Career
Library technicians
Help run a library and serve its patrons.
$44,580
Median pay
-6.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
10,800
Openings a year
Postsecondary nondegree award
Typical education
Under 2 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Reserve, circulate, renew, and discharge books and other materials.
- Answer routine telephone or in-person reference inquiries, referring patrons to librarians for further assistance, when necessary.
- Help patrons find and use library resources, such as reference materials, audio-visual equipment, computers, and other electronic resources and provide technical assistance when needed.
- Deliver and retrieve items throughout the library by hand or using pushcart.
- Process print and non-print library materials to prepare them for inclusion in library collections.
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 information & systems, then people & care?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Reserve, circulate, renew, and discharge books and other materials.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Service Orientation.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
Under 2 years of education after high school (postsecondary nondegree award), for a median of $44,580 a year and 10,800 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Library and Archives AssistingCIP 25.0301
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Library Assistants, Clerical$36,910 · -6.4%
- File Clerks$43,600 · -15.8%
- Office Clerks, General$45,010 · -6.0%
- Document Management Specialists
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$47,540 · -6.0%
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.