Librarians and Media Collections Specialists: Career Overview
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.
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What Do Librarians and Media Collections Specialists Perform?
The day-to-day responsibilities of librarians and media collections specialists include:
- Check books in and out of the library.
- Teach library patrons basic computer skills, such as searching computerized databases.
- Review and evaluate materials, using book reviews, catalogs, faculty recommendations, and current holdings to select and order print, audio-visual, and electronic resources.
- Search standard reference materials, including online sources and the Internet, to answer patrons' reference questions.
- Keep up-to-date records of circulation and materials, maintain inventory, and correct cataloging errors.
- 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.
Skills and Knowledge
Top librarians and media collections specialists draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The competencies that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Access Services Librarian
- Acquisitions Librarian
- Audio Visual Aids Technician (AV Aids Tech)
- Audio Visual Collections Coordinator (AV Collections Coordinator)
- Audio Visual Commissioning Specialist (AV Commissioning Specialist)
- Audio Visual Coordinator (AV Coordinator)
- Audio Visual Specialist (AV Specialist)
- Bibliographer
Employment and Demand
There are about 273,033 librarians and media collections specialists working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +9.4% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $67,096 |
| Hourly median | $32.26 |
| 10th percentile | $48,009 |
| 25th percentile | $57,552 |
| 75th percentile | $76,640 |
| 90th percentile | $86,184 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Washington | $94,400 |
| District of Columbia | $93,740 |
| California | $86,590 |
| Maryland | $81,690 |
| Nevada | $79,710 |
| New Jersey | $79,380 |
| Delaware | $78,300 |
| Alaska | $78,280 |
| New York | $77,080 |
| Connecticut | $76,380 |
| Massachusetts | $75,790 |
| Oregon | $75,360 |
| Minnesota | $75,260 |
| Virginia | $74,320 |
| Georgia | $73,500 |
| Rhode Island | $72,820 |
| Colorado | $64,980 |
| Texas | $64,910 |
| Wisconsin | $63,610 |
| Kentucky | $63,460 |
| Hawaii | $62,880 |
| Virgin Islands | $62,470 |
| Illinois | $62,360 |
| Alabama | $62,240 |
| Montana | $62,020 |
| Nebraska | $61,990 |
| North Dakota | $61,540 |
| New Hampshire | $61,350 |
| New Mexico | $60,560 |
| Vermont | $60,230 |
| Pennsylvania | $60,120 |
| South Carolina | $60,050 |
| Florida | $59,890 |
| North Carolina | $59,860 |
| Tennessee | $59,710 |
| Kansas | $59,580 |
| Michigan | $59,520 |
| Louisiana | $59,090 |
| Arizona | $58,760 |
| Ohio | $57,130 |
| Arkansas | $56,770 |
| Maine | $56,520 |
| Missouri | $53,600 |
| Oklahoma | $53,340 |
| Iowa | $52,780 |
| Mississippi | $50,320 |
| Puerto Rico | $49,800 |
| Utah | $49,760 |
| South Dakota | $49,290 |
| Indiana | $48,880 |
| West Virginia | $48,640 |
| Wyoming | $48,290 |
| Idaho | $46,570 |
Where Librarians and Media Collections Specialists Earn the Most
Pay for librarians and media collections specialists vary by region. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $85,865 | 11.9% | 0.74 |
| Middle Atlantic | $74,927 | 18.4% | 1.23 |
| New England | $71,730 | 8.3% | 1.75 |
| Southeast | $63,083 | 25.1% | 1.11 |
| Southwest | $62,214 | 10.5% | 0.87 |
| Plains States | $60,203 | 7.9% | 1.18 |
| Great Lakes | $58,851 | 13.0% | 0.92 |
| Rocky Mountains | $56,922 | 3.9% | 1.03 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | CA | $101,900 | 70 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $100,810 | 1,440 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | WA | $99,530 | 100 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $99,370 | 710 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | WA | $98,820 | 100 |
| Bellingham, WA | WA | $98,760 | 60 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | CA | $98,670 | 120 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $98,660 | 1,980 |
Top Industries Employing Librarians and Media Collections Specialists
The bulk of librarians and media collections specialists work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Services | 72,910 | $68,550 |
| Information | 7,380 | $59,990 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1,300 | $79,460 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 1,180 | $55,120 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 980 | $70,420 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 580 | $43,790 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 390 | $56,670 |
| Wholesale Trade | 260 | $49,850 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Software Librarians and Media Collections Specialists Use
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Video creation and editing software: Adobe After Effects (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: Cascading style sheets CSS (hot technology)
- Enterprise application integration software: Extensible markup language XML (hot technology)
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Google Workspace software (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: Hypertext markup language HTML (hot technology)
Work Environment
The work environment for librarians and media collections specialists is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Contact With Others
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
Getting Started in This Career
Typical librarians and media collections specialists positions require a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Education Administrators, Postsecondary (Supplemental)
- Management Analysts (Supplemental)
- Computer User Support Specialists (Primary-Long)
- Database Administrators (Primary-Long)
- Web Administrators (Primary-Long)
- Document Management Specialists (Primary-Long)
- Social Science Research Assistants (Primary-Long)
- Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary (Supplemental)
Where to Study
Future librarians and media collections specialists often complete programs in:
Education
2 programs across 2 majors
About the Data
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 25-4022.00 (Librarians and Media Collections Specialists).
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