What Does a Library Technician Do?
New books arrive in technical services with no barcode, no spine label and no catalog record, and a library technician adds all three. Technicians in public, academic and special libraries also order books and journals, check in new issues and fix catalog records so every item can be found.
Also known as: Library Associate, Library Specialist, Senior Library Specialist
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Circulation Clerk, Library Aide, Library Assistant, Library Associate, Library Clerk, Library Media Technician, Library Specialist, Library Technical Assistant (LTA).
Library Technician Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a library technician include:
- Import and edit catalog records from OCLC WorldShare for new books and media.
- Place orders with vendors, track invoices and receive shipments against purchase orders.
- Check in journal issues, claim missing ones and route them for binding.
- Process new items with labels, barcodes, security strips and protective covers.
- Fix catalog errors, such as wrong call numbers, missing holdings or duplicate records.
- Handle interlibrary loan requests, searching other libraries and shipping items out.
- Withdraw damaged or outdated items and update the catalog to match.
- Answer basic reference questions and show patrons how to search databases.
- Digitize photos and documents for special collections, adding descriptive metadata.
- Supervise library assistants and student workers on processing projects.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a library technician, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Cataloging standards: MARC, RDA and Library of Congress classification
- OCLC WorldShare or Connexion
- Alma, Sierra or another integrated library system
- Close attention to detail in records
- Acquisitions and invoice processing
- Scanning and basic digitization
- Patient reference help
- Steady focus on repetitive, precise work
Education and Training
A postsecondary certificate in library technology is the typical entry education, according to BLS, and many employers accept an associate degree in its place. Plenty of technicians start as library assistants and move up once they know the catalog. Senior technician and supervisor posts come with time, and librarian jobs open up to those who add a master's in library science.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $35,740 - $52,430 per year, with a median of $44,580.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Library Technicians.
According to BLS projections, employment of library technicians will fall about 6 percent from 2025 to 2035. Retirements and job changes should still create roughly 10,800 openings a year. Technicians who can catalog, digitize and handle electronic resources are more likely to find work, given that print processing keeps shrinking.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Library technicians.
Library Technician Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $29,300 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $35,740 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $44,580 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $52,430 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $63,080 |
Highest-Paying States for Library Technicians
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Washington ($62,570), District of Columbia ($61,040), Connecticut ($57,060), California ($53,260), Minnesota ($51,110). Pay is lowest in Arkansas ($28,570), Mississippi ($27,080), Wyoming ($26,850).
Median pay in all 51 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $37,150 |
| Alaska | $46,940 |
| Arizona | $40,510 |
| Arkansas | $28,570 |
| California | $53,260 |
| Colorado | $46,680 |
| Connecticut | $57,060 |
| Delaware | $47,580 |
| District of Columbia | $61,040 |
| Florida | $41,080 |
| Georgia | $37,320 |
| Hawaii | $50,870 |
| Idaho | $34,510 |
| Illinois | $47,120 |
| Indiana | $35,560 |
| Iowa | $38,590 |
| Kansas | $41,960 |
| Kentucky | $35,700 |
| Louisiana | $39,180 |
| Maine | $44,520 |
| Maryland | $48,920 |
| Massachusetts | $50,430 |
| Michigan | $34,680 |
| Minnesota | $51,110 |
| Mississippi | $27,080 |
| Missouri | $39,160 |
| Montana | $38,220 |
| Nebraska | $36,920 |
| Nevada | $45,650 |
| New Hampshire | $48,650 |
| New Jersey | $48,840 |
| New Mexico | $38,830 |
| New York | $50,060 |
| North Carolina | $46,520 |
| North Dakota | $39,240 |
| Ohio | $37,920 |
| Oklahoma | $29,440 |
| Oregon | $49,970 |
| Pennsylvania | $46,100 |
| Rhode Island | $48,740 |
| South Carolina | $36,070 |
| South Dakota | $29,590 |
| Tennessee | $36,400 |
| Texas | $38,640 |
| Utah | $40,160 |
| Vermont | $50,090 |
| Virginia | $45,560 |
| Washington | $62,570 |
| West Virginia | $30,300 |
| Wisconsin | $35,000 |
| Wyoming | $26,850 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as library technicians about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 96% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
- 88% use email every day
- 73% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 71% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 60% are on the phone every day
- 57% use their hands on tools, objects or controls for more than half the day
- 50% spend more than half the workday sitting
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | 30% |
| Associate's degree | 28% |
| Post-secondary certificate | 17% |
| High school diploma or GED | 15% |
Tools and Software Library Technicians Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy organized work with data, records and clear procedures as well as helping, teaching or caring for people.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Service Orientation, Critical Thinking, Learning Strategies.
Knowledge areas used most: Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administrative, Computers and Electronics, Education and Training.
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:
Applying for a Library Technician Job
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 25-4031.00 (Library Technicians). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 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. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.