Library Technicians
Assist librarians by helping readers in the use of library catalogs, databases, and indexes to locate books and other materials; and by answering questions that require only brief consultation of standard reference. Compile records; sort and shelve books or other media; remove or repair damaged books or other media; register patrons; and check materials in and out of the circulation process. Replace materials in shelving area (stacks) or files. Includes bookmobile drivers who assist with providing services in mobile libraries.
A wage reference for United States.
Published wage percentiles describe a distribution within the source occupation group. They provide context for a career decision; employer packages and job offers have their own terms.
This wage group may include multiple detailed occupations. The figures are for the source group, which may be broader than Library Technicians. They are not an exact-title, employer, experience or seniority match.
May 2025 · USD · United States. Annual and hourly figures are shown only when the source publishes them; neither is calculated from the other.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage data, distributed through the O*NET® OnLine service.
Annual wage thresholds
USD per year
Hourly wage thresholds
USD per hour
| Percentile | Annual wage (USD/year) | Hourly wage (USD/hour) |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $29,300 | $14.09 |
| 25th | $35,740 | $17.18 |
| 50th · Median | $44,580 | $21.43 |
| 75th | $52,430 | $25.21 |
| 90th | $63,080 | $30.33 |
“≥” means at least the published amount; “≤” means at most that amount. These are bounds, not exact values. “Not published” means the source did not provide that figure. Occupational wages follow the source definition and do not establish an employer’s base salary, equity or total compensation.
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Compare an entered wage with the published thresholds for United States. Your entry stays on this page.
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What this career involves.
Occupation definitions describe common work. Responsibilities and requirements vary by employer and specific job.
Selected title examples
Expand more title examples (26)
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Catalogue and sort books and other print and non-print materials according to procedure and return them to shelves, files, or other designated storage areas.
Expand more tasks (25)
- Enter and update patrons' records on computers.
- Provide assistance to teachers and students by locating materials and helping to complete special projects.
- Compile and maintain records relating to circulation, materials, and equipment.
- Take actions to halt disruption of library activities by problem patrons.
- Maintain and troubleshoot problems with library equipment, including computers, photocopiers, and audio-visual equipment.
- Check for damaged library materials, such as books or audio-visual equipment, and provide replacements or make repairs.
- Collect fines and respond to complaints about fines.
- Train other staff, volunteers, or student assistants and schedule and supervise their work.
- Conduct reference searches, using printed materials and in-house and online databases.
- Compile data and create statistical reports on library usage.
- Design posters and special displays to promote use of library facilities or specific reading programs at libraries.
- Issue identification cards to borrowers.
- Review subject matter of materials to be classified and select classification numbers and headings according to classification systems.
- Process interlibrary loans for patrons.
- Order all print and non-print library materials, checking prices, figuring costs, preparing order slips, and making payments.
- Send out notices about lost or overdue books.
- Retrieve information from central databases for storage in a library's computer.
- Verify bibliographical data for materials, including author, title, publisher, publication date, and edition.
- Plan and conduct children's programs, community outreach programs, and other specialized programs, such as library tours.
- Organize and maintain periodicals and reference materials.
- Claim missing issues of periodicals and journals.
- Compose explanatory summaries of contents of books and other reference materials.
- Sort and deliver library mail and packages.
- Operate and maintain audio-visual equipment, such as projectors, tape recorders, and videocassette recorders.
- Compile bibliographies and prepare abstracts on subjects of interest to particular organizations or groups.
Skills used in this work
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Expand more skills (29)
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Management of Material Resources
- Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Management of Financial Resources
- Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Programming
- Writing computer programs for various purposes.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Technology Design
- Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
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