What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all Librarians and Media Collections Specialists in the U.S. earn more than $68,270 a year — the middle 80% land between $43,660 and $103,990. About 133,790 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Librarians and Media Collections Specialists”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$68,270typical pay / year
133,790people in this work
$103,990+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Keeping the record1
Develop library policies and procedures.
+Draft clear, GDPR-compliant access and acquisition policies for the local history collection, set procedures…
Develop library policies and procedures.
+Draft clear, GDPR-compliant access and acquisition policies for the local history collection, set procedures for donations, digital submissions and restricted material, and circulate the draft to Collections and Legal by Friday for comment.
The tools that do the workGoogle WorkspaceESCOjob descriptionsO*NET
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Learning2
Instruct users on information literacy
+Prepare a one-hour workshop for postgraduate researchers on source evaluation, citing primary materials and…
Instruct users on information literacy
+Prepare a one-hour workshop for postgraduate researchers on source evaluation, citing primary materials and handling sensitive data, include a short exercise using the town council minutes and email the session plan and handout to Events by Monday.
The tools that do the workGoogle Workspacejob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Manage information resources
+Update the local history research guides with the new digitised parish records, tag them by place and date,…
Manage information resources
+Update the local history research guides with the new digitised parish records, tag them by place and date, rewrite the access note for restricted items, and notify frequent users by Friday if their saved searches need revising.
The tools that do the workGoogle WorkspaceESCOjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Make1
Acquire library materials
+Place an order for three copies of the 1920s trade directories, check firm condition and binding notes,…
Acquire library materials
+Place an order for three copies of the 1920s trade directories, check firm condition and binding notes, secure acquisition approval from Collections Committee by Wednesday, and update the purchase log with invoice and accession number when received.
The tools that do the workGoogle Workspacejob descriptionsO*NET
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Protecting1
Set up and operate media equipment
+Prepare the reading room projector, test audio and playback with the lecture video, catalogue the loaned…
Set up and operate media equipment
+Prepare the reading room projector, test audio and playback with the lecture video, catalogue the loaned signage and cables, and leave an equipment checklist on the counter so the morning shift can start the talk at 10:00 without delay.
The tools that do the workGoogle Workspacejob descriptionsO*NET
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The daily work15
Compile lists of books, periodicals, articles, and audio-visual materials on particular subjects.
+Compile annotated lists of books, periodicals, articles and audio-visual items on nineteenth-century British…
Compile lists of books, periodicals, articles, and audio-visual materials on particular subjects.
+Compile annotated lists of books, periodicals, articles and audio-visual items on nineteenth-century British social reform and labour movements, grouped by topic and audience, with call numbers, access notes and links to digital copies where available, delivered by Wednesday.
The tools that do the workGoogle WorkspaceO*NET
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Respond to customer complaints, taking action as necessary.
+Respond to the complaint from Adrian Patel about denied photographic access last Tuesday: acknowledge…
Respond to customer complaints, taking action as necessary.
+Respond to the complaint from Adrian Patel about denied photographic access last Tuesday: acknowledge receipt, explain the access policy and reasons for the decision, offer a mediated appointment with reading-room staff within three working days and record the outcome in the complaint log.
The tools that do the workGoogle WorkspaceO*NET
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Plan and deliver client-centered programs and services, such as special services for corporate clients, storytelling for children, newsletters, or programs for special groups.
+Plan and schedule a six-week lunchtime lecture series for corporate researchers on using the local archive,…
Plan and deliver client-centered programs and services, such as special services for corporate clients, storytelling for children, newsletters, or programs for special groups.
+Plan and schedule a six-week lunchtime lecture series for corporate researchers on using the local archive, including session titles, target audience, room capacity, AV needs, marketing blurb for the newsletter and a signup form, to launch on the first Monday of next month.
The tools that do the workGoogle WorkspaceO*NET
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Locate unusual or unique information in response to specific requests.
+Locate the original 1848 factory inspection report referenced by Dr. Nguyen, search special collections,…
Locate unusual or unique information in response to specific requests.
+Locate the original 1848 factory inspection report referenced by Dr. Nguyen, search special collections, digitised newspapers and estate maps, return a PDF or high-resolution scan, list provenance and any access restrictions, and estimate reproduction costs by Friday.
The tools that do the workGoogle WorkspaceO*NET
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Maintain inventory of audio-visual equipment.
+Audit the audio-visual inventory, check serial numbers and working condition of projectors, portable speakers…
Maintain inventory of audio-visual equipment.
