What Kind of Librarian Should I Be

One press picks a kind of librarian to look into, with the work that job does.

What Kind of Librarian Should I Be

Show all 39
  1. Digital archivistKeeps digital information of continuing value accessible and usable in the long term.

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How it works

Thinking about library school, or already in it? The list runs from children’s librarian to map librarian, and takes in archivists, catalogers and the people who keep a library’s systems running.

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Small library or large

In a small library one librarian is often responsible for many or all parts of the work, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics says. In a large library each usually keeps to one part of it.

The degree behind the desk

Librarians typically need a master’s degree in library science, the bureau says. School librarians typically need a degree in a related field and a teaching certificate, and a special librarian may need a degree in the library’s subject: a law librarian may be required to have a law degree.

  • Requirements differ by state, so check with your state’s education department or library licensing board before you choose a course.

Questions and answers

What type of librarian should I be?

Start with who you want to help. Public librarians serve everyone in a community, school librarians teach students, academic librarians work with college students and faculty, and special librarians serve one organization, such as a business, a museum or a government agency.

What are the different types of librarians?

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics names academic, public, school and special librarians, with corporate, law and medical librarians as examples of the last. By task it names user services, technical services and administrative services librarians.

Which librarians work with children?

Children’s librarians serve young patrons from infancy to young adulthood, with story hours and summer reading programs. Young adult librarians serve readers between 12 and 18, and school librarians work in elementary, middle and high schools.

Which librarians work behind the scenes?

Technical services librarians order, prepare and organize materials. Catalogers describe and classify them, collection development librarians choose what to add, and systems librarians maintain the catalog and the other library systems.

Do school librarians get summers off?

Usually. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says school librarians usually keep the same work and vacation schedules as teachers, including summers off. Public and academic librarians often work evenings and weekends, and may work holidays.

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Browse People and Jobs

All 39 kinds of librarian

Public libraries 10

  • Bookmobile librarian Takes books on the road in a bookmobile, a vehicle designed for use as a library.
  • Children’s librarian Serves young patrons from infancy up, with story hours and summer reading programs.
  • Library director Plans for the long term of a library and its ties to the city, college or group it serves.
  • Makerspace librarian Offers patrons a space to make things with tools such as 3D printers and video editing gear.
  • Outreach librarian Provides library services for underrepresented groups, such as homebound adults and rural communities.
  • Public librarian Serves everyone in a community: finds books, helps with research and plans programs.
  • Readers’ advisory librarian Suggests fiction and nonfiction titles to a reader.
  • Reference librarian Helps people doing research find what they need, starting with a reference interview.
  • User services librarian Helps patrons do research in print and online, and teaches them to search on their own.
  • Young adult librarian Serves patrons who are between 12 and 18 years old.

Children, teens and schools 2

  • Instruction librarian Teaches people how to find, evaluate and use information, in classes or online.
  • School librarian Teaches students to use library resources and helps teachers find materials for lessons.

Colleges and universities 5

  • Academic librarian Helps college students, faculty and staff with research and teaches how to find information.
  • Electronic resources librarian Manages the databases that a library licenses from outside vendors.
  • Scholarly communications librarian Runs outreach on copyright, open access and other questions of how research is published.
  • Subject librarian Is responsible for the section of a library that covers one academic subject.
  • University librarian Is responsible for the library within a college; also called dean or director of libraries.

Law, medical and special libraries 10

  • Corporate librarian Helps the employees of a private business do research and find information.
  • Government librarian Serves the information needs of the government agency that houses the library.
  • Independent information professional Starts and runs their own business, often as a research specialist or information broker.
  • Law librarian Helps lawyers, judges, law clerks and law students find and analyze legal resources.
  • Map librarian Is the specialist in charge of a library’s maps and other cartographic items.
  • Medical librarian Helps health professionals, patients and researchers find health and science information.
  • Museum librarian Collects and organizes materials on a museum’s subjects for the people who work there.
  • Music librarian Builds, catalogs and looks after a music collection, and generally reads music.
  • Prison librarian Manages a library in a correctional facility, with educational, legal and recreational resources.
  • Special librarian Works in the library of a business, museum, government agency or other organization.

Archives and preservation 7

  • Archivist Collects, organizes and preserves records of long-term value and helps people use them.
  • Conservator Works to prolong the life of a book or record while changing it as little as possible.
  • Digital archivist Keeps digital information of continuing value accessible and usable in the long term.
  • Digital curator Selects, preserves and maintains digital assets for use now and in the future.
  • Records manager Manages an organization’s records from the day each is made to the day it is disposed of.
  • Special collections librarian Works with materials that need specialized security and user services.
  • Web archivist Collects and preserves material from the web, typically with automated crawlers.

Catalogs, collections and systems 5

  • Administrative services librarian Manages a library, prepares its budget and negotiates contracts for materials and equipment.
  • Cataloger Describes and classifies library materials so that they are easy to find.
  • Collection development librarian Monitors the selection of the books and electronic resources a library adds.
  • Systems librarian Develops, troubleshoots and maintains library systems, including the catalog.
  • Technical services librarian Obtains, prepares and organizes print and electronic materials, and orders new ones.