Librarians administer library materials in various settings, including public libraries and colleges and schools, museums, government organizations, health care organizations, and law organizations. Librarians organize and classify new materials, shelve returned materials, lend patrons books and other stuff, and assist library patrons researching various media. A postgraduate degree in library science is typically needed for this job.
What Do Librarians Do?
In a variety of settings and on any given day, librarians can be found doing a variety of different tasks relating to literature, information, preservation, and data, to name just a few of the domains many librarians touch upon. Although the primary job function of a librarian may change depending on the environment in which they work (i.e., in a public library vs. a university setting), the most simplistic explanation for what a librarian does is assist groups or individuals in finding information, help efforts in conducting research, and cultivate assets belonging to colleges, public libraries, and other institutions.
Librarians can practice their profession in many settings, as there are various kinds of libraries that exist across the world. The major types of libraries are categorized into four major groups: public libraries, academic libraries at universities, school libraries for K-12 students, and special libraries in unique locations such as hospitals or museums.
How Much Money Do Librarians Make?
Careers in the U.S.:
Salary and Wage Statistics
The BLS reports that librarians made an average salary of $57,050 a year as of May 2011, the equivalent of about $27.51 an hour. The median reported compensation for librarians was $55,500, and the median-earning half of librarians working in the U.S. reported salaries ranging from $43,695 to $69,265. As of 2010, the BLS said that 26 percent of librarians were part-time employees.
Salaries by State
State-wise, the highest salary for librarians in 2011 was reported by the District of Columbia, where librarians made an average of $71,650 a year. Maryland reported the second-highest average pay, $68,510. California ranked third at $68,370, followed by Connecticut at $66,510 and New Jersey at $64,560. South Dakota paid librarians the least average salary in the nation, $38,960 a year. Idaho offered the second-lowest wage, $39,360.
Salary by Industry
On average, the federal government was the highest-paying employer of librarians in 2011, paying an average of $80,270 a year. Those who were employed in law libraries averaged $68,760 a year, and librarians in physician’s offices averaged $67,840. Librarians who worked in secondary and elementary schools averaged $59,290, those employed by colleges and universities averaged $61,690, and those employed by junior colleges averaged $61,890. Librarians working for local governments, such as those at public libraries, reported an average income of $51,150 per annum(1).
Careers in Europe:
Salaries for senior/deputy librarians can range from £38,000 to £56,000 (with an average salary of £47,000), rising to around £64,000 for head or director of library and information services (average salary £54,500).
Careers in Asia:
The median salary is 5,320 MYR (Malaysia) per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Librarian(s) are earning less than 5,320 MYR while the other half are earning more than 5,320 MYR.
[ Read: How to become a freelance Librarian ]
Occupational Outlook
While the American economy is estimated to show an average rate of 14 percent growth between 2010 and 2020, the BLS projects that employment among librarians will proceed at seven percent, just half the average rate of comprehensive job growth. This is mainly because the general population is becoming more adept at researching electronic resources. As a result, competitiveness for the few available librarian jobs is predicted to be very robust, especially at the turn of the next decade.
2020 Salary Information for Librarians
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, librarians earned a median annual salary of $57,680 in 2020. On the low end, librarians earned a 25th percentile salary of $45,060, meaning 75 percent earned more than this amount. The 75th percentile salary is $72,780, meaning 25 percent earn more. In 2016, 138,200 people were employed in the U.S. as librarians.
