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SOC 25-4031
Library technicians and assistants help librarians keep libraries running: handling loans/returns and registration, classifying/sorting/shelving, finding/processing materials, maintaining computers/audiovisual equipment and answering brief reference questions, delivering searchable, reviewable collection services and circulation records.
Model impact index for three equally weighted representative core tasks; not a measured share of working time or a job-loss probability. floor((50+25+0)/3+0.5)=25; fermatmind-ai-impact-v1; 2026-10-18.
Library technicians and assistants turn reader search/borrowing needs into searchable, reviewable collection services: handling loans, returns, renewals and reader registration; classifying/sorting/shelving and organizing shelves; helping use catalogs/databases; processing/repairing materials; maintaining computers/audiovisual equipment; and answering brief reference questions. Refer complex inquiries beyond scope to librarians.
The following assessments concern library circulation and technical-service working methods, without predicting hiring, staffing status or professional titles.
Sample outputs and reflection: Check rule-based reviewability of loan/return registration, classification-compliant shelving, facts/speculation in responses and recorded fault attempts/escalation. Consider willingness to sustain repeated shelving/checking, respond patiently to reader questions/complaints and record uncertainty before escalating.
Library technicians and assistants help librarians with retrieval, loans/returns, collection organization, equipment maintenance and basic reference. This page uses the combined U.S. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook definition Library Technicians and Assistants, covering 25-4031 library technicians and 43-4121 library clerical assistants, excluding librarians, archives and IT roles.
Collaboration chain: readers/borrowers, librarians/supervisors, colleagues/volunteers, IT support, suppliers and interlibrary-loan partners. Escalate unauthorized requests and equipment/system issues through library procedures.
Career direction comparison
Compare technicians/assistants with adjacent roles by actual objects, core deliverables and responsibility boundaries, without interchanging qualifications by title.
| Career direction | Core work and output | Key differences | Best-fit choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Librarians and Media Collections Specialists | Librarians and media collections specialists handle collection planning, cataloging, reference and information-literacy teaching, typically requiring professional education. Technicians/assistants perform retrieval, processing and equipment maintenance under their guidance using established rules/procedures. | Handle planning/cataloging/reference; technicians/assistants retrieve/process under their guidance. | Compare if you prefer professional collections/information services. |
| Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary | Postsecondary library science teachers primarily teach/research, delivering courses and research writing. Technicians/assistants provide front-line retrieval, loans/returns and equipment support without teaching/academic-evaluation responsibility. |
AI impact on this career
Editorial suggestion: Test retrieval, bibliography and record-draft organization. No combined-occupation adoption, time-saving or job outcomes are established. Authorized responsible people must verify identity/permissions, shelving and equipment handling. AI Impact Score 25% is an editorial estimate. Model impact index for three equally weighted representative core tasks; not a measured share of working time or a job-loss probability. floor((50+25+0)/3+0.5)=25; fermatmind-ai-impact-v1; 2026-10-18.The three tasks, ratings and sources are listed in the FermatMind method source record on this page.
FermatMind AI Impact Score estimation method v1
FermatMind / 费马测试 · 2026-10-18
Editorial ratings use the existing occupational responsibilities and AI task analysis on this page. They are not adoption rates, measured effects, job-disappearance or personal-unemployment probabilities, or official scores from Stanford or another external institution. No measured time weights or future robot deployment are assumed.
Chinese mainland salary reference
Definition note: NBS 2025 annual average industry wages for urban non-private units are education 133,539 yuan, culture/sports/entertainment 129,447 yuan and public administration/social security/social organizations 119,465 yuan. These are industry figures, not occupational medians or starting pay.
Category boundaries: Technicians/assistants work in public libraries, schools, enterprises, public institutions and other organizations. Roles, employment forms and pay depend on institutional nature/local rules and cannot be compared directly with one industry average.
Only annual average wages published
Only annual average wages published
U.S. salary reference
Under the combined U.S. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook definition, technicians and assistants employed about 162,300 in 2025, with projected 2025—2035 decline about 6% (about −10,400 people), average annual openings about 23,100 and May 2025 median annual pay USD 38,760 (about USD 18.64/hour). Separately, technicians (25-4031) have median annual pay USD 44,580 and 10th through 90th percentiles USD 29,300—63,080; clerical assistants (43-4121) have median USD 36,910 and 10th through 90th percentiles USD 27,730—55,310.
| Statistical position | Annual wage reference | Definition / equivalent | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technician 25-4031 median annual pay (2025) | $44,580/year | $21.43/hour | BLS OEWS separate-occupation definition, not a combined occupational offer. |
| Clerical assistant 43-4121 median annual pay (2025) | $36,910/year |
Fit signals
Assess fit through sustained repeated registration/shelving/checking, willingness to serve readers and maintain equipment. RIASEC and similar tools only generate hypotheses, not replace real task experience.
