Film and Video Librarians

A part-time job at a local library or your school's media center is a great way to explore this career. As a student you will probably be assigned small clerical tasks such as staffing the circulation desk or straightening the stacks, but with some experience you may be assigned duties with more responsibilities. You might be able to eventually work as a media center aide, who sets up and maintains audiovisual equipment.

You may want to participate in online discussion groups to get a feel for the industry. The American Library Association (ALA) sponsors the Film and Media Round Table (https://www.ala.org/fmrt), an organization that addresses the interests of those working with video collections, programs, and services in libraries. This service is available to all ALA members.

Participate in information interviews with film and video librarians to learn more about the field. Ask your school counselor or librarian (whom you could also interview) to help arrange an interview. Suggested interview questions include: What made you want to enter this career? What do you like most and least about your job? How did you train for this field? What are some key skills for success? What advice would you give to young people about preparing for the field and being successful on the job? How will advances in technology change the field? Perhaps you could even job-shadow a film and video librarian to learn even more about the field.