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Will AI Replace Librarians? (2026)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places librarians in its very high AI exposure category, among the occupations most exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +2.6% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 12,600 openings a year.

Short answer

AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, yet it still projects employment to grow.

BLS AI exposure
Very highBLS EP supplemental table
AI-resilience score
29/100Higher than 21% of jobs · NueCareer
Projected change
+2.6%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
Openings a year
12,600BLS EP 2025–2035

The federal measure

How exposed librarians are to AI

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Librarians land in the very high category: among the occupations most exposed to current AI.

Where this job sits on the BLS scale

786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each

  1. Low203 occupations · 26%
  2. Moderate194 occupations · 25%
  3. High190 occupations · 24%
  4. Very high · this job199 occupations · 25%

Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.

  1. Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
  2. BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
  3. The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.

Inside the work

What AI can and cannot do in this job

O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.

What holds up

Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work

  • Performing for or working directly with the public4.5/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Face-to-face discussions4.9/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships4.3/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Dealing with the public4.4/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level

What AI reaches first

Routine, repeatable and screen-based work

  • Processing information4.4/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Working with computers4.9/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Documenting/recording information4.1/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Getting information4.9/5
    O*NET work activity, importance

The tasks O*NET lists for librarians

  • Search standard reference materials, including online sources and the Internet, to answer patrons' reference questions.
  • Analyze patrons' requests to determine needed information and assist in furnishing or locating that information.
  • Plan and teach classes on topics such as information literacy, library instruction, and technology use.
  • Code, classify, and catalog books, publications, films, audio-visual aids, and other library materials, based on subject matter or standard library classification systems.
  • Confer with colleagues, faculty, and community members and organizations to conduct informational programs, make collection decisions, and determine library services to offer.
  • Review and evaluate materials, using book reviews, catalogs, faculty recommendations, and current holdings to select and order print, audio-visual, and electronic resources.

O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.

The jobs

Will there still be jobs?

Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects +2.6% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 12,600 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 133,790 people work in the job today, at a median of $68,270 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Full librarian profile: pay by state, entry route and skills

Options

Related careers less exposed to AI than librarians

Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a lower exposure category.

  1. Career/Technical Education Teacher, Secondary School

    Educational Instruction and Library

    Median pay
    $66,270median a year
    Growth
    −0.4%
    Openings / yr
    6,400
    Education
    Bachelor's
    High
    BLS AI exposure
    60/100
    resilience

    Teach occupational, vocational, career, or technical subjects to students at the secondary school level.

  2. Elementary School Teacher

    Educational Instruction and Library

    Median pay
    $63,970median a year
    Growth
    −0.4%
    Openings / yr
    87,500
    Education
    Bachelor's
    High
    BLS AI exposure
    51/100
    resilience

    Teach academic and social skills to students at the elementary school level.

  3. High School Teacher

    Educational Instruction and Library

    Median pay
    $72,040median a year
    Growth
    −0.2%
    Openings / yr
    63,500
    Education
    Bachelor's
    High
    BLS AI exposure
    49/100
    resilience

    Teach one or more subjects to students at the secondary school level.

  4. Middle School Teacher

    Educational Instruction and Library

    Median pay
    $64,370median a year
    Growth
    −0.4%
    Openings / yr
    38,800
    Education
    Bachelor's
    High
    BLS AI exposure
    46/100
    resilience

    Teach one or more subjects to students at the middle, intermediate, or junior high school level.

  5. Special Education Teacher, Secondary School

    Educational Instruction and Library

    Median pay
    $74,260median a year
    Growth
    −0.2%
    Openings / yr
    10,400
    Education
    Bachelor's
    High
    BLS AI exposure
    41/100
    resilience

    Teach academic, social, and life skills to secondary school students with learning, emotional, or physical disabilities.

  6. Library Assistant, Clerical

    Office and Administrative Support

    Median pay
    $36,910median a year
    Growth
    −6.4%
    Openings / yr
    12,300
    Education
    High school
    High
    BLS AI exposure
    35/100
    resilience

    Compile records, and sort, shelve, issue, and receive library materials such as books, electronic media, pictures, cards, slides and microfilm.

Will AI replace CTE teachers?Will AI replace elementary school teachers?Will AI replace high school teachers?Will AI replace middle school teachers?Will AI replace special education teachers?

Questions

Will AI Replace Librarians? FAQ

Will AI replace librarians?

AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, yet it still projects employment to grow. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to change by +2.6% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 12,600 openings a year.

How exposed are librarians to AI?

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Librarians are in the very high category, alongside 198 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.

What parts of a librarian's job can AI do?

In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are processing information, working with computers and documenting/recording information. The parts that hold up best are performing for or working directly with the public, face-to-face discussions and establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.

Is being a librarian a safe career from AI?

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, librarians score 29 out of 100, higher than 21% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $68,270 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.

What careers similar to librarians are less exposed to AI?

Career/Technical Education Teacher, Secondary School (high exposure, $66,270 median), Elementary School Teacher (high exposure, $63,970 median), High School Teacher (high exposure, $72,040 median), Middle School Teacher (high exposure, $64,370 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than librarians, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.

The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.