Librarians and Media Collections Specialist Career

Job Description: Administer and maintain libraries or collections of information, for public or private access through reference or borrowing. Work in a variety of settings, such as educational institutions, museums, and corporations, and with various types of informational materials, such as books, periodicals, recordings, films, and databases. Tasks may include acquiring, cataloging, and circulating library materials, and user services such as locating and organizing information, providing instruction on how to access information, and setting up and operating a library's media equipment.


Is Librarians and Media Collections Specialist the right career path for you?
Take the MyMajors Quiz and find out if it fits one of your top recommended majors!

Librarians and Media Collections Specialist Career

What skills are required for Librarians and Media Collections Specialists?

Importance Skills
  Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
  Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
  Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
  Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  Management of Material Resources - Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
  Management of Personnel Resources - Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
  Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

What knowledge is needed to be a Librarians and Media Collections Specialist?

Importance Knowledge
  Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
  Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
  Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
  Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
  Personnel and Human Resources - Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
  Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
  Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
  Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
  History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

Work Styles

Importance Styles
  Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
  Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
  Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
  Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
  Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
  Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
  Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
  Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
  Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
  Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
  Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
  Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
  Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
  Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
  Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
  Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.