Positive signals： Positive signals: Individually checking materials/records, accurate classification-based shelving, common equipment troubleshooting and patient/accurate reader responses.
Caution conditions： Caution conditions: Difficulty with repeated shelving/checking, reader complaints, prolonged standing/handling or impatience with equipment/database operation may make the work hard to sustain.
Trial activities： Trial activity: Use an entirely fictional collection and three reader requests to produce loan/return registration, a shelving-order draft and search response; ask others to test reproducibility from records.
Risks and boundaries
Address risks through triggers, consequences, controls and escalation boundaries.
BLS combined group and O*NET's two exact occupations support tasks; ALA supports privacy ethics. Equipment maintenance is not uniform authorization for all assistants.
Typical scenario：When loan/return registration or reader-identity checks go wrong.
Roles most affected：Circulation and loan/return roles
Possible consequence：Borrowing records/responsibility attribution become incorrect, affecting reader rights.
How to reduce risk：Verify reader cards/borrowing permissions, retain registration records and correct through procedures.
Evidence：O*NET 25-4031.00 Library Technicians (detailed profile)
Entry pathway
BLS distinguishes technicians, who typically need a postsecondary library-technology certificate, from clerical assistants, who typically need high school/equivalent plus short-term on-the-job training. Do not rewrite a certificate as a uniform junior-college degree. Verify Chinese institutional role conditions separately.
Market signals
U.S. 2025—2035 projections show decline about 6% (about −10,400 people), average annual openings about 23,100. These are occupational statistics, not individual hiring probabilities or recruitment samples.
U.S. nationwide · Library Technicians and Assistants (combined)
BLS combined group: 162,300 in 2025 to 151,900 in 2035, decline 6%, net decrease 10,400. Same-period exact counts: technicians 72,800, clerical assistants 89,500. Do not mix occupational counts with older 2024 bases.
Employment size and growth
Explain employment size, growth rate and job openings separately.
Does not establish：Cannot serve as an individual employment guarantee.
Technicians/assistants help readers use catalogs/databases/search tools, handle loans/returns/renewals and reader registration, classify/sort/shelve, process/repair materials, maintain computers/audiovisual equipment and answer brief reference questions. Most work in structured indoor team-based routine shifts, with workload rising around opening peaks and inventories. BLS OOH describes the combined occupation as helping librarians keep libraries running.
Choose a real task from this page for a small practice project or a conversation with someone in the field. Use the planning guides to set a date, an output and feedback questions before deciding whether to continue.
This is an entirely fictional work-sample check, not a personality diagnosis, hiring conclusion or professional qualification assessment.
Entirely fictional library work sample: Given a fictional collection list, three search/borrowing requests and an equipment-fault record, complete loan/return registration, a shelving-order draft and a search response in 60 minutes, plus troubleshooting/escalation records. Inputs must contain no real reader information, borrowing histories or personal identity data.
Quality standards: reviewable loans/returns and shelving, accurate/timely circulation/collection records, responses separating facts from speculation, complete equipment-fault records and documented reader-information processing.
| Dimension | Primary track | Comparison track |
|---|---|---|
| Work loop | From reader loans/returns to collection/equipment records | |
| Step one | Receive and register materials | |
| Step two | Classify, sort and shelve | |
| Step three | Handle loans, returns and renewals | |
| Step four | Help readers search | |
| Step five | Process and repair materials | |
| Step six | Maintain equipment and statistics |
Work objects: reader search/borrowing needs, catalogs/databases, books/audiovisual materials, reader cards/borrowing records, classification/shelving rules and computer/copier/audiovisual equipment.
Inspectable outputs: loan/return and reader records, shelving/shelf-order results, material processing/repair records, equipment maintenance/fault records, search responses and collection statistics.
Complete workflow: receive/register materials → classify/sort/shelve → handle loans, returns and renewals → help readers retrieve/use resources → process/repair materials → maintain equipment/systems → compile statistics, inventory and escalate exceptions.
