and help people use them effectively. Many work with the public, while others work behind the scenes in technical support and acquisitions or in administration. Librarians have traditionally worked with printed resources, but now work more with non-print materials including CDs, the Internet, and computerized databases. They must be proficient in using computers. Librarians are also referred to as information professionals.

Employment Facts for Librarians: Librarians held about 159,000 jobs in 2004^*. Most worked in school and academic libraries. About 25% of librarians were employed by public libraries. Others worked in special libraries, business libraries, or in libraries of other organizations.

Education Requirements for Librarians: A Master's Degree in Library Science (MLS), generally from a program that is accredited by the American Library Association, is required for most librarian jobs in public, academic, or special libraries. Librarians employed by the Federal government must have an MLS. It usually takes one to two years to complete an MLS program. A Ph.d. can help one get a teaching position at a college or university or a top administration position in a college or university library. Many special librarians have an additional degree in the area in which they specialize, for example a law degree or an MBA.

Other Requirements for Librarians: More than half of all states require that librarians working in local libraries are certified. Certification for school librarians (also called school media specialists) vary by state. Some states require that school media specialists are certified teachers, while others require they have an MLS. Some require a master's degree in education with a specialization in library science. Many librarians take continuing education classes to keep up with changing technology.

Advancement of Librarians: With experience, librarians can advance to administrative positions, such as department head, library director or chief information officer.

Job Outlook for Librarians: Employment of librarians is expected to grow more slowly than the average for all occupations through 2014. Fewer people have been going into library science than in the past. Many librarians will be eligible for retirement within the next ten years. These two factors will lead to an increase in job openings. There will be fewer job openings than in years past as many resources go online and the public will be able to access those materials independently. However, librarians will still be needed to organize these materials, instruct the public in their use and do administrative work.^*

Earnings of Librarians:

Median Annual Earnings in the Industries Employing the Largest Numbers of Librarians (U.S., 2004^*)

• Elementary and secondary schools: $47,580
• Colleges and universities: $47,830
• Local government, i.e. public libraries: $42,500

Use the Salary Wizard at Salary.com to find out how much librarians currently earn in your city.

A Day in a Librarian's Life: On a typical day a librarian might perform some of the following duties:

• analyse users' needs and provide the information they need;
• show users how to efficiently search for information on the Internet and in other online resources;
• select and purchase materials and prepare those materials by classifying them according to subject matter;
• supervise assistants who prepare cards, computer records, or other access tools that direct users to resources;
• collect and organize books, pamphlets, manuscripts, and other materials in a specific field, such as rare books, genealogy, or music;
• coordinate programs such as storytelling for children, and literacy skills and book talks for adults;
• conduct classes;
• publicize services;
• write grants

*This is the most recent year for which this information is available.

Information is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Librarians, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos068.htm (visited February 17, 2007).