Librarians and Media Collections Specialists

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.

The occupation "Librarians and Media Collections Specialists" has an automation risk of 50.1%, just below its base risk of 50.8%. This moderate risk highlights that while many core tasks in the field are potentially automatable, certain aspects still require significant human involvement. The rapidly advancing capabilities of artificial intelligence and robotic process automation particularly threaten routine, rule-based activities. For librarians, these include checking books in and out, teaching patrons basic computer skills, and reviewing and evaluating materials for selection or ordering. Such tasks often involve clear, repeatable steps that can be encoded in software or managed by digital kiosks and recommendation algorithms. However, three specific duties remain much more resistant to automation, providing a buffer against widespread displacement within the profession. Training faculty and media staff on the use of specialized software and audio-visual equipment demands not just technical proficiency, but the ability to adapt to individual learning styles and troubleshoot unpredictable real-world problems. Similarly, maintaining hardware and software is a hands-on task that requires problem-solving, manual dexterity, and on-the-spot judgment—traits that current robotic systems struggle to replicate. Keeping an accurate inventory of audio-visual equipment also involves exceptions, physical relocation, and sometimes the nuanced evaluation of item conditions, which are not easily managed by automated systems. The primary bottleneck skills for this occupation are "Originality," measured at 2.9% and 3.0%. While these percentages are relatively low, they indicate that some degree of creative problem-solving and novel thinking is still necessary in the role, especially as librarians are called upon to develop unique solutions for community engagement, digital literacy challenges, or evolving resource management strategies. These creativity-driven aspects, although not the dominant requirement, form a protective layer against automation. As automation further encroaches on routine duties, it is the continual need for originality that will most safeguard the role and require a human touch, ensuring that librarians and media collections specialists retain relevance in a changing employment landscape.