The field of library and information science has a wide variety of types of jobs available. Most of them are in either public libraries or in the libraries of education institutions such as colleges and universities. This is where the majority of the positions are that offer specializations and the opportunity to work in the library setting but to further concentrate on an area of individual interest.
SEE ALSO: Library Science Degree Comparisons
The following list includes 30 of the kinds of jobs available to those studying library and information services, including the title of the job with a description of the kind of facility it is in, as well as a brief description of that job’s duties. The link of the title transports to an example of a job listing for that kind of position with more details, including job requirements and salary ranges offered for that particular position.
- Head Librarian of College School Library – This professional position would report to the main campus librarians dealing with library material to a particular school or department within a college. Particular duties would involve planning and development of all services and maintenance of the collections housed within the library, as well as leading all library staff.
- Librarian of County Library – This position involves performing duties at the information desk within the library as well as handling incoming requests for information or training. Assist in searches, generates reports, as well as representing the library for the community.
- Library Services Manager – Leading staff and meeting service requirements for all library services on and off site is the primary responsibility of a person in this position. Also needs to remain vigilant on meeting customer needs as well as anticipating and preparing for future upcoming needs.
- Science Reference Librarian for College – Within a college or university framework, this position would likely exist within the reference and research department of that college or university. They would assist the college students in their research needs and promote the services offered at the library to increase use and access.
- Supervisory Librarian at Smithsonian Institution – This professional position works in highly distinguished museums and involves supervising the daily activities of a large specialized and technical staff. They need to be familiar with both access to information and ability to establish exhibitions to present their collections in an attractive and appealing manner.
- Business Librarian for Business College – Deal with the specific needs of business students in their research and studies. Assist in developing expertise of students in the wide variety of information services available for use in their studies.
- Data Management Services Librarian for College Library – This position involves the managing the lifecycle of data that has been obtained through years of research, projects, and studies and generate systems to handle them. This covers the cataloging, storage, and easy retrieval of this essential data.
- Digital Humanities Librarian for College Library – This person will be responsible for overseeing the holdings and accessing all digital arts and humanities upon request for the population of a college library. They also will encourage change and innovation in the way the students and faculty think to use this kind of information.
- Digital Scholarship Librarian for College – For all needs of the faculty and student populations, this person will create support services in all areas of digital scholarship. This includes delivering online course materials, managing university repositories, as well as developing the kind of teaching materials that will aid and assist students in having increased access to information.
- Director of Development for College Library – This position requires the designing and implementing of all fundraising and activities involving existing donors for the library system. This senior administration official will handle all areas of gifts and stewardship that serve to support the library’s essential services.
- Geospatial Information Librarian for College Library – All services related to the GIS functions will be managed by this person. They are a part of the Earth Sciences department, and handle all GIS related activities that are required by the faculty and students in their own research endeavors. They also need to manage all geospatial information that has been previously collected and obtain systems and programs that provide for the storage and access for future projects.
- GIS & Map Librarian for College – This librarian takes primary responsibility for all geospatial data of the university, both in the collection and the use for the college population. The use of relevant software and the training of faculty and students of the best use of such materials also falls under the responsibilities of this library professional.
- Head of Access Services and Collections Maintenance for College – This professional needs to establish a collaborative team that works to provide a high level of customer satisfaction to the faculty and students of the college. The collect usage statistics and prepare reports on how these access services can be modified or improved to increase efficiency and use by the college personnel.
- Head of Instruction Services for College – This person manages the overall functioning of the information support desks in the library and in the instruction and orientation offerings given by the college through the library. This also involves the creation and evolution of current services into the future services to meet the needs of the faculty and students that not have been implemented or designed yet.
- Head of Library Application Support for College – This position works to create newer, more seamless systems that make for easier and more direct access of information by the college population. This involves the ability to access the total amount of information available in the physical library building as well as in the virtual universe accessible via computer or electronic media.