Education, employment form, staffing status and system permissions follow specific institutional/local verification. U.S. technicians often have junior college/vocational training and assistants high school plus short-term training; this page does not assess individual eligibility.
Library technicians and assistants' work objects and AI boundaries AI may assist retrieval, bibliography organization and record drafts, but humans retain identity/borrowing checks, classification/shelving judgments, equipment-fault handling and reader privacy.
| Primarily teach/research; technicians/assistants provide front-line retrieval/equipment support. |
| Compare if you prefer teaching and research. |
| Computer Support Specialists | Computer support specialists address institution-wide hardware/software/network problems. Library technicians/assistants maintain library computers/copiers/audiovisual equipment, referring issues beyond scope to IT support. | Address institution-wide hardware/software/network problems; technicians/assistants maintain library equipment only. | Compare if you prefer general technical support. |
|---|
| Document Management Specialists | Document management specialists classify, retain and manage compliance for organizational records/documents. Library technicians/assistants make collection materials searchable/borrowable without organizational archival-compliance responsibility. | Classify, retain and manage compliance for organizational records/documents; technicians/assistants make collection materials borrowable. | Compare if you prefer institutional archives and compliance. |
|---|
First test objects, methods, boundaries and delivery with a reviewable loans/returns, shelving and retrieval sample, then assess direction; income or personality does not produce a single ranking.
Turn comparison results into small loans/returns and equipment-maintenance exercises that can be stopped.
State only specific assistable steps; a demonstration is not institutional adoption.
Verify reader privacy, data permissions, record sources and review responsibility; no single-occupation adoption rate is provided.
Without occupational job-outcome research, do not infer layoff timing, staffing changes or hiring probability.
| Work area | Task | Current change | Human control point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circulation and loans/returns | Handle loans/returns and register readers | Editorial suggestion: Tools may organize bibliographic information and search terms; current materials do not establish widespread library adoption. | Verify reader identity, borrowing permissions and registration results, retaining traceable records. |
| Retrieval and shelving | Classify/sort/shelve and assist searches | May assist shelving and search suggestions | Verify physical-material class numbers, shelving order and responses; refer complex inquiries to librarians. |
| Material processing | Process and repair collection materials | May assist processing-list organization | Responsible people confirm processing/repair results. |
| Equipment maintenance | Maintain computers and audiovisual equipment | May assist troubleshooting suggestions, without automatic handling | Troubleshoot under equipment procedures and contact IT support. |
Occupational sources describe actual tasks and objects. Record tool capability, organizational adoption and job outcomes separately; pay/employment data cannot replace AI evidence.
Affected stages differ by activity: generated search suggestions or record drafts are not directly registrable loan/return records or externally publishable information.
AI primarily changesRetrieval and registration-organization drafts can be tested; time savings unverified
Human responsibility remainsReader-identity checks, borrowing permissions and registration responsibility
AI primarily changesMay assist troubleshooting suggestions and record organization
Human responsibility remainsEquipment handling, shelving accuracy and records
Human control points are reader identity/borrowing checks, classification/shelving confirmation, equipment-fault handling and referring unauthorized/complex inquiries to librarians.
Confirm reader information, materials and library rules; mark missing items unknown.
Use tools only for low-risk, reversible organization or initial drafts.
Responsible people check registration, shelving and retrieval individually, retaining versions/change records.
Stop for privacy, equipment safety or unauthorized actions and escalate through library procedures.
Incorrect records enter circulation systems and remain referenced over time
Control: Check original materials and classification rules, retaining sources/versions
Borrowing and retrieval records are personal information
Control: Minimize personal information and restrict access under library policy
Improper handling may worsen faults or cause damage
Control: Follow equipment procedures and contact IT support
Practice loans/returns, shelving and searches with entirely fictional collections, without real reader data.
Treat AI outputs as drafts, retaining original materials, registration and review records.
Define privacy, equipment, review and stopping conditions before considering adoption.
O*NET supports breaking retrieval, bibliographic organization and record drafts into tasks. This page treats assistance as hypotheses, not automatic loans/returns or cataloging conclusions.
Source: O*NET 25-4031.00 Library Technicians (detailed profile)Original source ↗
Users must still verify identity, borrowing permissions and original materials; outputs cannot replace human review or library responsibility.
Source: O*NET 43-4121.00 Library Assistants, Clerical (detailed profile)Original source ↗
Neither task materials nor employment statistics independently establish elimination timing; no single-occupation AI adoption or job-outcome research is provided.
