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

What is a library specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A Library Specialist is meant to maintain and clean libraries and books, help library patrons find books, check them out, and return them, and perform a number of other clerical and library-related tasks and procedures. The position can vary in responsibility and decision-making power, too.

This job also entails re-shelving books and journals, applying and explaining library policies, handling and updating various records and documents, and might assist in the training of fellow employees, working within the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) system in order to find records of books and journals or create new ones, creating and hosting workshops, and aiding in the planning of the library's goals, needs, and wants.

A person seeking work as a Library Specialist may need to have at least an Associate's degree in Library Science, though some might seek higher education or just a high school diploma or a GED. Previous experience working in libraries or office settings is necessary, though further education can make up for it. On average, the Library Specialist earns $30,900 a year.

ScoreLibrary SpecialistUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $32,884

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.9

Growth rate -4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.76%

Asian 5.78%

Black or African American 11.02%

Hispanic or Latino 14.49%

Unknown 4.74%

White 63.20%

Gender

female 68.36%

male 31.64%

Age - 49

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 - 49

Stress level

4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

3.7

Complexity level is basic

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a library specialist

Explore library specialist education requirements

Most common library specialist degrees

Bachelor's

62.4 %

Master's

17.7 %

Associate

13.1 %

Start to develop specific library specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Library Materials	12.02%
Library Services	9.38%
Library Resources	5.21%
Library Policies	4.79%
University Libraries	4.59%

Complete relevant library specialist training and internships

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

Research library specialist duties and responsibilities

Search, edit, and incorporate new OCLC catalog records into OPAC.
Access and search OCLC for bibliographic records to copy catalog and process new materials.
Derive original cataloging and edit existing cataloging records following local and national standards.
Participate in group tasks as needed, including original and copy cataloging, inventory and staff development workshops

Prepare your library specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your library specialist 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 specialist 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 specialist resume templates

Build a professional library specialist 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 library specialist resume.

Apply for library specialist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a library specialist 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 library specialists rate their job?

-/5

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Library specialist 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.