- Head of Fine Arts Library for College – This person will serve as primary community contact to both encourage and develop a broader system of digital arts and fine arts associated with the college location. This includes improving recognition of the collections already in existence, but also to increase their visibility in the community when it come to similar scholarship and exhibitions and their related supports.
- Head of Architecture Library for College – This library within the architecture school at a college would be responsible for the developing of collections and providing access for all information relating to architecture, landscape architecture, and city planning curriculum. The current drive in these positions is to grow their digital collections and increase their familiarity of those resources available through digital formats.
- Prospect Research Analyst for College – Primarily involved in the identifying and analysis of prospects for the college. Answering to the division of advancement services, they do all research and work to establish donor relations with those prospects. They also maintain and update all informational resources related to these reported prospects.
- Prospect Strategy Analyst for College – This person works to establish the methods that can be utilized to help engage prospective donors. They also provide updated information as contacts and development of relations is established. These efforts are tracked and analyzed for the individual college departments and their own projects and proposals.
- Librarian of College Library – For people in this role, their duties involve the management of the physical libraries, the digital scholarship related to library activities, and the information technology available to provide access to information needed by all faculty and students. They also create newer systems and efficiencies to provide services to an increasing number of people in an increasingly timely manner.
- Administrator/Director of Library System – This position involves working directly with the board of directors to carry out all executive duties and policies. They work with all library staff and involve themselves in the daily operations of the library. All public relations are involved as well, in the designing of collaborations and creating programs that incorporate the public at large with library services offered.
- Coordinator of Testing Services for College – This person creates an environment that provides the kinds of library services available to the people of the community in person as well as with services available to them online. Their specific duties involve coordination and oversight of the testing center, which is available for different groups within the college.
- Continuing Education Consultant for State Library – This state library position is involved in the statewide education system used for all public libraries. They would be required to plan and implement all programs of training and continuing education offerings for the state. This includes the selection of curriculum materials, and designing the individual modules used to disseminate all relevant materials.
- Head of Technical Services and Systems for Public Library – This position deals with the automation systems and core technical operations within the library facility. Persons that qualify for this kind of position usually need to have a combination of both a master’s degree in library science as well as some experience working with the information systems within most library organizations.
- Instructional Resources Librarian for College – This position involves the college’s materials for teachers, textbooks, as well as all other physical works. They are responsible for outreach activities as well as ongoing training and development of all staff and instructors within the college environment. They are involved in the collection and assessment of all holdings within the library.
- Instructional Services Librarian for College – Positions similar to this are involved in more of the services involved with instruction, such as the literacy programs offered by most libraries. These individuals work with the college in order to service requests for information or instruction by different members of the college community, covering all departments and populations.
- Operations Manager for County Library – The routine functions that need to be performed regularly within a library environment are all overseen by this library professional. They are responsible for all routine analytical functions and for ensuring that all necessary tasks are completed effectively and efficiently. There is also coordination essential with other county departments in order to provide as much in the way of services to them as possible.
- Outreach Librarian – This professional is charged with creating and increasing the libraries reach within the communities in both local groups as well as their standing on a county, state, or larger basis. This can be further enhanced with social media presence, and through additional modern technologies and communication. Periodic evaluations of outreach activities is required to assess possible additional ideas.
- Adult Services Librarian for Public Library – The ability to work well with adults and design programs aimed at improving usage of new technologies. This includes creating adult offerings, and maintaining collections of interest to older library patrons. These usually include literature and periodical holdings, but are attempting to encourage increased familiarity and usability of online services as well.
- Teen Librarian for Public Library – Designing programs and providing services of interest to the younger population, ages 11-17, is the goal of a teen librarian. These will aim to increase outreach to those segments of the community and try to create a more active relationship between them and their local library. This position works in combination with the other librarians to create efficiencies where different programs may have overlapping requirements.
These 30 job opportunities offer an insight into the types of positions available to those interested in library and information sciences. These varying careers can include very executive responsibilities on the top end, and very public oriented positions working at the information support desk within the local library.
For all of the different listings included in this article, there are many others beyond this scope. There is likely a kind of job that relates to any kind of specific interests that a person may have within the field.
