Librarians and Media Collections Specialists

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Why it fits

Applies collections, acquisitions, cataloging, preservation, public access, interpretation, and stakeholder communication.

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Occupation snapshot

What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
4.9/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

Risk & user votes

Calculated automation risk

28% (Low Risk)

Low Risk (21-40%): This occupation has a lower risk of full replacement by AI, software, or robotic systems. Some tasks may be automated or assisted, but the role usually still relies on human judgement, communication, responsibility, physical adaptability, or practical decision-making.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Human strengths important in this job

These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.

Thinking creatively

Quite important
Why this matters
Coming up with original ideas and designs—creating new concepts, products, systems, or artistic work. This kind of open-ended invention and taste-based judgment is harder to automate end-to-end than routine, rule-based tasks.
Jobs that also use this strength

Working directly with the public

Quite important
Why this matters
The job involves face-to-face interaction with customers, clients, or guests—answering questions, handling requests, and managing service situations in real time. Roles with frequent public interaction are harder to replace end-to-end because they rely on trust, communication, and adapting to unpredictable human needs.
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Social perceptiveness

Quite important
Why this matters
Noticing others’ emotions and reactions in the moment and adjusting what you say or do based on why they’re responding that way.
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Decision-making and problem solving

Quite important
Why this matters
Analyze information, weigh tradeoffs, and choose the best solution—especially when situations are ambiguous, high-stakes, or have real-world consequences.
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Coordinating others’ work

Quite important
Why this matters
Bringing people together, assigning tasks, and keeping a group aligned so work gets done.
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Show 3 more strengths

Developing objectives and strategies

Quite important
Why this matters
Sets long-term goals and chooses strategies and actions to reach them, weighing tradeoffs and adapting plans as conditions change.
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Active learning

Quite important
Why this matters
Keeps learning from new information and applying it to make better decisions now and in the future, especially when situations change.
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Education and training expertise

Quite important
Why this matters
Designing and delivering instruction—adapting lessons to different learners and measuring whether training actually works.
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What users think

Based on 144 votes

43% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted they are unsure if this occupation will be automated. However, employees may be able to find reassurance in the automated risk level we have generated, which shows 28% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Librarians and Media Collections Specialists will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

Sentiment

Based on user votes over time

View sentiment trend

How opinions have changed over time

Pay & outlook

Wages

Moderately paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists was $64,320 ($31 per hour).

The median annual wage for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists was 29.9% higher than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.

View wage trend

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Growth

Slow growth relative to other professions.

The number of 'Librarians and Media Collections Specialists' job openings is expected to rise 1.7% by 2034

View employment trend

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Volume

Greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 131,830 people employed as 'Librarians and Media Collections Specialists' within the United States.

This represents around 0.09% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 1 thousand people are employed as 'Librarians and Media Collections Specialists'.

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What people are saying (11)

Leave a comment
Robin Gardella (Low)
12 Jul 2024 13:42
As a public librarian for 30 years, I would say that our tools for locating information will change, but interactions with patrons will not. Many people still need assistance making their way through collections and resources to use the library.
James (No chance)
22 May 2023 08:57
You don't stop using cartographers when there is so much landscape out there, and you don't stop using information specialists when information becomes abundant. It's the other way around.
CarynW (Low)
18 Jan 2023 00:19
What librarians do is unique to their library, collection, users, and geographic area. It's unlikely robots will be as flexible as humans for library tasks.
jives (Low)
16 Jan 2025 22:23
Librarians are always fighting to survive in a changing economic and political worldspace. As such, they are adaptable, progressive, and willing to take risks. Libraries may change in concept over time (see the gradual introduction to now widespread adoption of public use computers) but librarians will always find ways to serve their communities.
Julia (Low)
01 Jul 2023 18:37
Too many pieces of the job need human interface and analysis
Academic Librarian (Low)
22 May 2023 15:22
No, librarians are not human encyclopedias.

Yes, most of us have a field that we really adore so those who work in universities/colleges research and write academic papers just like professors/instructors.

We collaborate with professors/instructors to find resources for the development of courses and teach information literacy classes. Public librarians teach useful skills to older generations and immigrants like filing taxes online, teach kids how to find correct information, and act as community archives.
KG (No chance)
09 Feb 2023 16:50
While I think the day to day of the academic librarian and reference librarian will change drastically as AI continues to optimize information retrieval, public libraries are community centers focused on social engagement and building relationships with young people and families, as well as supporting those who have limited access to information tools. Librarians will continue to work alongside technology and assist people in incorporating these new tools in their lives, the way we always have. It will just look different.
Anonymous (Low)
09 Apr 2026 21:42
Librarians have a lot of work requiring human connection
Ur mom (Highly likely)
01 Sep 2021 14:05
It's called Google, look it up. Oh wait, YOU DON'T HAVE TO.
Kayla (Highly likely)
14 Feb 2025 00:06
It would be easy to just have a machine that scans your books and automatically borrows it. Infact, those exist, it's called a library card. A machine could sort and organise the books too.
Ray
13 Jan 2026 02:08
You're right! We do already have those - self check outs and automated material handlers. And we still have librarians because the work they do is way more than check in and out books.
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Job description

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.

O*NET-SOC code: 25-4022.00