How to become a Library Technician 2024

Library Technician Assist librarians by helping readers in the use of library catalogs, databases, and indexes to locate books and other materials; and by answering questions that require only brief consultation of standard reference. Compile records; sort and shelve books or other media; remove or repair damaged books or other media; register patrons; and check materials in and out of the circulation process. Replace materials in shelving area (stacks) or files. Includes bookmobile drivers who assist with providing services in mobile libraries.

Library Technician is Also Know as

In different settings, Library Technician is titled as

Circulation Clerk
Library Aide
Library Assistant
Library Associate
Library Clerk
Library Media Technician
Library Specialist
Library Technical Assistant (LTA)
Library Technician
Page Technician

Education and Training of Library Technician

Library Technician is categorized in Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience Required for Library Technician

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Education Required for Library Technician

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Degrees Related to Library Technician

Training Required for Library Technician

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Related Ocuupations

Some Ocuupations related to Library Technician in different industries are

What Do Library Technician do?

Reserve, circulate, renew, and discharge books and other materials.
Enter and update patrons' records on computers.
Provide assistance to teachers and students by locating materials and helping to complete special projects.
Train other staff, volunteers, or student assistants and schedule and supervise their work.
Conduct reference searches, using printed materials and in-house and online databases.
Deliver and retrieve items throughout the library by hand or using pushcart.
Take actions to halt disruption of library activities by problem patrons.
Process interlibrary loans for patrons.
Process print and non-print library materials to prepare them for inclusion in library collections.
Retrieve information from central databases for storage in a library's computer.
Organize and maintain periodicals and reference materials.
Compile and maintain records relating to circulation, materials, and equipment.
Collect fines and respond to complaints about fines.
Issue identification cards to borrowers.
Verify bibliographical data for materials, including author, title, publisher, publication date, and edition.
Review subject matter of materials to be classified and select classification numbers and headings according to classification systems.
Send out notices about lost or overdue books.
Design, customize, and maintain databases, web pages, and local area networks.
Operate and maintain audio-visual equipment, such as projectors, tape recorders, and videocassette recorders.
File catalog cards according to system used.
Prepare volumes for binding.
Compose explanatory summaries of contents of books and other reference materials.
Collaborate with archivists to arrange for the safe storage of historical records and documents.
Design posters and special displays to promote use of library facilities or specific reading programs at libraries.
Compile bibliographies and prepare abstracts on subjects of interest to particular organizations or groups.
Help patrons find and use library resources, such as reference materials, audio-visual equipment, computers, and other electronic resources and provide technical assistance when needed.
Answer routine telephone or in-person reference inquiries, referring patrons to librarians for further assistance, when necessary.
Catalogue and sort books and other print and non-print materials according to procedure and return them to shelves, files, or other designated storage areas.
Maintain and troubleshoot problems with library equipment, including computers, photocopiers, and audio-visual equipment.
Order all print and non-print library materials, checking prices, figuring costs, preparing order slips, and making payments.
Check for damaged library materials, such as books or audio-visual equipment, and provide replacements or make repairs.
Claim missing issues of periodicals and journals.
Plan and conduct children's programs, community outreach programs, and other specialized programs, such as library tours.
Compile data and create statistical reports on library usage.
Sort and deliver library mail and packages.

Qualities of Good Library Technician

Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.

Tools Used by Library Technician

Barcode scanners
Bookmobiles
Cash registers
Desktop computers
Digital video disk DVD players
Film projectors
Laptop computers
Microfiche readers
Microfilm printers
Microfilm readers
Multi-line telephone systems
Personal computers
Photocopying equipment
Scanners
Video cassette recorders VCR

Technology Skills required for Library Technician

Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Dreamweaver
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Photoshop
Database software
Dynix Digital Library
Email software
Ex Libris Group Aleph
Ex Libris Group Voyager
FileMaker Pro
HandyFile Find and Replace Text Aid Kit
Inmagic TextWorks
Innovative Interfaces Millennium
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Publisher
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Word
National Library of Medicine DOCLINE
National Library of Medicine Medline
Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) databases
SirsiDynix Symphony
Web browser software
WebClarity Software BookWhere
Word processing software
WorldCat

US Universities

How to become Library Technician in 2024