Librarians and Media Collections Specialists

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: 25-4022.00

Common Job Titles

  • Librarian
  • Library Media Specialist
  • Media Specialist
  • Reference Librarian

Wage Data According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Annual wage data for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists (2024)

Estimated Total Employment (U.S.)

131,830

Wage Distribution by Percentile

Line chart of annual wages by percentile. U.S. is the solid line. 10th percentile: U.S. $38,920. 25th percentile: U.S. $50,920. 50th percentile: U.S. $64,320. 75th percentile: U.S. $80,640. 90th percentile: U.S. $100,880. Use the left and right arrow keys to move between percentiles.

  • U.S.
MetricU.S.
10% of workers earn the following or less$38,920
10% of workers earn the following or more$100,880
Workers on average earn$69,180

+ indicates wage is at or above the BLS reporting cap ($239,200/year)

Skills & Requirements

Key competencies for this occupation, ranked by importance

  • Customer and Personal Service4.6/5
  • English Language4.4/5
  • Computers and Electronics4.0/5
  • Education and Training4.0/5
  • Administrative3.8/5
Skills & Requirements: Knowledge

Tools & Technology

Equipment and software commonly used in this occupation

In-Demand Technology

Frequently requested by employers in job postings

  • Adobe Acrobat
  • Adobe After Effects
  • Adobe Creative Cloud software
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe InDesign
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • Cascading style sheets CSS
  • Drupal
  • Extensible markup language XML
  • Facebook
  • Google Workspace software
  • Hypertext markup language HTML
  • JavaScript
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft SharePoint
  • Microsoft Visio
  • Microsoft Windows
  • Microsoft Word
  • Oracle Java
  • PHP
  • Structured query language SQL
  • Zoom

Technology Skills

  • Adobe Dreamweaver
  • Adobe Premiere Pro
  • Apple Final Cut Pro
  • Apple iMovie
  • Blackboard software
  • Blogging software
  • CATNYP
  • CatchTheWeb
Tools & Technology: Technology Skills

Tools & Equipment

  • Audio or video editing systems
  • Audio presentation systems
  • Audio tape players
  • Barcode scanners
  • Bookmobiles
  • Cash registers
  • Claw hammers
  • Compact disk CD players
Tools & Technology: Tools & Equipment