Source: BLS OOH: Library Technicians and Assistants (combining 25-4031 and 43-4121)Original source ↗
Practice reversibly with fictional collections in isolated environments first, recording errors/human reviews without real reader information or borrowing histories.
Insufficient evidence: not separately listed
This round's NBS industry table does not separately list this occupation; industry annual averages are not starting pay, medians or take-home income.
| Definition type | Value | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Not separately measured | Institutional appointment | NBS wage statistics use industry/registration type, not occupational education tiers. |
| Not separately measured | Institutional appointment | NBS wage statistics use industry/registration type, not occupational education tiers. |
| Not separately measured | Institutional appointment | NBS wage statistics use industry/registration type, not occupational education tiers. |
| Not separately measured | Institutional appointment | NBS wage statistics use industry/registration type, not occupational education tiers. |
133,539 yuan/year
129,447 yuan/year
119,465 yuan/year
Insufficient evidence: No nationwide Chinese combined-occupation wage distribution established; industry annual averages provide context only, not occupational starting pay or medians.
| $17.74/hour |
| BLS OEWS separate-occupation definition, not a combined occupational offer. |
| Combined-occupation median annual pay (2025) | $38,760/year | $18.64/hour | BLS OOH combined median, not an individual offer. |
|---|
Pay · 10th percentile (technicians 25-4031)：$29,300/year；O*NET 25-4031.00 national wages (BLS OEWS display)
Pay · 25th percentile (technicians 25-4031)：$35,740/year；O*NET 25-4031.00 national wages (BLS OEWS display)
Pay · Median (technicians 25-4031)：$44,580/year；O*NET 25-4031.00 national wages (BLS OEWS display)
Pay · 75th percentile (technicians 25-4031)：$52,430/year；O*NET 25-4031.00 national wages (BLS OEWS display)
Pay · 90th percentile (technicians 25-4031)：$63,080/year；O*NET 25-4031.00 national wages (BLS OEWS display)
All five percentile rows cover technicians 25-4031. Combined median 38,760 and assistant median 36,910 are separate, not one combined distribution.
2025 combined employment, not recruitment counts.
2025—2035 projected decline about 6%, not individual hiring probability.
Listed separately under BLS industry definitions, not all workers' income.
| Industry | Industry and definition notes | How to interpret |
|---|---|---|
| Technicians · Private colleges and universities | $23.54/hour | May 2025 industry median hourly pay, separated by occupation rather than combined into one wage. |
| Technicians · Public colleges and universities | $22.82/hour | May 2025 industry median hourly pay, separated by occupation rather than combined into one wage. |
| Technicians · Local government (excluding education/hospitals) | $19.36/hour | May 2025 industry median hourly pay, separated by occupation rather than combined into one wage. |
| Clerical assistants · Educational services | $18.40/hour | May 2025 industry median hourly pay, separated by occupation rather than combined into one wage. |
| Clerical assistants · Local government (excluding education/hospitals) | $17.60/hour | May 2025 industry median hourly pay, separated by occupation rather than combined into one wage. |
Technicians typically need a postsecondary library-technology certificate; clerical assistants typically need high school/equivalent plus short-term on-the-job training.
BLS describes preparation separately for both occupations, not a uniform combined training duration.
States and institutions differ substantially; do not extrapolate across regions.
BLS OOH: Library Technicians and Assistants (combining 25-4031 and 43-4121)
BLS OOH: Library Technicians and Assistants (combining 25-4031 and 43-4121)
BLS OOH: Library Technicians and Assistants (combining 25-4031 and 43-4121)
O*NET occupational interest baseline
Primarily Conventional and Social, as a hypothesis only.Observe preferences for order, checking and reader service through actual tasks.
Interests/work styles only help design trials, not judge qualifications or performance.
Check through work samples, without substituting labels for judgment.
O*NET shows mainly C (Conventional) and S (Social) interests for this occupational category, emphasizing rule-based information organization and helping others. These describe activity preferences only, not qualifications or performance.
Do not use it this way: These cannot establish hiring, qualifications or performance.
Start a career-interest trialCheck through work samples, without substituting labels for judgment.
O*NET lists cooperation, attention to detail and dependability as work styles, with service orientation and coordination as skills. These describe job tendencies, not hiring criteria.
Do not use it this way: O*NET work styles are neither Big Five measurements nor combined-occupation assessment results.
