How To Become A Library Cataloging Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a library cataloging technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a library cataloging technician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.77 an hour? That's $39,051 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -4% and produce -6,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreLibrary Cataloging TechnicianUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $39,051

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.1

Growth rate -4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.87%

Asian 5.24%

Black or African American 6.28%

Hispanic or Latino 10.99%

Unknown 5.06%

White 71.55%

Gender

female 67.86%

male 32.14%

Age - 54

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 - 54

Stress level

6.1

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.5

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.9

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a library cataloging technician

Explore library cataloging technician education requirements

Most common library cataloging technician degrees

Bachelor's

65.2 %

Associate

13.0 %

Master's

8.7 %

Start to develop specific library cataloging technician skills

Skills	Percentages
OCLC	64.93%
Cataloging	35.07%

Complete relevant library cataloging technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New library cataloging technicians 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 a library cataloging technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real library cataloging technician resumes.

Research library cataloging technician duties and responsibilities

Create policies for cataloging and collection development.
Use the OCLC system to search for existing records of items to be copy cataloge.
Perform library records upgrades by accessing various customer library databases for proper cataloging specifications and billing.
Customize MARC records and prepare labels per individual public library's bibliographic specifications and tracking systems.

Prepare your library cataloging technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your library cataloging technician 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 a library cataloging technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable library cataloging technician resume templates

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