Personal experience as a library patron is the first opportunity for you to see if a library career would be of interest. You can get a good idea of the general atmosphere of a library by browsing for books, searching electronic encyclopedias for a school research project, or using a library's Internet connection to access all kinds of information. Using libraries yourself will also give you an idea of the types of services that a library provides for its patrons.
If you are interested in a career as a library technician, talk with librarians and library technicians at your school or community library. A visit to a large or specialized library would also be helpful in providing a view of the different kinds of libraries that exist.
There may also be opportunities to work as a library volunteer at a public library or in the school library media center. Some grammar schools or high schools have library clubs as a part of their extracurricular activities. If your school doesn't have a library club, contact your school librarian and get some friends together to start your own group. Part-time or summer work as a shelving clerk or typist may also be available in some libraries.
Other ways to learn more about this career include participating in information interviews and job-shadowing experiences with library technicians and getting involved in summer exploration programs in library science for high school students that are offered by colleges and universities.
- Acquisitions Librarians
- Archivists
- Book Conservators
- Children's Librarians
- Corporate Librarians
- Database Specialists
- Exhibit Designers
- Film and Video Librarians
- Information Brokers
- Law Librarians
- Librarians
- Library and Information Science Instructors
- Library Assistants
- Library Directors
- Library Media Specialists
- Medical Librarians
- Music Librarians