---
title: "Library Technician"
description: "Assist librarians by helping readers in the use of library catalogs, databases, and indexes to locate books and other materials; and by answering…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/library-technician"
last-updated: "2026-10-09T10:57:55.138Z"
---

# Library Technician

**Category:** Educational Instruction and Library · **SOC code:** 25-4031 · **O\*NET-SOC code:** 25-4031.00

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.

Also advertised as: Circulation Clerk; Library Aide; Library Assistant; Library Associate; Library Clerk; Library Media Technician; Library Specialist; Library Technical Assistant (LTA).

## At a glance

- **Median annual wage:** $44,580 (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
- **Median hourly wage:** $21.43/hr
- **Wage range (10th–90th percentile):** $29,300 to $63,080, with the middle half between $35,740 and $52,430
- **Total US employment:** 68,690
- **Typical entry education:** Certificate
- **Preparation required:** Some preparation — O\*NET rates this "Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed"
- **Projected growth:** -6.4% over 2025–2035 (BLS EP, 2025–2035)
- **Annual job openings:** 10,800 openings a year
- **AI-resilience score:** 30/100 — a NueCareer heuristic over O\*NET work activities and context, not a BLS or O\*NET figure

## Pay

National wage distribution, BLS OEWS, May 2025, across 68,690 US jobs.

| Percentile | Annual wage |
| --- | --- |
| 10th | $29,300 |
| 25th | $35,740 |
| 50th (median) | $44,580 |
| 75th | $52,430 |
| 90th | $63,080 |
| Mean (average) | $45,500 |

### Pay by state

The 15 highest-paying states, by median annual wage. The cost-of-living-adjusted column divides the state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, so the columns answer different questions: the first is what the job pays there, the second is what that pay buys there.

| State | Median annual wage | Cost-of-living adjusted | Employment |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| WA | $62,570 | $58,470 | 1,850 |
| DC | $61,040 | $55,541 | 390 |
| CT | $57,060 | $55,072 | 930 |
| CA | $53,260 | $48,103 | 7,190 |
| MN | $51,110 | $51,825 | 1,180 |
| HI | $50,870 | $46,266 | 110 |
| MA | $50,430 | $47,685 | 1,910 |
| VT | $50,090 | $51,134 | 150 |
| NY | $50,060 | $46,386 | 3,390 |
| OR | $49,970 | $48,345 | 1,810 |
| MD | $48,920 | $46,609 | 1,980 |
| NJ | $48,840 | $44,888 | 1,060 |
| RI | $48,740 | $47,654 | 160 |
| NH | $48,650 | $46,705 | 280 |
| DE | $47,580 | $47,672 | 210 |

37 more states with published wage data are omitted here. The full table for all 52 states is at https://nuecareer.com/careers/library-technician/salary-by-state, or as JSON at https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/library-technician.

## Outlook

BLS projects employment to move from 72,800 in the 2025–2035 base year to 68,100 by the end of the cycle — a loss of 4,600 jobs, or -6.4%. Declining: -6.4% against 3.5% projected for all occupations over the same cycle. About 10,800 openings a year are expected on average, counting openings from growth as well as from workers leaving the occupation permanently. Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035.

## How to get in

- **Typical entry education:** Postsecondary nondegree award (BLS Employment Projections).
- **Preparation level:** Some preparation — O\*NET's preparation band for this occupation is "Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed".
- **Related work experience typically required:** None.
- **Typical on-the-job training:** None.

### Education people in this job actually hold

O\*NET surveys incumbents, so this distribution describes who is in the job today and can differ from the BLS entry requirement above.

| Education level | Share of workers |
| --- | --- |
| Bachelor's Degree | 29.6% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 27.7% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 17.1% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 15.0% |
| Some College Courses | 8.9% |
| Master's Degree | 1.8% |

## What the work involves

- 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.
- Reserve, circulate, renew, and discharge books and other materials.
- Maintain and troubleshoot problems with library equipment, including computers, photocopiers, and audio-visual equipment.
- Enter and update patrons' records on computers.
- Check for damaged library materials, such as books or audio-visual equipment, and provide replacements or make repairs.
- Answer routine telephone or in-person reference inquiries, referring patrons to librarians for further assistance, when necessary.
- Take actions to halt disruption of library activities by problem patrons.

## Skills and knowledge

### Essential skills

- Reading Comprehension — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Listening — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Speaking — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Critical Thinking — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Learning Strategies — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Writing — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Learning — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Monitoring — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Transferable skills

These are the skills that carry into other occupations, and they drive the related-occupation and career-change rankings on this site.

- Service Orientation — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Social Perceptiveness — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Coordination — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Judgment and Decision Making — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Time Management — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Management of Personnel Resources — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Instructing — importance 2.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Complex Problem Solving — importance 2.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Knowledge areas

- Customer and Personal Service — importance 4.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- English Language — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Administrative — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Computers and Electronics — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Education and Training — importance 3.2 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Communications and Media — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Abilities

- Oral Comprehension — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Oral Expression — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Written Comprehension — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Near Vision — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Speech Recognition — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Speech Clarity — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

## Who it suits

O\*NET rates every occupation on the six Holland (RIASEC) interest areas, on a 1–7 scale. This occupation's strongest areas are Conventional (C), Social (S), Realistic (R).

| Interest area | Score (1–7) |
| --- | --- |
| C — Conventional | 6.52 |
| S — Social | 4.07 |
| R — Realistic | 3.08 |
| I — Investigative | 2.70 |
| E — Enterprising | 1.88 |
| A — Artistic | 1.59 |

### Personality fit

These scores are **derived by NueCareer**, not published by any government agency: they are cosine similarities between a personality type's trait profile and this occupation's O\*NET interest and work-style ratings, expressed 0–100. Treat them as a starting point for exploration, not as evidence that a type belongs in a job.

| Type | Fit score (0–100) |
| --- | --- |
| ISFJ | 86.5 |
| ISTJ | 76.2 |
| ESFJ | 74.7 |
| ESTJ | 73.7 |
| INFJ | 47.8 |

Best-fitting types: ISFJ.

## Related occupations

O\*NET's primary related occupations, in its own ranked order.

- [Library Assistant, Clerical](https://nuecareer.com/careers/library-assistant-clerical) — median $36,910
- [File Clerk](https://nuecareer.com/careers/file-clerk) — median $43,600
- [Office Clerk, General](https://nuecareer.com/careers/office-clerk-general) — median $45,010
- [Document Management Specialist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/document-management-specialist) — median $116,580
- [Secretary and Administrative Assistant, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive](https://nuecareer.com/careers/secretary-and-administrative-assistant) — median $47,540
- [Stocker and Order Filler](https://nuecareer.com/careers/stocker-and-order-filler) — median $37,330
- [Receptionist and Information Clerk](https://nuecareer.com/careers/receptionist-and-information-clerk) — median $38,010
- [Teaching Assistant, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education](https://nuecareer.com/careers/teaching-assistant-preschool-elementary-middle-and-secondary-school) — median $37,010
- [Database Administrator](https://nuecareer.com/careers/database-administrator) — median $104,620
- [Computer User Support Specialist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/computer-user-support-specialist) — median $61,860

## Sources

- **O\*NET** — O\*NET 31.0 Database, August 2026. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS OEWS** — BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS EP** — BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, 2025–2035. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **BLS OOH** — BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
- **BEA RPP** — BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024. https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology

JSON representation of this page: https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/library-technician