Librarians and Media Collections Specialists

Median salary

$68,270

Average salary

$72,840

Employment

133,790

Projected growth

1.7% growth

Annual openings

13,500

Typical entry education

Master's degree

What Librarians and Media Collections Specialists Do

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.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 0.9%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 5 of 5

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

Experience: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
Education: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Job training: Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.6/5
English Languageimportance 4.4/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 4.0/5
Education and Trainingimportance 4.0/5
Administrativeimportance 3.8/5
Communications and Mediaimportance 3.3/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.3/5
Psychologyimportance 2.7/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

E-Mail4.8/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.8/5
Telephone Conversations4.6/5
Contact With Others4.4/5
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.4/5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.3/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Education Administrators, Postsecondary96% skill match
Human Resources Managers96% skill match
Clergy96% skill match
Financial Managers96% skill match
Sales Managers96% skill match
Fundraising Managers96% skill match
Directors, Religious Activities and Education95% skill match
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare95% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Service Orientationimportance 3.4/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.3/5
Instructingimportance 3.1/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.1/5
Time Managementimportance 3.1/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
Coordinationimportance 2.9/5
Management of Material Resourcesimportance 2.8/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

In-Demand Technologies

Springshare LibGuides

Other Software Used

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Cooperation
Intellectual Curiosity
Dependability
Social Orientation
Empathy
Initiative

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

ConventionalHigh
SocialMedium
InvestigativeMedium
EnterprisingLow
ArtisticLow
RealisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where librarians and media collections specialists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1Amherst Town-Northampton, MA4.41× national avg
2Gainesville, FL3.48× national avg
3Lexington Park, MD3.09× national avg
4State College, PA3.04× national avg
5Arecibo, PR2.86× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

Instructional CoordinatorsLateral Move
Education Administrators, PostsecondaryCareer Change
Medical and Health Services ManagersCareer Change
Financial ManagersCareer Change

See the full career path from Librarians and Media Collections Specialists →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.