+Audit the audio-visual inventory, check serial numbers and working condition of projectors, portable speakers and cassette players, note missing or damaged items, update the inventory list and flag replacements or repairs needed within ten working days.
The tools that do the workGoogle WorkspaceO*NET
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Evaluate materials to determine outdated or unused items to be discarded.
+Review circulation and usage stats for history collections over the past five years, flag items with zero…
Evaluate materials to determine outdated or unused items to be discarded.
+Review circulation and usage stats for history collections over the past five years, flag items with zero usage or superseded content, propose a discard list with justification and retention exceptions, and prepare a report for the collections committee meeting next month.
The tools that do the workGoogle WorkspaceO*NET
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Confer with teachers to select course materials and to determine which training aids are best suited to particular grade levels.
+Meet with Ms. Patel, Mr. Owens, and the 10th grade team next Tuesday to review shortlisted textbooks and…
Confer with teachers to select course materials and to determine which training aids are best suited to particular grade levels.
+Meet with Ms. Patel, Mr. Owens, and the 10th grade team next Tuesday to review shortlisted textbooks and three sets of training aids, recommend which materials match our literacy outcomes, and agree who pilots each set by Friday.
The tools that do the workGoogle WorkspaceO*NET
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Evaluate vendor products and performance, negotiate contracts, and place orders.
+Run the vendor performance report, propose negotiation points for subscription terms and pricing, and place…
Evaluate vendor products and performance, negotiate contracts, and place orders.
+Run the vendor performance report, propose negotiation points for subscription terms and pricing, and place orders for replacement microfilm readers and three archival boxes so delivery arrives before the semester start.
The tools that do the workGoogle WorkspaceO*NET
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Assemble and arrange display materials.
+Design and install the new World Wars display: arrange maps, captions, three artifact mounts and an annotated…
Assemble and arrange display materials.
+Design and install the new World Wars display: arrange maps, captions, three artifact mounts and an annotated reading list, photograph the final layout for the school website and log items in the collections register.
The tools that do the workAdobe PhotoshopO*NET
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Conduct research
+Carry out focused research on the 1918 influenza in local newspapers, assemble primary source transcriptions,…
Conduct research
+Carry out focused research on the 1918 influenza in local newspapers, assemble primary source transcriptions, annotate for student use, and deposit copies in the digital archive with full source citations.
The tools that do the workExtensible markup language XMLWikipedia
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Create information systems
+Map current catalogue workflows, build a prototype subject headings index and metadata schema, and test the…
Create information systems
+Map current catalogue workflows, build a prototype subject headings index and metadata schema, and test the index against ten sample records so staff can trial the new system next month.
The tools that do the workCascading style sheets CSSExtensible markup language XMLWikipedia
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Lead educational programs
+Draft the six-week seminar outline for secondary students, assign readings, book the programme room for…
Lead educational programs
+Draft the six-week seminar outline for secondary students, assign readings, book the programme room for Wednesdays, and send the schedule and evaluation form to classroom teachers for sign-up by Monday.
The tools that do the workGoogle WorkspaceWikipedia
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Make information available
+Publish the scanned 1920s oral history collection, attach full metadata and access restrictions, create a…
Make information available
+Publish the scanned 1920s oral history collection, attach full metadata and access restrictions, create a searchable finding aid, and add links in the public catalogue so researchers can retrieve files by speaker name by Monday.
The tools that do the workExtensible markup language XMLHypertext markup language HTMLESCO
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Analyse library users' queries
+Review the last 50 reader reference queries about medieval guilds, categorise them by research need and gaps,…
Analyse library users' queries
+Review the last 50 reader reference queries about medieval guilds, categorise them by research need and gaps, flag recurring unanswered questions, and draft a short guidance note and recommended sources for staff training by Thursday.
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Manage digital libraries
+Audit the institutional repository for missing rights statements and corrupted PDFs in the 19th-century maps…
Manage digital libraries
+Audit the institutional repository for missing rights statements and corrupted PDFs in the 19th-century maps collection, correct metadata, re-upload repaired files, and record all changes in the preservation log before the end of the month.
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Says who?
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The logs, files & records this job keeps
Shared with other careers — the same record means something different in each.
Related careers
Same family of work — each with its own tasks and prompts.
The LLOS Work Atlas is the world's largest evidenced task library — a map of human work, with a ready prompt behind every task. 1,774 careers · every task named by the sources that witnessed it — O*NET, ESCO, real job descriptions, Wikipedia — and the deepest tasks by several at once. And it is honest about limits: where AI cannot help, the map says so.
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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses