Library Supervisor Job Description

Salary Range

$55,950 - $85,090

Experience

3 to 5 years

Work Environment

Library circulation and public service desk

What Does a Library Supervisor Do?

Late on a weeknight, with one staff member left at the circulation desk and a patron disputing a fine, the call goes to the library supervisor. These supervisors run the lending and public service desks of public and college libraries, where they build staff schedules, train new desk workers and write the procedures for opening, closing and emergencies.

Also known as: Senior Library Supervisor

Other Job Titles for This Work

Workers in this occupation report titles such as Accounting Manager, Accounts Payable Supervisor, Accounts Receivable Manager, Administrative Supervisor, Customer Service Manager, Customer Service Supervisor, Office Coordinator, Office Manager.

Library Supervisor Duties and Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of a library supervisor include:

• Build weekly desk schedules for staff and student workers to cover every open hour.
• Train new staff on circulation procedures, the library system and patron service standards.
• Handle escalated patron complaints, disputes over fines and behavior problems in the building.
• Approve fine waivers and account adjustments within library policy.
• Oversee shelving, shelf reading and stacks maintenance so items can be found.
• Track circulation, gate counts and desk questions, and report the numbers to library managers.
• Write and update procedures for opening, closing and emergencies in the building.
• Coordinate interlibrary loan, course reserves and holds workflows with other departments.
• Hire student workers and complete their evaluations and payroll approvals.
• Test changes to the library system and self-checkout machines before staff use them.

Required Skills and Qualifications

To succeed as a library supervisor, you will need the following skills and qualifications:

• Supervising staff and student workers
• Library systems such as Alma or Sierra
• Scheduling tools such as WhenToWork or Excel
• Conflict resolution with patrons
• Policy writing
• Circulation statistics and reporting
• Building safety and emergency procedures
• Fair, consistent treatment of staff

Education and Training

Years spent as a library assistant or technician are the usual preparation, though a few supervisors arrive from running shifts in retail or another customer service job. BLS puts the typical entry education for the wider supervisor group at a high school diploma. Many libraries still prefer an associate or bachelor's degree, and the step after supervisor is often access services manager.

Salary and Job Outlook

Office and administrative supervisors are a huge group. In fact, BLS expects roughly 127,400 openings a year for them from 2025 to 2035, even though total employment should grow only 0.1 percent. Posts in libraries make up a small part of that, and they tend to go to people who already know a library system.

Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers.

Library Supervisor Pay Range

Highest-Paying States for Library Supervisors

The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Washington ($79,480), District of Columbia ($79,200), New York ($79,170), Connecticut ($78,200), California ($77,590). Pay is lowest in Arkansas ($58,100), Louisiana ($57,180), West Virginia ($53,660).

What the Work Is Like

O*NET surveys people who work as first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:

• 98% are on the phone every day
• 93% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
• 89% use email every day
• 85% spend more than half the workday sitting
• 81% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
• 70% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
• 39% have a lot of freedom to make decisions

Education Workers Say the Job Needs

Tools and Software Library Supervisors Use

Tools and equipment

• 10-key calculators
• Computer data input scanners
• Computer laser printers
• Desktop computers
• Laptop computers
• Laser facsimile machines
• Liquid crystal display LCD projectors
• Multi-line telephone systems
• Personal computers
• Photocopiers

Software

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office software
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Word
• Adobe Acrobat
• Apple macOS
• Facebook
• Google Docs
• Henry Schein Dentrix
• IBM SPSS Statistics
• Intuit QuickBooks

Is This Job a Good Fit for You?

People who do well in this job tend to enjoy leading, persuading and making business decisions as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.

Skills O*NET rates most important: Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Monitoring, Social Perceptiveness, Coordination.

Knowledge areas used most: Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administrative, Computers and Electronics.

Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 3 of 5, which means medium preparation.

Related Careers

These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:

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Applying for a Library Supervisor Job

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