How to hire a library assistant

Library assistant hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring library assistants in the United States:

HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
The median cost to hire a library assistant is $1,633.
Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per library assistant on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
There are currently 102,290 library assistants in the US and 1,122 job openings.
New York, NY, has the highest demand for library assistants, with 10 job openings.
New York, NY has the highest concentration of library assistants.

How to hire a library assistant, step by step

To hire a library assistant, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a library assistant:

Here's a step-by-step library assistant hiring guide:

Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
Step 3: Make a budget
Step 4: Write a library assistant job description
Step 5: Post your job
Step 6: Interview candidates
Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new library assistant
Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a library assistant do?

A library assistant's primary responsibilities revolve around managing reading materials and maintaining order while under a librarian's supervision. They are mostly in charge of locating, organizing, sorting, and even handling newly arrived books and other reading materials according to a specified system. A library assistant may also handle transactions with customers such as checking in and out books, maintaining databases, processing new registrations, and even releasing new library cards. Furthermore, they may have clerical tasks such as producing reports and other necessary documentation, managing schedules, answering calls, and other forms or correspondence.

Learn more about the specifics of what a library assistant does

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Identify your hiring needs

Before you start hiring a library assistant, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

Determine employee vs contractor status

Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a library assistant to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a library assistant that fits the bill.

This list shows salaries for various types of library assistants.

Type of Library Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
Library Assistant	Library technicians and assistants help librarians with all aspects of running a library. They assist patrons, organize library materials and information, and perform clerical and administrative tasks.	$10-18
Library Clerk	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... Show more	$11-18
Library Page	A library page is a professional who is responsible for organizing all returned books and other items while putting them in their proper places on the shelves. This library page must retrieve materials that are kept in secured areas and checking items that are returned from patrons... Show more	$11-18

Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:
- Customer Service
- Library Materials
- Circulation Desk
- Library Patrons
- Library Services
- Library Resources
- Front Desk
- Interlibrary Loan
- Library Cards
- Library System
- Library Equipment
- Computer Software
- Library Policies
- Word Processing
Check all skills
Responsibilities:
- Organize and check in newly arrive reference materials, magazines, newspapers, and journals.
- Assist with processing acquisitions, collection maintenance and development, retro- cataloging, copy cataloging.
- Process and track inter-library loans and donations.
- Set up user accounts and user rights in windows.
- Process magazines and annual reports for the circulation department.
- Re-Serve, circulate, check-in / check-out and renew books.
More library assistant duties

Make a budget

Including a salary range in your library assistant job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A library assistant salary can vary based on several factors:

Location. For example, library assistants' average salary in arkansas is 44% less than in massachusetts.
Seniority. Entry-level library assistants earn 44% less than senior-level library assistants.
Certifications. A library assistant with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a library assistant's salary.

Average library assistant salary

$14.49hourly

$30,146 yearly

Entry-level library assistant salary

$22,000 yearly salary

Updated December 17, 2025

Average library assistant salary by state

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Massachusetts	$41,143	$20
2	California	$40,812	$20
3	Alaska	$39,758	$19
4	Washington	$35,766	$17
5	Nevada	$34,838	$17
6	Hawaii	$32,372	$16
7	Minnesota	$30,880	$15
8	Maryland	$30,296	$15
9	Montana	$29,996	$14
10	New York	$28,974	$14
11	Colorado	$28,756	$14
12	Wisconsin	$28,620	$14
13	Illinois	$28,401	$14
14	Oregon	$28,287	$14
15	Arizona	$27,534	$13
16	Texas	$26,900	$13
17	Virginia	$26,127	$13
18	Michigan	$25,370	$12
19	North Carolina	$25,225	$12
20	Florida	$25,150	$12

Average library assistant salary by company

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
1	Columbia University in the City of New York	$47,961	$23.06
2	University of California-Berkeley	$46,657	$22.43
3	UC Santa Barbara	$43,740	$21.03
4	Northern California Power Agency	$40,737	$19.59
5	Mayor Ethan Berkowitz	$39,890	$19.18
6	University of Wisconsin System	$38,373	$18.45
7	New York Medical College	$38,316	$18.42
8	City of Richland Hills	$37,823	$18.18
9	City of Georgetown	$37,753	$18.15
10	Bridgewater State University	$37,413	$17.99
11	Stratford School	$37,254	$17.91
12	City of Riviera Beach, FL	$36,586	$17.59
13	Hilton CSD	$36,073	$17.34
14	Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania	$35,689	$17.16
15	University of Massachusetts Medical School	$35,307	$16.97
16	Prince William County	$35,230	$16.94	1
17	City of McKinney	$35,197	$16.92
18	Nashua Country Club	$34,811	$16.74
19	City of Palm Springs	$34,783	$16.72
20	The City University of New York	$34,603	$16.64	4

Writing a library assistant job description
A job description for a library assistant role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a library assistant job description:
Library assistant job description example
- Ability to operate a PC, copy/scanner/fax machine, and other basic library equipment and software
- Ability to count money and make correct change
- Ability to push a full cart of library materials
- Ability to lift a minimum of 25 lbs.
- Ability to bend and stoop to shelve materials on high and low shelves
- Ability to stand for several hours at a time
COMPENSATION AND SCHEDULE:

Hourly salary is $13.14

Benefits include: Vacation leave accrual; Sick leave accrual after 3 months, individual membership at the the Heights recreation complex

This position works approximately 24 hrs. per week: Scheduled hours are Saturdays 8:45-5:15 p.m., Sundays 1 p.m. - 5:15 p.m., and additional hours Monday - Friday TBD. Sunday hours are paid at time and one-half.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Submit a City of Richmond Heights online employment application and attach your resume and cover letter.

The Richmond Heights Memorial Library is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Library will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer. The Richmond Heights Memorial Library is a drug and alcohol free workplace. A pre-employment drug screen and background check is required for all positions. Additional pre-employment test Ing may be required for certain positions.

It is the policy of the Richmond Heights Memorial Library not to discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, marital status, national origin, political affiliation, religion, sex or disability except where specific age, sex or physical requirement constitute a bona fide occupational qualification.

EOE/AA/M/F/DN

Job Posted by ApplicantPro
Post your job
To find library assistants for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:
- Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
- Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any library assistants they would recommend.
- Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level library assistants with the right educational background.
- Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.
Post your job online:
- Post your library assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit library assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
- Use field-specific websites.
- Post a job on free websites.
Interview candidates
To successfully recruit library assistants, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.
It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
Send a job offer and onboard your new library assistant
Once you've decided on a perfect library assistant candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.
It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.
Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new library assistant. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.
Go through the hiring process checklist
- Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
- Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
- Define job responsibilities and requirements
- Establish budget and timeline
- Determine hiring decision makers for the role
- Write job description
- Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
- Promote the job internally
- Process applications through applicant tracking system
- Review resumes and cover letters
- Shortlist candidates for screening
- Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
- Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
- Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
- Conduct background checks on top candidates
- Check references of top candidates
- Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
- Extend offer to top candidate(s)
- Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
- Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
- Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
- Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a library assistant?

Hiring a library assistant comes with both the one-time cost per hire and ongoing costs. The cost of recruiting library assistants involves promoting the job and spending time conducting interviews. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider the cost of library assistant recruiting as well the ongoing costs of maintaining the new employee.

Library assistants earn a median yearly salary is $30,146 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find library assistants for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $10 and $18.

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Updated December 17, 2025

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How to hire a library assistant