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School librarian skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted expert
April Dawkins Ph.D.
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical school librarian skills. We ranked the top skills for school librarians based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 10.8% of school librarian resumes contained library services as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a school librarian needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 school librarian skills for your resume and career

1. Library Services

Library Services are those resources, products, and events provided and held by a library or a similar entity to an individual. Users of the library may make use of these tools, which often differ from one institution to the next but amongst which may be things like online information and phone services, literary and other classes, book clubs, referencing services, and a number of other things.

Here's how school librarians use library services:
  • Maintained school library and provided library services for students
  • Provided school library services to students in elementary, middle and high schools.

2. Library Resources

Here's how school librarians use library resources:
  • Provided reference, bibliographic instruction, and assistance in the use of library resources/services to students, faculty and staff.
  • Created school library program that provided broad access to library resources for both students and faculty.

3. Library Materials

Here's how school librarians use library materials:
  • Selected and cataloged all library materials, increasing and improving the collection to reflect an expanding student population.
  • Make resources available for students and teachers through a systematically organized collection of library materials;.

4. Library Programs

Here's how school librarians use library programs:
  • Developed and implemented library programs.
  • Developed and executed all related library programs and activities for 1,000 student body.

5. Collection Development

Collection development is the systematic and economical creation and evaluation of a library's inventory to meet the information needs of library users in a timely and cost-effective manner, using local information resources as well as resources from other organizations. Its purpose is to aid the mission of the library and involves both selecting and deselecting library resources. The library collection also includes general information resources to assist in a learning environment in subjects not covered in the classroom.

Here's how school librarians use collection development:
  • Managed elementary library, including collection development: budgeting, ordering, cataloging and weeding.
  • Organized and prepared collection development strategies and arranged for acquisitions of materials to increase collection.

6. Library Collection

Here's how school librarians use library collection:
  • Organized, developed, and cataloged elementary and secondary school library collections.
  • Maintained library collections including weeding, ordering and repair of collection.

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7. Classroom Curriculum

Here's how school librarians use classroom curriculum:
  • Coordinated library skills instruction and reading motivation with classroom curriculum, using both fixed and flexible scheduling.
  • Create and teach weekly lessons to pre-K- 4th grade based on library and classroom curriculums and collaborations with classroom teachers.

8. K-12

K12 is a term that incldues all 12 years of education in the US education system. It includes the education offered at the primary stage, middle stage, and secondary stage. It includes children of ages as young as 5 to 18 years. The grades included in K12 are Kindergarten, the initial 5 stages, grades 6 to 8, and 9 to 12. This system is followed specifically followed in the US and may vary in other countries.

Here's how school librarians use k-12:
  • Managed K-12 Library Automated Catalog Managed Budget and Purchases
  • Directed a library for grades K-12 and implemented story programming, early research skills, or basic technology assistance.

9. Kindergarten

Kindergarten is an early form of education that begins when a child is about five years old. During kindergarten, children learn the basic elements of reading, writing, and mathematics in addition to colors, telling time, sharing, and similar principles. Kindergarten classes are typically overseen by a single teacher who lectures on all of the subjects listed.

Here's how school librarians use kindergarten:
  • Serve more than 800 students from Junior Kindergarten through Grade Eight, as well as 100 staff members.
  • Created library skills curriculum and taught reading and library skills to grades Kindergarten through sixth.

10. Library Budget

Here's how school librarians use library budget:
  • Manage grades K-6 and work with 3 other volunteers Annually evaluate and submit library budget.
  • Balanced several large Library budgets for book recovery/purchases/repair/circulation.

11. Instructional Materials

Here's how school librarians use instructional materials:
  • Author or publish professional articles, internal documents, and instructional materials.
  • Typed worksheets and instructional materials for students.

12. Research

Here's how school librarians use research:
  • Developed partnership with Cecil County Public Library to afford students a variety of research materials.
  • Collaborated with teachers and public librarians to teach research and information literacy skills.

13. Cataloging

Here's how school librarians use cataloging:
  • Reference, Cataloging and Classification of resources.
  • Instituted the use of computers in the library for cataloging, online searching, reference, bibliographies, and administrative functions.

14. Student Body

Here's how school librarians use student body:
  • Introduced special outreach programs to the student body in effort to increase the students AR reading scores.

15. Professional Development

Professional development means to have the essential training certification or education with the purpose of earning and having a successful career. Every job requires a different set of skills. However, new skills may be needed in the future. Professional development, in this regard, helps people to develop and polish the skills and become efficient workers.

Here's how school librarians use professional development:
  • Program Management/Development-Updated technology and reading experiences by earning 52 professional development points.
  • Provided professional development opportunities to school and district staff in the areas of curriculum planning and emerging educational technologies.
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April Dawkins Ph.D.April Dawkins Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Assistant Professor, The University of North Carolina Greensboro

Our graduates are likely to be already employed, both during their studies and immediately after graduation. Many school librarians transition from the classroom to the library setting, while they are completing their tasks. Suppose a graduate wanted to take an additional year before seeking employment as a school librarian. In that case, they might focus on improving teaching skills, their knowledge about children's and young adult literature, and picking up new technology skills. They could work on these skills by using a bookstore or public library, volunteering with after-school programs or community groups that do outreach with children, and exploring new technology trends.
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about school librarian

List of school librarian skills to add to your resume

School librarian skills

The most important skills for a school librarian resume and required skills for a school librarian to have include:

  • Library Services
  • Library Resources
  • Library Materials
  • Library Programs
  • Collection Development
  • Library Collection
  • Classroom Curriculum
  • K-12
  • Kindergarten
  • Library Budget
  • Instructional Materials
  • Research
  • Cataloging
  • Student Body
  • Professional Development
  • Library Inventory
  • Reference Services
  • Library Policies
  • K-5
  • Pre-K
  • Advisory Services
  • K-8
  • Research Projects
  • Research Techniques
  • K-6
  • RAN
  • Library Equipment
  • Circulation Desk
  • Dewey Decimal System
  • Library Classes
  • Reference Materials
  • Circulation System
  • Library Catalog
  • Public Library
  • Book Fairs
  • School Libraries
  • Research Materials
  • Library Operations
  • Curriculum Support
  • Bulletin Boards
  • Fiction
  • Library Database
  • Book Club
  • Electronic Resources
  • Library Displays
  • Audiovisual Materials

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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