4 Librarian Resume Examples & Writing Tips for 2024

Librarian Resume Template (Text Format)

Pair your effective resume with a strong librarian cover letter.

Copy-and Paste Librarian Resume Template

FIRST AND LAST NAME

Email: your.email@email.com

Phone: (123) 456-7891

Address: Street, City, State

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yourprofile

Resume Summary

Knowledgeable librarian with [number] years of experience. Seeking to leverage my experience in [relevant abilities] to fill the [Job Title] position. Hold a [degree/diploma/certification] in [Degree/Diploma/Certification Title]. Skilled at [2–3 relevant skills]. A [adjective #1] and [adjective #2] worker aiming to contribute to the success of [Library Name].

Professional Experience

Current Job Title (e.g., Head Librarian)Library/College Name, City, State | Month 20XX–Present

• Include a bulleted list of your achievements as a head librarian
• Start each bullet point with an action verb (like “collate” or “manage”) to grab attention
• Use the present tense for your current librarian role, unless describing a completed project or initiative
• Use hard numbers when possible to quantify your accomplishments as a librarian
• Mention how you’ve used some of the librarian skills listed in your skills section to demonstrate your mastery of these abilities

Previous Job Title (e.g., Librarian)Library/College Name, City, State | Month 20XX–Month 20XX

• List relevant accomplishments from your previous role as a librarian
• Assuming you’re no longer working in this librarian role, use past tense verbs to describe your work
• Include 3–6 bullet points for each librarian role, both your current one and previous ones
• Skip the pronoun “I” and begin directly with a verb
• Although you’ll usually list work experience, feel free to include library-relevant volunteer work and extracurricular activities if you lack formal work experience

Education

Degree Name / MajorUniversity, City, State | Graduation Month, Year

• GPA: 3.X/4.0 (optional)
• Latin honors (if applicable)

Skills & Certifications

• List skills and certifications relevant to the librarian job you’re applying for
• Look at the job description for ideas of the skills the employer wants and that are common for librarians
• Emphasize library-specific hard skills and technical skills in this section
• Be as specific as possible by including names of tools, equipment, and software you’ve mastered that are used by librarians

Optional Librarian Resume Sections

• Add any other relevant information about your background here
• For example, a separate section could be used to highlight any of the following information: librarian-relevant awards, publications, or coursework, as well as languages and volunteer experience

Copy to clipboard

Looking for more resume examples? Here are three more library-related samples to check out:

Assistant librarian resume

Seeking a first role as an assistant librarian? Let this sample guide you:

Download This Resume (Word)

Assistant librarian resume highlights

• Volunteer work: This candidate helped out in the high school library, where they honed some of the skills necessary for working in a library as a formal job.
• Relevant coursework: Since this student studies library science, they have a plethora of relevant coursework to list on their resume. This coursework shows employers they have a thorough grounding in library work, meaning they’d be able to transition to a full-time role with relative ease.

Library director resume highlights

Managing a library can be challenging, but show you’re capable of doing a great job as a library director by referencing this resume example for ideas.

Download This Resume (Word)

Library director resume highlights

• Budget skills: This library director manages a budget of approx. $1.5 mil., indicating their money management skills are suitable for directing a sizable library facility.
• Innovative leadership: The candidate evinces out-of-the-box thinking to implement new ideas that have grown library membership by 20%+.

Library page resume

Seeking a library page role? Model your resume on this library page resume example:

Download This Resume (Word)

Library page resume highlights

• Relevant certification: This candidate has a certified library support staff certification, proving they have the training to step into a library page role immediately.
• Recognized with award: The Outstanding Leadership Award was given to this library page in recognition of their talents and achievements. Add awards to your resume to stand out from candidates without any.

Average librarian salaries in the US

The following table includes information from O*NET Resource Center by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.

How to write a librarian resume

We’ve compiled four more tips to help you excel at writing your librarian resume.

1. Highlight any librarian certifications you have

There are many certifications you could add to your resume depending on the type of library you want to work for and the state you live in.

However, some resume certifications are accepted nationwide. Here are some of the commonest certifications for librarians:

If you already have certifications, add them to your resume. And if you don’t, look into the requirements for gaining them so you can impress employers by adding them to your application.

2. Quantify your accomplishments as a librarian

Numbers stand out on a page, so hiring managers will immediately see them on your resume. Adding them to your resume will provide context for your professional accomplishments, and give hiring managers an idea of what you’ll be able to achieve if hired.

In case you’re struggling to write good quantified bullet points, here are some examples for you to draw ideas from:

3. Emphasize your librarian skills

Hiring managers scour resumes to find the skills they originally added to the job description, so it’s vital you add any skills from the job ad to your resume — as long as you have them.

If the job description doesn’t mention any specific skills, here are 12 common hard and soft skills for librarians that you can include:

Soft Skills

1. Interpersonal communication
2. Collaboration
3. Problem-solving
4. Adaptability
5. Cultural competency
6. Time management

Hard Skills

1. Koha ILS
2. Alma Library Services Platform
3. OCLC WorldCat
4. Sirsi Symphony
5. Ex Libris Primo
6. Microsoft Office Suite

4. Use your resume summary to enthral hiring managers

Your librarian resume summary should hook hiring managers and make them see you as a strong candidate whose resume is worth reading in full.

Between two and five sentences long, your summary should sum up your key qualifications and achievements, so consider each word carefully.

Here are a couple of examples of good librarian resume summaries:

Resume examples for different industries

Not sure what your resume should look like? The best way to learn is by taking inspiration from resume examples written by other candidates in your industry.

34 categories

+449 free templates

Browse Resume Examples