Librarians are responsible for helping people to find information in order to meet their professional and personal purposes. They work at libraries where they manage books, DVD’s, CD’s, documents, magazines, internet access, among other services. These workers have knowledge about a wide variety of public information sources. One of their main roles is to organize information in a manner that meets client´s needs, including easy access for all the public.
Librarians usually perform many of the following tasks:
• Keeping records of all books available at the library.
• Helping other members that work with them.
• Performing maintenance tasks.
• Preparing budgets.
• Creating annual reports of the library.
Skills
• Having good interpersonal skills.
• Being able to use computers effectively.
• Being organized.
• Having good written and verbal communication skills.
• Being able to interact with the public.
• Having knowledge of information technology.
• Having high attention to details.
• Being able to work with both teachers and students.
• Being able to understand user’s needs.
• Having teamwork skills.
Education
Applicants for Librarian jobs are required to have a Master´s Degree in library science to work in most public libraries. People who want to work at School libraries do not need that Master´s Degree but they must meet the requirements of the State Teaching License. Library Science programs require students having a Bachelor’s Degree or an undergraduate major. Most employers require candidates with a library science program from schools accredited by the American Library Association. These courses last one or two years and include subjects related to information science, foundations of library, etc.
Applicants who want to work at corporate or law libraries also need courses about the field in which they are working, including Doctoral, Master´s or Professional degrees in that subject.