How To Become A Tape Librarian: What It Is and Career Path

What is a tape librarian and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average tape librarian salary is $51,962. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become a tape librarian. Tape librarians with a IT Information Library Foundations Certification (ITIL) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 8,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreTape LibrarianUS Average

Salary

4.1

Avg. Salary $51,962

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.6

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.33%

Asian 4.92%

Black or African American 6.48%

Hispanic or Latino 7.84%

Unknown 3.59%

White 76.84%

Gender

female 41.74%

male 58.26%

Age - 48

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 - 48

Stress level

5.6

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.6

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

9.5

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a tape librarian

Explore tape librarian education requirements

Most common tape librarian degrees

Bachelor's

45.3 %

Associate

27.7 %

High School Diploma

13.5 %

Start to develop specific tape librarian skills

Skills	Percentages
Disaster Recovery	15.51%
Mainframe Systems	8.31%
Tape Library System	6.19%
Unix	5.17%
Management System	5.05%

Complete relevant tape librarian training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New tape librarians 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 tape librarian based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real tape librarian resumes.

Research tape librarian duties and responsibilities

Achieve proficiency cataloging electronic materials (audio records, video recordings, and streaming video) and continuing resources/serials.
Monitor and support UNIX, VAX, NT, AS400, and MVS systems for accurate hourly results.
Perform limited MVS console operator functions.
Catalogue tapes in TSO system.

Prepare your tape librarian resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your tape librarian resume.

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