Librarians and Media Collections Specialists

Administer and maintain libraries or collections of information, for public or private access through reference or borrowing. Work in a variety of settings, such as educational institutions, museums, and corporations, and with various types of informational materials, such as books, periodicals, recordings, films, and databases. Tasks may include acquiring, cataloging, and circulating library materials, and user services such as locating and organizing information, providing instruction on how to access information, and setting up and operating a library's media equipment.

Most important skills

Reading Comprehension
Active Listening
Speaking
Writing
Critical Thinking
Service Orientation
Monitoring
Social Perceptiveness

Key knowledge

English Language
Customer and Personal Service
Education and Training
Computers and Electronics
Administration and Management
Administrative
Communications and Media
Personnel and Human Resources

What the work involves

Check books in and out of the library.
Teach library patrons basic computer skills, such as searching computerized databases.
Review and evaluate materials, using book reviews, catalogs, faculty recommendations, and current holdings to select and order print, audio-visual, and electronic resources.
Keep up-to-date records of circulation and materials, maintain inventory, and correct cataloging errors.
Search standard reference materials, including online sources and the Internet, to answer patrons' reference questions.
Analyze patrons' requests to determine needed information and assist in furnishing or locating that information.
Supervise daily library operations, budgeting, planning, and personnel activities, such as hiring, training, scheduling, and performance evaluations.
Plan and teach classes on topics such as information literacy, library instruction, and technology use.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Conventional, Social, Investigative.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Master's Degree (96.3% of expert ratings)
Related experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (25.9%)
On-the-job training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month (22.2%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 5: Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Low	Lower on contact with others than 69% of occupations compared	67% of surveyed respondents chose “Contact with others most of the time”
Dealing with the public	Very high	Higher on dealing with the public than 89% of occupations compared	48% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Teamwork	Moderate	Higher on teamwork than 54% of occupations compared	48% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Freedom to make decisions	Moderate	Lower on freedom to make decisions than 53% of occupations compared	56% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressure	Very low	Lower on time pressure than 85% of occupations compared	52% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Conflict situations	Moderate	Lower on conflict situations than 59% of occupations compared	48% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	High	Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 66% of occupations compared	44% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Consequence of error	Very low	Lower on consequence of error than 93% of occupations compared	44% of surveyed respondents chose “Not serious at all”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: very low
Conflict situations: moderate
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: high
Consequence of error: very low

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions