Career
Library science teachers, postsecondary
Teach future librarians and information professionals.
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and present findings in professional journals, books, electronic media, or at professional conferences.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, giving presentations at conferences, and serving on committees in professional associations.
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as collection development, archival methods, and indexing and abstracting.
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on people & care, then ideas & analysis?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and present findings in professional journals, books, electronic media, or at professional conferences.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Instructing, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Writing.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
7–8 years of education after high school (doctoral or professional degree), for a median of $80,340 a year and 300 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Library and Information ScienceCIP 25.0101
- Children and Youth Library ServicesCIP 25.0102
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Education Teachers, Postsecondary$75,350 · +2.5%
- Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary$42,910 · +2.7%
- Instructional Coordinators$77,440 · +1.6%
- Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary$84,290 · +2.2%
- Librarians and Media Collections Specialists$68,270 · +2.6%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.