Match a book to its record
Set the book beside its computer record, then fix any author, publication date or edition detail that differs.
Career profile
Library Technician
Library technicians keep a library's collection findable, usable and ready for borrowers to check out.
Your day mixes catalog checks, book care and helping people find information, and one small record fix can let someone locate a hard-to-find item.
A day in the life
Search the catalog with a patron
Run a catalog or database search with a patron, then show them how to get the item.
Extend a borrower's loan
Open the library's circulation system, extend an item's loan and change its borrowing record to match.
Repair returned items for lending
Look over items borrowers return and repair any that need it, so you can lend them again.
Quick facts
Usually a certificate
United States · 2025
$21.43 an hour
United States · May 2025
6.4% decline projected
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Usually a certificateA college certificate in library technology is typical preparation.
Pay
$21.43 an hourNational median: $44,580 annually for library technicians.
Outlook
6.4% decline projectedAbout 10,800 technician openings per year are projected despite shrinking employment.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like checking details against a record.
- You enjoy explaining a computer task patiently.
- You find satisfaction in putting materials into a usable order.
Things to weigh
- Shelving means repeated bending and reaching.
- You may need to respond calmly to patron complaints.
Where AI may help
Computerized library systems help manage borrowing and catalog records, making software fluency part of the work.
What people still lead
You help someone understand a search result, explain a service, and recognize when a question needs referral.
What we can’t predict yet
How much record handling software will take over—and how much checking and reader help will remain—is still uncertain.
Pay in context
Earnings
Check weekly hours as well as the wage: part-time work is common.
The national spread
In May 2025, the lowest-paid 10% earned under $14.09 an hour; the highest-paid 10% earned over $30.33. These are wage percentiles, not beginner and experienced pay rates.
Workplace pay differs
May 2023 annual mean wages were $40,650 in local government, excluding schools and hospitals, and $47,220 in colleges, universities, and professional schools. These older averages are separate from the 2025 national median.
Openings in a shrinking occupation
The projected 10,800 annual openings for 2025–2035 do not mean 10,800 new jobs. Employment is projected to fall 6.4%, while employers still need replacements for departing workers.
Getting started
Earn a library technology certificate
- What the route involves
- Study cataloging, reference help, circulation, and library software through a college certificate program.
- What it can lead to
- Build preparation for technician applications without completing a full associate degree.
Complete an associate degree
- What the route involves
- Combine library courses with general education. San Bernardino Valley College’s Associate of Arts includes cataloging, acquisitions, computer services, and research.
- What it can lead to
- Earn a degree designed for library support roles across public, school, academic, and special libraries.
Prepare for a support role generally supervised by a librarian. Compare the education requirements in jobs near you before choosing a program.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Learn your library’s borrowing rules, catalog, and referral procedures so you can handle routine questions reliably.
Build technical confidence
Deepen your cataloging and materials-management skills, including how items are classified and prepared for use.
Move into supervision
With experience, you may supervise staff and oversee daily library operations.
Where you can work
Public libraries
Serve community readers and help with activities such as story times. Evening and weekend shifts are possible.
- Indoors
- Shift work
School libraries
Help students find resources, maintain textbooks, and support teachers’ lessons. Work generally follows school hours.
- Indoors
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Pick two books you own and find their records in a public library’s online catalog. Compare author, edition, publisher, and date. Note any differences: do you enjoy figuring out whether a record describes the exact book in your hands?
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Library Technicians. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Library Technicians and Assistants. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections and worker characteristics, 2025–2035. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: Library Technicians. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Pasadena City College. Library Technology – Associate in Science Degree, Certificate of Achievement. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- San Bernardino Valley College. Library Technology Associate of Arts Degree. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Connecticut State Community College. Library Technology Certificate. Accessed 2026-10-03.