Start a career-interest trialCheck through work samples, without substituting labels for judgment.
Type tools such as MBTI and Enneagram provide no occupational job evidence and serve only self-reflection. Continue checking real tasks, responsibility boundaries and reviewable deliverables.
Do not use it this way: These cannot establish hiring, qualifications or performance.
Start a career-interest trialCheck through work samples, without substituting labels for judgment.
Continue checking real tasks, responsibility boundaries and reviewable deliverables.
Do not use it this way: These cannot establish hiring, qualifications or performance.
Start a career-interest trialCheck through work samples, without substituting labels for judgment.
Continue checking real tasks, responsibility boundaries and reviewable deliverables.
Do not use it this way: These cannot establish hiring, qualifications or performance.
Start a career-interest trialCheck through work samples, without substituting labels for judgment.
Continue checking real tasks, responsibility boundaries and reviewable deliverables.
Do not use it this way: These cannot establish hiring, qualifications or performance.
Start a career-interest trialFits better when: Willing to handle loans/returns and reader registration under rules.
Watch for: Verify permissions and reader information.
Fits better when: Enjoys organizing/checking material locations under classification rules.
Watch for: Repetitive movements require patience and accuracy.
Fits better when: Willing to help readers use catalogs and databases.
Watch for: Refer complex inquiries to librarians.
Fits better when: Willing to process/repair collection materials manually.
Watch for: Repair standards/materials follow institutional requirements.
Fits better when: Willing to troubleshoot common equipment/system issues.
Watch for: Refer issues beyond scope to IT support.
Fits better when: Willing to assist reader events and bookmobile services.
Watch for: Verify venue, vehicle and safety arrangements separately.
Use this sample to check willingness to keep handling collections, retrieval questions and reader records.
Keep records accurate during repeated shelving/checking.
Narrow scope and stop high-risk actions first, then escalate through library procedures.
Write classification rules, rationale and exceptions separately.
Verification and records form part of this occupation's quality loop.
Enable review through loan/return records, shelving lists and search responses.
Handle reader information only within authorization/privacy rules; tool outputs are not conclusions.
Complete a loan/return, shelving and retrieval exercise with entirely fictional collections.
Typical scenario：When classification, sorting or shelving errors remain undetected.
Roles most affected：Classification and shelving roles
Possible consequence：Readers cannot find materials and collection inventories/statistics become inaccurate.
How to reduce risk：Review shelving under classification rules, retain versions and inventory/correct regularly.
Evidence：O*NET 25-4031.00 Library Technicians (detailed profile)
Typical scenario：When handling reader borrowing histories, contact details or personal information.
Roles most affected：Circulation and retrieval-service roles
Possible consequence：Improper disclosure violates privacy and harms reader trust.
How to reduce risk：Minimize collection, restrict access and retain processing records under library privacy policy.
Evidence：ALA Code of Ethics
Typical scenario：When computers, copiers or audiovisual equipment malfunction or are misused.
Roles most affected：Equipment and technical-service roles
Possible consequence：Search/borrowing services are interrupted, or improper handling worsens damage.
How to reduce risk：Troubleshoot under equipment procedures and contact IT support beyond scope.
Evidence：O*NET 25-4031.00 Library Technicians (detailed profile)
Typical scenario：When readers dispute material damage, loss or compensation.
Roles most affected：Circulation and collection-maintenance roles
Possible consequence：Inconsistent compensation handling causes complaints and affects service trust.
How to reduce risk：Record facts/rationale under library compensation rules; handle disputes through authorized procedures.
Evidence：O*NET 25-4031.00 Library Technicians (detailed profile)
Typical scenario：When search suggestions or record drafts are registered without verification.
Roles most affected：Circulation and registration roles
Possible consequence：Incorrect records enter circulation systems and become hard to trace/correct.
How to reduce risk：Review original materials and reader information, retaining human-review records.
Evidence：O*NET 25-4031.00 Library Technicians (detailed profile)
Typical scope：Entry stage: Handle loan/return registration, shelving/organization, processing and basic inquiries at circulation desks or processing roles, updating records/reporting exceptions.
Readiness evidence：Editorial suggestion: Demonstrate rule-based verification and reader communication through reproducible loan/return registration, a shelving list and search response.
Credential boundary：Verify technician/assistant appointment and training conditions separately; check system, equipment and driving permissions separately.
Next moves：Next step: Verify target-institution education, employment form and training, then test loans/returns, shelving and equipment maintenance through volunteer, internship or part-time roles.
