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

What is a reference library assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a reference library assistant. For example, did you know that they make an average of $13.36 an hour? That's $27,791 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -4% and produce -6,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreReference Library AssistantUS Average

Salary

2.2

Avg. Salary $27,791

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.9

Growth rate -4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.76%

Asian 5.25%

Black or African American 11.09%

Hispanic or Latino 14.26%

Unknown 4.73%

White 63.91%

Gender

female 61.34%

male 38.66%

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 reference library assistant

Explore reference library assistant education requirements

Most common reference library assistant degrees

Bachelor's

69.9 %

Master's

15.7 %

Associate

9.2 %

Start to develop specific reference library assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	14.79%
Library Materials	11.88%
Library Patrons	7.55%
Research Assistance	7.32%
Reference Services	6.55%

Complete relevant reference library assistant training and internships

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

Research reference library assistant duties and responsibilities

Construct and manage subject LibGuides.
Perform elementary descriptive cataloging using automate bibliographic database.
Perform elementary descriptive cataloging using automate bibliographic database.

Prepare your reference library assistant resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable reference library assistant resume templates

Build a professional reference library assistant 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 reference library assistant resume.