What does an assistant librarian do?
The main responsibilities and duties of an assistant librarian are to help librarians in acquiring, preparing, and organizing materials. Assistant librarians help in checking in and out as well as in the circulation of library materials. They execute transaction activities and patron registration. It is their job to process new books, make reservations on requested books, and maintain circulation records. They weed the collection of obsolete and worn-out materials whenever necessary. It is also part of their job to greet and attend to the needs of library users.
Assistant librarian responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real assistant librarian resumes:
- Manage yearly budget for DVDs.
- Cataloge new book, reclassify, original updates using OCLC.
- Help patrons with computers, word processing, and PowerPoint.
- Provide customer service through assisting the patrons with their research topics and general questions through OCLC library information system.
- Create PowerPoint presentations for orientation.
- Provide opportunities for students to use the library for class-relate research, individual investigation, independent reading, and personal inquiry.
- Process current and new books and media, assist with inventory, and evaluate problem books and DVDs for repair.
- Conduct case pulls from reporters, Westlaw, Lexis-Nexis and Westcheck.
- Assess and discard non-fiction collections as assigned.
Assistant librarian skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Assistant Librarians are proficient in Library Materials, Reference Services, and Library Services. They’re also known for soft skills such as Initiative, Problem-solving skills, and Reading skills.
We break down the percentage of Assistant Librarians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Library Materials, 11%
Maintained an updated inventory of library materials and audio-visual equipment such as print and non-print materials.
- Reference Services, 6%
Assisted the dedicated English librarian in selection, ordering, cataloging of collection and provided general humanities reference services.
- Library Services, 6%
Assisted students with library services including computer support services and library organization.
- Circulation Desk, 5%
Supervised library workers while operating circulation desk and assisting patrons with book selections.
- Collection Development, 5%
Participated in collection development, collection maintenance, patron account management, collection displays and other marketing projects
- Library Resources, 5%
Developed and maintained a cataloging system for staff use that provided optimal organization of library resources.
"library materials," "reference services," and "library services" are among the most common skills that assistant librarians use at work. You can find even more assistant librarian responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. For certain assistant librarian responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "communication skills." The day-to-day duties of an assistant librarian rely on this skill, as "library technicians and assistants must be able to answer patrons’ questions clearly and explain use of library resources." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what assistant librarians do: "maintain shelves, manage switch board communications, data entry, work circulation desk. "
Interpersonal skills. A commonly-found skill in assistant librarian job descriptions, "interpersonal skills" is essential to what assistant librarians do. Assistant librarian responsibilities rely on this skill because "library technicians and assistants need to work with library patrons, librarians, teachers, or researchers." You can also see how assistant librarian duties rely on interpersonal skills in this resume example: "delivered high-level of customer service by utilizing interpersonal communication abilities to meet sales goals. "
The three companies that hire the most assistant librarians are:
- Kent District Library
2 assistant librarians jobs
- University at Buffalo1 assistant librarians jobs
- Tufts University1 assistant librarians jobs
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Compare different assistant librarians
Assistant librarian vs. Shelver
Library clerks help librarians by primarily doing sorting, shelving, updating database and files, and cataloging several library materials such as books, newspapers, magazines, and multimedia resources. They check books and other resources in and out of the library assist in the procurement of library supplies, work with audio-visual equipment most of the time. In addition, other job responsibilities include setting up book displays, repairing damaged books, sending out overdue notices, and helping visitors find what they look for.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between assistant librarians and shelver. For instance, assistant librarian responsibilities require skills such as "reference services," "library services," "collection development," and "research assistance." Whereas a shelver is skilled in "book displays," "customer service," "book drop," and "cds." This is part of what separates the two careers.
The education levels that shelvers earn slightly differ from assistant librarians. In particular, shelvers are 10.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an assistant librarian. Additionally, they're 1.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Assistant librarian vs. Page
Each career also uses different skills, according to real assistant librarian resumes. While assistant librarian responsibilities can utilize skills like "reference services," "collection development," "research assistance," and "interlibrary loan," pages use skills like "library shelves," "decimal system," "legislative session," and "committee hearings."
Pages earn a lower average salary than assistant librarians. But pages earn the highest pay in the media industry, with an average salary of $27,082. Additionally, assistant librarians earn the highest salaries in the health care with average pay of $61,470 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Pages tend to reach lower levels of education than assistant librarians. In fact, they're 9.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Assistant librarian vs. Circulation clerk
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from assistant librarian resumes include skills like "reference services," "collection development," "research assistance," and "cataloging," whereas a circulation clerk is more likely to list skills in "customer service," "patron accounts," "issue library cards," and "circulation system. "
When it comes to education, circulation clerks tend to earn lower degree levels compared to assistant librarians. In fact, they're 7.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Assistant librarian vs. Library clerk
Types of assistant librarian
Updated January 8, 2025
