Library Technician: Career Information

Library Technician Job Description: A library technician, usually working under the supervision of a librarian, acquires and organizes material and helps library patrons locate information. Sometimes library technicians work independently. Some library technicians operate book mobiles, which go out into communities to provide services to those who can't get to the public library.

Employment Facts for Library Technicians: Library technicians held about 122,000 jobs in 2004. About half worked in public libraries. The majority of the other half worked in school media centers or in academic libraries. Other worked in special libraries, such as medical and law libraries. ^*

Educational Requirements for Library Technicians: Educational requirements for library technicians range from a high school diploma paired with on-the-job training to a specialized associates degree designed for those entering this field. As libraries have rapidly moved toward automation, computer skills have become a necessity. Associations and libraries offer continuing education workshops to help library technicians keep up with new developments in the field.

Other Requirements for Library Technicians: Library technicians who work as bookmobile drivers are sometimes required to have commercial drivers' licenses.

Advancement Opportunities for Library Technicians: Library technicians often start out working at circulation desks, but as they become more experienced, their responsibilities increase. Some eventually take on supervisory positions.

Job Outlook for Library Technicians: Employment of library technicians is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2014.^*

Earnings of Library Technicians: Library technicians earned a median annual salary of $24,940 in 2004.^*

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

Colleges, universities, and professional schools: $28,940
Local government: $23,560
Other information services: $22,550
Elementary and secondary schools: $22,510

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

A Day in a Library Technician's Life: On a typical day a library technician may:

• direct library patrons to standard reference resources;
• organize and maintain periodicals;
• handle interlibrary loan requests;
• catalogue library materials;
• supervise support staff;
• customize databases;
• enter catalogue information into library computers;
• retrieve information from databases;
• operate audiovisual equipment;
• instruct users, including students in the case of school media centers, in the use of library materials
• operate bookmobiles;

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

Information courtesy of Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Library Technicians, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos113.htm (visited April 12, 2007).