Library Technicians and Assistants

Summary

Library technicians and assistants help patrons find library resources.

Quick Facts: Library Technicians and Assistants
2010 Median Pay	$26,330 per year $12.66 per hour
Entry-Level Education	See How to Become One
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	See How to Become One
Number of Jobs, 2010	231,500
Job Outlook, 2010-20	10% (About as fast as average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	22,100

What Library Technicians and Assistants Do

Library technicians and assistants help librarians acquire, prepare, and organize materials. They also do other tasks that are needed to run a library.

Work Environment

Library technicians and assistants usually work at desks or computer terminals inside libraries. They also work in the library stacks while cataloguing or shelving books.

How to Become a Library Technician or Assistant

Library technicians and assistants have varying levels of education. Some have only high school diplomas, while others have specialized postsecondary degrees. Library technicians are more likely to have to have formal education beyond high school.

Pay

The median hourly wage of library technicians and assistants was $12.66 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of library technicians and assistants is expected to grow by 10 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of library technicians and assistants with similar occupations.

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Contacts for More Information

Learn more about library technicians and assistants by contacting these additional resources.

What Library Technicians and Assistants Do About this section

Library technicians and assistants loan library materials to patrons and collect returned materials.

Library technicians and assistants help librarians acquire, prepare, and organize materials. They also do other tasks that are needed to run a library.

Duties

Library technicians and assistants typically do the following:

• Loan library materials to patrons and collect returned materials
• Sort and reshelve returned books, periodicals, and other materials
• Organize and maintain library materials
• Handle interlibrary loans
• Register new patrons and issue library cards
• Answer patrons’ questions and help them find library resources
• Maintain computer databases used to locate library materials
• Help plan and participate in special programs, such as used-book sales and outreach programs

Library technicians and assistants are usually supervised by a librarian. Library technicians may have more responsibilities than library assistants, such as administering library programs and overseeing lower-level staff.

Library technicians and assistants in smaller libraries have a broad range of duties. In larger libraries, they tend to specialize in a particular area. The list that follows gives examples of types of library technicians and assistants, based either on the type of library they work in or the type of work they do:

School library technicians and assistants work in school libraries. They teach students how to find and use library resources, and they help teachers develop curriculum materials.

Special library technicians and assistants work in libraries in government agencies, corporations, law firms, and medical centers. They search library resources, compile bibliographies, and provide information on subjects of interest to the organization.

Braille-and-talking-books clerks help library patrons who have vision problems. They review patrons’ lists of desired reading material, and locate large-type, Braille, or audiobook versions of the materials to give to patrons.

Bookmobile library technicians and assistants operate bookmobiles, which are trucks that are loaded with books. Bookmobiles travel to locations such as shopping centers, schools, and nursing homes to provide library materials in a more convenient manner. Library technicians and assistants drive the bookmobiles to each location and interact with patrons, answering questions, collecting returns, and checking out materials.

Work Environment About this section

Cataloguing or reshelving books may require bending or stretching to reach shelves.

Library technicians and assistants held about 231,500 jobs in 2010. As shown below, about 53 percent worked for local governments in 2010.

Except for those who work in bookmobiles, library technicians and assistants generally work indoors. They spend much of their time at desks or computer terminals. Most also spend time in the library stacks while cataloguing or reshelving books, a task that may require bending or stretching to reach the shelves.

Work Schedules

About 63 percent of clerical library assistants worked part time in 2010.

Library technicians and assistants in school libraries work during regular school hours.

Those in public or college libraries work weekends, evenings, and some holidays.

In corporate libraries, library technicians and assistants work normal business hours but may be asked to work overtime.

The schedule of library technicians and assistants who work in bookmobiles is dependent on the locations they serve.

How to Become a Library Technician or Assistant About this section

Library technicians and assistants sort and shelve returned books.

Library technicians and assistants have varying levels of education. Some have only high school diplomas, while others have specialized postsecondary degrees. Library technicians are more likely to have to have formal education beyond high school.

Education

Most libraries prefer to hire library technicians who have a postsecondary certificate or an associate’s degree. However, some smaller libraries might hire prospective technicians with only a high school diploma.

Courses required for an associate’s degree or a certificate in library technology include acquisitions, cataloguing, circulation, and automated library systems.

Usually, library technicians who work in public schools must meet the same requirements as teacher assistants. For more information, see the profile on teacher assistants.

No formal education is required for library assistants. Most libraries prefer to hire assistants who have earned a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate, but some will hire high school students.

Advancement

Library technicians and assistants can advance as they assume additional responsibilities in other areas of the library. Some eventually become supervisors and oversee daily library operations. To become a librarian, technicians and assistants need to earn a master’s degree in library science.

Important Qualities

Computer skills. Library technicians and assistants use computers to help patrons research topics. Library technicians and assistants also use computers to maintain the library’s database of collections.

Customer-service skills. Library technicians and assistants interact with and help library patrons. They must be friendly, polite, and willing to help.

Information-ordering skills. Library technicians and assistants must be able to understand the organizational systems that their library uses so that they can correctly classify and find materials.

Pay About this section

The median hourly wage of library technicians was $14.36 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $8.64, and the top 10 percent earned more than $22.59.

The median hourly wage of clerical library assistants was $11.12 in May 2010. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $7.95, and the top 10 percent earned more than $17.98.

About 63 percent of clerical library assistants worked part time in 2010. Library technicians and assistants in school libraries work during regular school hours. Those in public or college libraries might work weekends, evenings, and some holidays. In corporate libraries, library technicians and assistants work normal business hours but may be asked to work overtime. The schedule of library technicians and assistants who work in bookmobiles is dependent on the locations they serve.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of library technicians is expected to grow 9 percent from 2010 to 2020, slower than the average for all occupations.

Employment of library assistants is expected to grow 10 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

Electronic information systems have simplified some tasks, allowing them to be performed by technicians and assistants, rather than librarians. Library technicians and assistants earn less than librarians; so as more libraries face budget issues, technicians and assistants will be increasingly used as a lower cost method of providing library services.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For general career information about library technicians and assistants, visit

American Library Association