What does a library director do?
Library director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real library director resumes:
- Manage records of circulation and materials, maintain inventory, and correct cataloging errors.
- Hire & supervise 26 staff , 16 FTE.
- Supervise one FTE and six part time employees.
- Investigate and troubleshoot protocols, procedures and reagents.
- Work with vendors to develop licensing and to troubleshoot electronic access.
- Provide oversight of the acquisitions process at all stages, including final approval.
- Modernize and standardize processing of materials and cataloging for greater efficiency.
- Provide administrative, collaborative and research support to academic disciplines and departments.
- Collaborate with teachers and public librarians to teach research and information literacy skills.
- Provide professional and personal assistance to user community in answering inquiries and locating ABC media assets.
- Provide safety and security oversight of the library, training and updating evacuation/plot plans and extinguishment methods.
- Maintain an open dialog with web personnelnationwide for instructional, informational and troubleshooting purposes.
- Record retention.SecurityDuties include enforcing the rules and regulations of TDCJ.
Library director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Library Directors are proficient in Library Services, Collection Development, and Professional Development. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Initiative, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Library Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Library Services, 16%
Conducted library services assessment, analyzed data, and utilized data in improving library services.
- Collection Development, 7%
Operated a college library including the collection development, acquisitions, AACR2 cataloging and circulation of materials.
- Professional Development, 6%
Engaged in professional development activities, such as taking continuing education classes and attending or participating in conferences and workshops.
- Library Operations, 6%
Managed all library operations, including budget preparation; managing library staff.
- Academic Library, 6%
Managed all aspects of specialized academic library of over 30,000 holdings representing theology, Eastern Christianity and Slavic studies.
- Library Resources, 5%
Administer library resources and services within traditional, hybrid, and fully online courses in a context of continuous improvement.
Most library directors use their skills in "library services," "collection development," and "professional development" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential library director responsibilities here:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a library director to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "librarians need to be able to explain ideas and information in ways that patrons understand." Library directors often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "facilitate communication with and among all levels of staff and represent the library administration both internally and externally. "
Initiative. Another essential skill to perform library director duties is initiative. Library directors responsibilities require that "new information, technology, and resources constantly change the details of what librarians do." Library directors also use initiative in their role according to a real resume snippet: "coordinated and managed all aspects of the library's information literacy initiatives and reference services. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of library directors is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday library director duties, as "librarians must be able to work both as part of a team and with the public or with researchers." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "utilized organizational, management, and interpersonal skills to keep the library systems functional and serviceable. "
Problem-solving skills. For certain library director responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "problem-solving skills." The day-to-day duties of a library director rely on this skill, as "librarians conduct and assist with research." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what library directors do: "answered questions about student accounts and library services and resolved non-routine questions and account problems. "
Reading skills. Another crucial skill for a library director to carry out their responsibilities is "reading skills." A big part of what library directors relies on this skill, since "librarians must be excellent readers." How this skill relates to library director duties can be seen in an example from a library director resume snippet: "assisted patrons in selection of reading materials and use of library resources. "
Technology skills. While "technology skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to library director responsibilities. Much of what a library director does relies on this skill, seeing as "librarians use technology to help patrons research topics." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of library directors: "created and built library system that supports the mission of lincoln college of technology. "
The three companies that hire the most library directors are:
- The College of Saint Rose2 library directors jobs
- Avenu Insights & Analytics2 library directors jobs
- State University of New York at Oswego1 library directors jobs
Compare different library directors
Library director vs. Cataloger
As a collection management librarian, one must perform the tasks associated with library services, especially in collection management. Collection management librarians monitor, analyze, and report collection management data. The librarians establish and maintain the collection management plan of the team for the rear area and conceptualize and deliver outreach opportunities with the community and city organizations promoting library services, programs, and resources. They are also skilled in electronic resources, collection development, and insurance companies.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, library director responsibilities require skills like "library services," "professional development," "library operations," and "academic library." Meanwhile a typical cataloger has skills in areas such as "library catalog," "rda," "online database," and "lcsh." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Catalogers tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $40,571. In contrast, library directors make the biggest average salary, $53,860, in the education industry.The education levels that catalogers earn slightly differ from library directors. In particular, catalogers are 8.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a library director. Additionally, they're 1.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Library director vs. Circulation supervisor
A technical services librarian is responsible for overseeing the technical and circulation services at a library. Typical duties for this role include supervising the technical and circulation staff, working closely with other library services, and directing the activities on library automation. In addition, you will make technical decisions involving the use and management of bibliographic records based on accepted standards. As a technical services librarian, it is also your responsibility to assist in the preparation of the library's annual budget and contribute to collection and acquisition development initiatives.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, library director responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "professional development," "academic library," "library resources," and "strategic plan." Meanwhile, a circulation supervisor has duties that require skills in areas such as "student assistants," "circulation services," "library circulation," and "course reserves." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Circulation supervisors earn lower levels of education than library directors in general. They're 15.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Library director vs. Collection management librarian
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a library director is likely to be skilled in "professional development," "library operations," "academic library," and "strategic plan," while a typical collection management librarian is skilled in "patient accounts," "sql," "appeals," and "eob."
Most collection management librarians achieve a lower degree level compared to library directors. For example, they're 12.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Library director vs. Technical services librarian
Types of library director
Updated January 8, 2025
