Librarians and Media Collections Specialists

Moderate Risk
45%

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Vote Comments (10)
AUTOMATION RISK
CALCULATED
46%
(Moderate Risk)
POLLING
44%
(Moderate Risk, Based on 137 votes)
Average: 45%
LABOR DEMAND
GROWTH
2.9%
by year 2033
WAGES
$64,370
or $30.94 per hour
Volume
133,760
as of 2023
SUMMARY
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.

People also viewed

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Calculated automation risk

46% (Moderate Risk)

Moderate Risk (41-60%): Occupations with a moderate risk of automation usually involve routine tasks but still require some human judgment and interaction.

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

Some quite important qualities of the job are difficult to automate:

  • Social Perceptiveness

User poll

44% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted they are unsure if this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 46% 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

The following graph is shown where there are enough votes to produce meaningful data. It displays user poll results over time, providing a clear indication of sentiment trends.

Sentiment over time (yearly)

Growth

Slow growth relative to other professions.

The number of 'Librarians and Media Collections Specialists' job openings is expected to rise 2.9% by 2033

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.

Wages

Moderately paid relative to other professions

In 2023, the median annual wage for 'Librarians and Media Collections Specialists' was $64,370, or $31 per hour

'Librarians and Media Collections Specialists' were paid 33.9% higher than the national median wage, which stood at $48,060

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Volume

Greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2023 there were 133,760 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'.

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.

SOC Code: 25-4022.00

Comments (10)

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.
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.
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.
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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