Librarians and Media Collections Specialists: Career Profile
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.
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The Daily Work of Librarians and Media Collections Specialists Do?
Typical responsibilities of librarians and media collections specialists span:
- 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.
- Search standard reference materials, including online sources and the Internet, to answer patrons' reference questions.
- Keep up-to-date records of circulation and materials, maintain inventory, and correct cataloging errors.
- 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.
What Librarians and Media Collections Specialists Need to Know
Successful librarians and media collections specialists combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The competencies most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Related Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Access Services Librarian
- Acquisitions Librarian
- Audio Visual Aids Technician (AV Aids Tech)
- Audio Visual Collections Coordinator (AV Collections Coordinator)
- Audio Visual Commissioning Specialist (AV Commissioning Specialist)
- Audio Visual Coordinator (AV Coordinator)
- Audio Visual Specialist (AV Specialist)
- Bibliographer
How Many Librarians and Media Collections Specialists Are There?
There are roughly 273,033 librarians and media collections specialists working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +9.4% over the projection horizon.
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $67,096 |
| Hourly median | $32.26 |
| 10th percentile | $48,009 |
| 25th percentile | $57,552 |
| 75th percentile | $76,640 |
| 90th percentile | $86,184 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Washington | $94,400 |
| District of Columbia | $93,740 |
| California | $86,590 |
| Maryland | $81,690 |
| Nevada | $79,710 |
| New Jersey | $79,380 |
| Delaware | $78,300 |
| Alaska | $78,280 |
| New York | $77,080 |
| Connecticut | $76,380 |
| Massachusetts | $75,790 |
| Oregon | $75,360 |
| Minnesota | $75,260 |
| Virginia | $74,320 |
| Georgia | $73,500 |
| Rhode Island | $72,820 |
| Colorado | $64,980 |
| Texas | $64,910 |
| Wisconsin | $63,610 |
| Kentucky | $63,460 |
| Hawaii | $62,880 |
| Virgin Islands | $62,470 |
| Illinois | $62,360 |
| Alabama | $62,240 |
| Montana | $62,020 |
| Nebraska | $61,990 |
| North Dakota | $61,540 |
| New Hampshire | $61,350 |
| New Mexico | $60,560 |
| Vermont | $60,230 |
| Pennsylvania | $60,120 |
| South Carolina | $60,050 |
| Florida | $59,890 |
| North Carolina | $59,860 |
| Tennessee | $59,710 |
| Kansas | $59,580 |
| Michigan | $59,520 |
| Louisiana | $59,090 |
| Arizona | $58,760 |
| Ohio | $57,130 |
| Arkansas | $56,770 |
| Maine | $56,520 |
| Missouri | $53,600 |
| Oklahoma | $53,340 |
| Iowa | $52,780 |
| Mississippi | $50,320 |
| Puerto Rico | $49,800 |
| Utah | $49,760 |
| South Dakota | $49,290 |
| Indiana | $48,880 |
| West Virginia | $48,640 |
| Wyoming | $48,290 |
| Idaho | $46,570 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Earnings for librarians and media collections specialists shift depending on where you work. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $85,865 | 11.9% | 0.74 |
| Middle Atlantic | $74,927 | 18.4% | 1.23 |
| New England | $71,730 | 8.3% | 1.75 |
| Southeast | $63,083 | 25.1% | 1.11 |
| Southwest | $62,214 | 10.5% | 0.87 |
| Plains States | $60,203 | 7.9% | 1.18 |
| Great Lakes | $58,851 | 13.0% | 0.92 |
| Rocky Mountains | $56,922 | 3.9% | 1.03 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | CA | $101,900 | 70 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $100,810 | 1,440 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | WA | $99,530 | 100 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $99,370 | 710 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | WA | $98,820 | 100 |
| Bellingham, WA | WA | $98,760 | 60 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | CA | $98,670 | 120 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $98,660 | 1,980 |
Industry Breakdown
Most librarians and media collections specialists work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Services | 72,910 | $68,550 |
| Information | 7,380 | $59,990 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1,300 | $79,460 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 1,180 | $55,120 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 980 | $70,420 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 580 | $43,790 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 390 | $56,670 |
| Wholesale Trade | 260 | $49,850 |
Below are examples of industries where librarians and media collections specialists work:
Tech Stack
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Video creation and editing software: Adobe After Effects (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: Cascading style sheets CSS (hot technology)
- Enterprise application integration software: Extensible markup language XML (hot technology)
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Google Workspace software (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: Hypertext markup language HTML (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
The on-the-job environment of librarians and media collections specialists reflects the following characteristics:
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Contact With Others
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
How to Become Librarians and Media Collections Specialists
Entry-level librarians and media collections specialists positions require a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Education Administrators, Postsecondary (Supplemental)
- Management Analysts (Supplemental)
- Computer User Support Specialists (Primary-Long)
- Database Administrators (Primary-Long)
- Web Administrators (Primary-Long)
- Document Management Specialists (Primary-Long)
- Social Science Research Assistants (Primary-Long)
- Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary (Supplemental)
Degree Programs
Aspiring librarians and media collections specialists typically earn programs in:
Library Science
3 programs across 1 majors
Education
2 programs across 2 majors
About the Data
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 25-4022.00 (Librarians and Media Collections Specialists).
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