Typical scope：Independently handle loans, returns, renewals, overdue items and common exceptions.
Readiness evidence：Reviewable loan/return and exception-handling records.
Credential boundary：Under institutional requirements.
Next moves：Transition toward independent retrieval/technical service: independently handle database searches, equipment maintenance and common exceptions, processing reader information under library rules.
Typical scope：Coordinate schedules, loan/return rules and reader-service procedures.
Readiness evidence：Schedules and process-improvement records.
Credential boundary：Under institutional requirements.
Next moves：Assess consistency between reader service and circulation rules.
Typical scope：Lead circulation standards, staffing and exception handling.
Readiness evidence：Reviewable circulation and service outcomes.
Credential boundary：Determined by institutional appointment.
Next moves：Maintain cross-department collaboration continuously.
Typical scope：Help readers search using catalogs/databases.
Readiness evidence：Search and response records.
Credential boundary：No uniform qualification; follow institutional requirements.
Next moves：Add database knowledge and retrieval techniques.
Typical scope：Independently handle common requests and identify referral needs.
Readiness evidence：Reviewable search and response records.
Credential boundary：Under institutional requirements.
Next moves：Verify referral standards and boundaries.
Typical scope：Coordinate equipment maintenance, system use and data consistency.
Readiness evidence：Equipment-maintenance and system-check records.
Credential boundary：Under institutional requirements.
Next moves：Assess equipment/system upgrade needs.
Typical scope：Lead equipment, system and retrieval-service standards.
Readiness evidence：Reviewable technical-service outcomes.
Credential boundary：Determined by institutional appointment.
Next moves：Maintain equipment and data governance continuously.
Typical scope：Label/register new arrivals and prepare shelving.
Readiness evidence：Reviewable processing records and shelving lists.
Credential boundary：No uniform qualification; follow institutional requirements.
Next moves：Know classification and processing standards.
Typical scope：Independently process materials and perform common repairs.
Readiness evidence：Processing and repair records.
Credential boundary：Under institutional requirements.
Next moves：Verify repair materials and standards.
Typical scope：Assist reader events, exhibitions and bookmobile services.
Readiness evidence：Event records and reader feedback.
Credential boundary：Under institutional requirements.
Next moves：Adjust event arrangements from feedback.
Typical scope：Lead collection processing, events and resource arrangements.
Readiness evidence：Reviewable operations and service outcomes.
Credential boundary：Determined by institutional appointment.
Next moves：Establish institutionalized operating procedures.
Confirm collection materials, reader information, permissions and library rules.
Follow loan/return, classification and privacy rules and retain records.
Create reviewable loan/return and collection records.
Expand duties within authorization.
U.S. nationwide · Library Technicians and Assistants (combined)
23,100/year
Projected average annual openings
This round's BLS explanation attributes all openings to replacement of workers changing occupations or leaving the labor force, not current hiring or new growth.
Does not establish：Cannot serve as individual hiring probability.
U.S. nationwide · Library Technicians and Assistants (combined)
$38,760/year
Median annual pay
A BLS 2025 combined median, not starting pay or take-home income.
Does not establish：Does not include individual take-home income.
These are capability relationships, not automatic promotions or credential waivers.
Transfers：Transferable capabilities: material registration/classification, circulation/loan records, reader communication, database/audiovisual equipment operation and rule-based verification with records.
Build next：Gaps to fill: target-role professional education/qualifications, database/metadata knowledge or equipment/system-maintenance experience.
View career profileTransfers：Circulation, loan/return and shelving records.
Build next：Address role-grade and authorization differences.
View career profileTransfers：Library practice and information-organization foundations.
Build next：Add research publication and teaching experience.
View career profileTransfers：Equipment and system operation.
Build next：Add network/hardware/software support knowledge.
View career profileTransfers：Material classification and records management.
Build next：Add organizational archives and compliance knowledge.
View career profileTransfers：Record registration and retrieval.
Build next：Add medical coding and privacy-law knowledge.
View career profileThis combined occupation includes technicians performing retrieval, classification/sorting, equipment maintenance and basic reference, and clerical assistants focusing on routine circulation, loans/returns and shelving. Librarians/media collections specialists handle collection planning/cataloging/reference; computer support specialists address institution-wide hardware/software issues. Compare objects, deliverables, authority and qualifications rather than titles alone.
