Education and libraries
Librarians and media collections specialists
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. Tasks may include acquiring, cataloging, and circulating library materials, and user services such as locating and organizing information, providing instruction on how to access information, and setting up and operating a library's media equipment.
Median pay
$68,270
Growth to 2035
+3%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
12,600
Time to qualify*
2 years
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Librarians and media collections specialists
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Master's degree
- On-the-job training
- None
- Prior experience
- None
Calculate your switch to librarians and media collections specialists
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Librarians and media collections specialists: 7% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- 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.
- Code, classify, and catalog books, publications, films, audio-visual aids, and other library materials, based on subject matter or standard library classification systems.
- Confer with colleagues, faculty, and community members and organizations to conduct informational programs, make collection decisions, and determine library services to offer.
- Review and evaluate materials, using book reviews, catalogs, faculty recommendations, and current holdings to select and order print, audio-visual, and electronic resources.
- Evaluate vendor products and performance, negotiate contracts, and place orders.
Also called: Catalog Librarian · Cataloger · Librarian · Library Media Specialist · Reference and Instruction Librarian · Reference Librarian · Research Librarian · School Librarian
Outlook and AI
Librarians and media collections specialists held 142,300 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 145,900 by 2035 (+3%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
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