Library Technicians

Libraries usually have clean, well-lit, pleasant work atmospheres. Hours are regular in company libraries and in school library media centers, but academic, public, and some specialized libraries are open longer hours and may require evening and weekend work, usually on a rotating basis.

Some tasks performed by library technicians, like calculating circulation statistics, can be repetitive. Technicians working in technical services may develop headaches and eyestrain from working long hours in front of a computer screen. Frequent public contact in user services may test a technician's tact and patience. However, a library's atmosphere is generally relaxed and interesting. The size and type of library will often determine the duties of library technicians. A technician working in a small branch library might handle a wide range of responsibilities. Sometimes a technician working in a school, rural, or special library might be the senior staff member, with full responsibility for all technical, user, and administrative services and staff supervision. A technician working in a large university or public library might focus on only one task all of the time.

Libraries are presently responding to decreased government funding by cutting budgets and reducing staff, often leaving an overwhelming workload for the remaining staff members. Because library technicians earn less money than librarians do, libraries often replace librarians with technicians. This situation can lead to resentment in the working relationship among colleagues. In addition, there is also an ongoing struggle to define the different responsibilities of the librarian and technician. Despite the difference in the educational requirements for the two jobs—librarians require a master's degree and technicians an associate's degree—some of the responsibilities do overlap. Library technicians may find it frustrating that, in some cases, they are performing the same tasks as librarians and yet do not command as high a salary.