Library Technicians and Assistants
Additional Information
Duties
Library assistants and technicians are often responsible for the following tasks:
- Return borrowed library items to the lending library.
- Sift and reshelve back-ordered books and magazines.
- Library items are cataloged and maintained.
- Take care of interlibrary borrowing.
- Issue library cards to new users who are registered with the system.
- Patrons frequently ask simple reference questions, and you should be prepared to answer them.
- Utilize library resources to teach patrons how to use them.
- Organize library items in computerized databases.
- Answer the phone and organize files as part of your daily clerical duties.
- Make plans for and participate in special events, such as book sales, story times and community outreach activities.
An average librarian will have many library technicians and assistants reporting to them at any given time. Patron’s benefit from the assistance of both technicians and assistants when it comes to finding and organizing library resources. Library assistants, on the other hand, often have less duties than library technicians.
In tiny libraries, library technicians and assistants are responsible for a wide range of tasks. User services and technical assistance are common areas of concentration in big libraries. It is their job to help library visitors find the information they need. Personnel with a focus on technical services do anything from gathering items for the library's holdings to classifying and handling them.
Examples of library assistants and technicians include:
Those who work in academic libraries assist faculty members, students, and others in the institution in finding and using materials they need for classwork or research. Learning how to use a library's resources is a common lesson. They may work at computer labs or reserve materials service desks.
Technicians and assistants at public libraries are responsible for providing services to the general public. With addition to helping clients discover books to read for enjoyment, the librarians often aid in research, or educate patrons how to use the library's resources. For example, some library staffers assist in organizing children's story times or book groups for teenagers and adults.
Technicians and assistants in school libraries educate students how to access and use library resources, manage textbook collections, and aid instructors in the development of curricula.
Special library technicians and assistants are employed in a wide range of venues, including government organizations, enterprises, museums, law firms, and medical institutes, in addition to schools and public libraries. They help users explore library resources, produce bibliographies, and give information on matters of interest to the organization.
Education
Librarians often need an advanced certificate in library technology, which may include courses in acquisitions, cataloging and circulation as well as reference. Each state's certificate programs are listed on the American Library Association's website.
A high school diploma or equivalent is normally required for most library assistant positions.
Training
On-the-job training is common for library assistants to learn about libraries and their resources.
Characteristics That Are Very Important
Skills in verbal and nonverbal communication. Library staff members must be able to answer patrons' questions and explain how to use library resources clearly and effectively.
Pay close attention to the smallest of details. In order to ensure that library materials and information are properly organized and adhere to the library's organizational system, library technicians and assistants need to pay close attention.
Personality traits. Library technicians and assistants have to work with library users, librarians, teachers, and researchers, to name a few possible professions.
Learning how to listen. In order to assist patrons with their research or the discovery of resources, library technicians and assistants must pay attention to what they have to say.
Advancement
Library assistants and technicians can rise through the ranks to become library supervisors. Those who want to become librarians must have a master's degree in library science in order to do so.
Pay
The median hourly wage for library assistants, clerical was $17.31 in May 2024. 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 $12.06, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $25.38.
Job Projections
Overall employment of library technicians and assistants is projected to decline 6 percent from 2023 to 2033.