Librarians and media collections specialists
SOC Code: 25-4022
Librarians and media collections specialists carries a 47% AI exposure score (High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $64,320 and +1.7% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 142,100 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 47% AI exposure, Librarians and media collections specialists sits 10 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 83% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
41/100
Librarians and media collections specialists, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage C+ $64,320
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth D +1.7%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 47% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Librarians and media collections specialists in the High band.
Credential × growth standing
Graduate credential among the thinner entry shelves
Librarians and media collections specialists is in the Graduate band (113 of 832) with BLS pace Slow growth (245/832). Graduate entry is a minority shelf - pairing it with slow growth growth is the standing that separates this SOC from bachelor-dominated neighbors.
Where Librarians and media collections specialists sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Librarians and media collections specialists sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
47% Higher than most higher than 83% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Librarians and media collections specialists vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Librarians and media collections specialists is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Librarians and media collections specialists's High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 25-4022) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Librarians and media collections specialists be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Librarians and media collections specialists. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Check books in and out of the library.
- 2. Teach library patrons basic computer skills, such as searching computerized databases.
- 3. Review and evaluate materials, using book reviews, catalogs, faculty recommendations, and current holdings to select and order print, audio-visual, and electronic resources.
- 4. Search standard reference materials, including online sources and the Internet, to answer patrons' reference questions.
- 5. Keep up-to-date records of circulation and materials, maintain inventory, and correct cataloging errors.
- 6. Analyze patrons' requests to determine needed information and assist in furnishing or locating that information.
- 7. Supervise daily library operations, budgeting, planning, and personnel activities, such as hiring, training, scheduling, and performance evaluations.
- 8. Plan and teach classes on topics such as information literacy, library instruction, and technology use.
- 9. Confer with colleagues, faculty, and community members and organizations to conduct informational programs, make collection decisions, and determine library services to offer.
- 10. Code, classify, and catalog books, publications, films, audio-visual aids, and other library materials, based on subject matter or standard library classification systems.
Key Skills Required
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Service Orientation
- Active Learning
- Social Perceptiveness
- Instructing
Knowledge Areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Computers and Electronics
- Education and Training
- Administrative
- Communications and Media
- Administration and Management
- Psychology
- Mathematics
- Public Safety and Security
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Librarians and media collections specialists?
Librarians and media collections specialists has an AI exposure score of 47%, indicating a high level of automation risk. Some tasks in this role can be augmented or partially automated by AI, but core responsibilities require human judgment.
What is the job outlook for Librarians and media collections specialists?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Librarians and media collections specialists is projected to grow by 1.7% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 142,100 workers.
What skills are needed for Librarians and media collections specialists?
Key skills for Librarians and media collections specialists include Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, and others. Typical entry-level education is Master's degree.
How much do Librarians and media collections specialists earn?
The median annual wage for Librarians and media collections specialists is $64,320, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Librarians and media collections specialists?
The typical entry-level education for Librarians and media collections specialists is Master's degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves None. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Librarians and media collections specialists?
Librarians and media collections specialists roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A moderate share of tasks may be augmented by AI tools.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Librarians and media collections specialists: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (47% here).
- Conveyor operators and tenders · AI exposure 47%
- Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders · AI exposure 47%
- Database administrators · AI exposure 47%
- Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers · AI exposure 47%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+1.7% here).
- Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary · growth +1.7%
- Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians · growth +1.7%
- Education administrators, postsecondary · growth +1.7%
- Industrial engineering technologists and technicians · growth +1.7%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
What to do with this
Use Librarians and media collections specialists' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Librarians and media collections specialists side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).