How To Become An Adult Services Librarian: What It Is and Career Path

What is an adult services librarian and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Jenna Kammer Ph.D., MLS, MA

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an adult services librarian. For example, did you know that they make an average of $23.97 an hour? That's $49,862 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 8,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an adult services librarian?

Dr. Jenna Kammer Ph.D., MLS, MA

Associate Professor of Library Science (LIS), University of Central Missouri

We recommend that our graduate students get a job in a library prior to graduating if possible, or get to know the librarians in the area in which you want to work by volunteering, doing service projects, or internships. That will help with the transition into a library career and build a local network. As graduates begin a career as a librarian, take some time to learn how things work in the library by getting to know your collection, your patrons and the needs of the community. You may have a lot of ideas as you get started, but not enough time to do them all. Write these ideas down, as well as some action steps and resources for accomplishing them. Revisit these ideas as you can.

ScoreAdult Services LibrarianUS Average

Salary

3.9

Avg. Salary $49,862

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.6

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.33%

Asian 4.96%

Black or African American 6.55%

Hispanic or Latino 7.90%

Unknown 3.60%

White 76.67%

Gender

female 74.32%

male 25.68%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress level

5.6

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.6

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

9.5

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an adult services librarian

Explore adult services librarian education requirements

Most common adult services librarian degrees

Bachelor's

47.3 %

Master's

35.7 %

Associate

7.8 %

Start to develop specific adult services librarian skills

Skills	Percentages
Adult Services	13.50%
Collection Development	9.85%
Adult Programs	6.96%
Library Services	6.77%
Reference Services	4.85%

Complete relevant adult services librarian training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New adult services librarians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an adult services librarian based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real adult services librarian resumes.

Research adult services librarian duties and responsibilities

Manage integrated library system including OPAC, serials control, cataloging and acquisitions.
Assist with general collection management including materials in science fiction, fantasy, health/fitness and history.
Train new hire employees with new EMR system
Form the young adult (teen) serves department, collection, and programs.

Prepare your adult services librarian resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your adult services librarian resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an adult services librarian resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable adult services librarian resume templates

Build a professional adult services librarian resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your adult services librarian resume.

Apply for adult services librarian jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an adult services librarian job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do adult services librarians rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Adult services librarian reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Pros

I'm an academic librarian, so helping students learn about information and research, teaching classes about same, and the intellectual aspect of working with information access around colleagues who are smart and kind. I've also been a teacher and a sales and marketing executive, but librarianship is by far my most rewarding career.

Cons

The pay. The stereotypes. The people who ask, "do they even still have libraries"?