Nature of the Work

Libraries are much more than a place to read books and journals. Libraries also houses advanced electronic resources, including the Internet, digital library collections, remote access to a wide range of technology and instruction.

Most library positions focus on one of the following:

  • user services (connecting people to the information they need)
  • technical services (ordering, cataloging, and preparing materials)
  • computer services (maintain library databases, software programming, web page design)
  • administrative services (manage the library and services, negotiate contracts with vendors, supervise library employees, prepare budgets)

Education required:

Bachelor's degree in any subject and Masters degree in library science from an accredited program by the American Library Association.

Types of Libraries

There are four major types of libraries:

  1. Academic libraries serve colleges and universities.
  2. Public libraries serve cities and towns of all types.
  3. School libraries serve students from Kindergarten to grade 12.
  4. Special libraries are in specialized environments, such as hospitals, corporations, museums, the military, private business, and the government.

Further details on the occupation of librarianship (including salary, job outlook, descriptions of the work) is in the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

There are more than 117,000 libraries throughout the U.S. and 158,000 librarians. Types of libraries include schools, colleges, hospitals, law firms, businesses, museums, and the government.

In 2006 there were 125 academic librarians, 101 exempt staff, 249 nonexempt staff, and 115 part-time students working for the Cornell University Libraries.