Observable signals: willingness to sustain repeated shelving/checking, accurate classification-based shelving, common equipment troubleshooting, patient reader responses and recording/escalating mis-shelving, damage or unclear permissions. O*NET primarily C (Conventional) and S (Social) interests describe preferences only, not competence or hiring.
AI may assist search-term expansion, bibliographic organization, record drafts and common-question classification. Humans retain reader identity/borrowing checks, classification/sorting, equipment troubleshooting and reader privacy. Uses are task hypotheses, not widespread library adoption.
Human responsibilities include identity/borrowing checks, classification/shelving confirmation, equipment-fault/repair decisions, material-damage/compensation disputes and processing reader information under library authorization/privacy rules.
NBS publishes urban-unit annual average wages by industry category without separately listing library technicians and assistants, so no reliably mapped nationwide occupational median is established. This page shows labeled industry proxies only, without filling gaps using proxies or U.S. figures.
BLS OOH May 2025 combined median annual pay is USD 38,760 (about USD 18.64/hour); separately, technicians (25-4031) earn median USD 44,580 and clerical assistants (43-4121) USD 36,910. These are nationwide statistics, not individual take-home income or starting pay.
U.S. technicians typically need junior college education or vocational training; clerical assistants typically need high school plus short-term on-the-job training. Actual conditions follow recruitment announcements. Mainland China library roles generally follow school/public-library/public-institution employment and recruitment rules; verify education/training separately.
Main risks include registration/identity errors, inaccurate shelving making materials hard to find, improper reader/borrowing-record handling, equipment-fault/repair mishandling and material-damage/compensation disputes. Follow circulation/privacy rules, retain records and stop/escalate when authority is unclear.
BLS OOH's combined definition shows about 162,300 technicians/assistants in 2025, projected 2025—2035 decline about 6% (about −10,400 people), average annual openings about 23,100. These are occupational projections, not individual hiring probabilities or recruitment samples.
If you will handle repetitive shelving/checking, serve readers directly and maintain equipment, try a low-cost, entirely fictional loan/return and retrieval package before assessing long-term fit. Adjacent roles require corresponding tools, qualifications and responsibility evidence.
Evidence for China, the United States and specific institutions is stated separately: do not combine pay, employment, qualification, privacy or AI conclusions across scopes. This library technicians and assistants page provides career assessment and safe-trial information, not a substitute for local law, institutional procedures, library policies or professional advice. Any 'insufficient evidence' statement means only that a bounded search did not establish reliably corresponding data; do not fabricate figures using proxies or memory.
FermatMind research workflow
May 2025 wages; 2025—2035 employment outlook; accessed 2026-09-24
BLS OOH: Library Technicians and Assistants (combining 25-4031 and 43-4121)
Limitations：Combined definition covers 25-4031 and 43-4121; does not separate one occupation or establish Chinese mapping, pay or legal authorization.
Limitations：Only for 25-4031.00 and the U.S. market; no Chinese mapping, wages or legal authorization.
Limitations：Only for 25-4031.00 and the U.S. market; tasks and local authorization vary.
Limitations：Displays BLS OEWS wages; percentiles are not starting pay. Retain displayed period, population, geography and units.
Limitations：Projections are not hiring guarantees; parent data is not exact occupational employment.
Limitations：Only for 43-4121.00 and the U.S. market; no Chinese mapping, wages or legal authorization.
Limitations：Only for 43-4121.00 and the U.S. market; tasks and local authorization vary.
Limitations：Displays BLS OEWS wages; percentiles are not starting pay. Retain displayed period, population, geography and units.
Limitations：Industry averages are not occupational medians and exclude self-employed workers; no nationwide wage distribution matching the exact occupation is established.
Limitations：An editorial scale is not adoption, layoffs, regulations or authorization evidence.
Limitations：Use within the stated occupation and jurisdiction; cannot set Chinese qualifications.
Limitations：Editorial ratings use the existing occupational responsibilities and AI task analysis on this page. They are not adoption rates, measured effects, job-disappearance or personal-unemployment probabilities, or official scores from Stanford or another external institution. No measured time weights or future robot deployment are assumed.
Checked 2026-10-11: BLS combined employment, openings and median pay. All five wage percentiles cover 25-4031; 43-4121 and combined medians are separate; industry hourly pay is separated by occupation. Entry preparation is separately described, NBS is industry context only, ALA supports reader-privacy ethics. Protected/shared-source areas were not rewritten beyond scope.
