Librarian Resume Examples and Tips

Librarians acquire, organize, manage, and distribute library resources, assisting people in finding media materials for entertainment and educational purposes. This role involves keeping track of resources, managing public programs, interfacing with other libraries and educational institutions, and supervising library staff.

Use our resume examples and tips to build a distinguished resume for your librarian career:

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Librarian Resume Sample

Top 4 Characteristics of a Best-in-Class Librarian Resume

  1. Summary Present a blend of top skills and work experiences in your summary statement section, keeping your summary short and persuasive. For example: “Dedicated Librarian with excellent knowledge of cataloging and fundraising activities. Committed to promoting literacy through reading program support.”
  2. Skills Divide the skills in this section into two categories: professional skills (such as classifying and cataloging materials, exhibition management and knowledge of filing systems) and soft skills (such as excellent communication abilities, customer service, attention to detail, and analytical thinking).
  3. Work History In this section, focus only on responsibilities and accomplishments that match up with the job you’re applying to. For example, if the job centers on youth reading, you could write: “Selected and ordered age-appropriate materials for children’s department in library serving 50,000 residents.”
  4. Education Feature your highest academic qualification, such as your master’s degree in library science (MLS), along with any specialized training or certificates in associated fields, such as a Certificate in Library Science, or a Certificate in Library and Information Science.

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Find the Right Template for your Resume

Give your resume the right professional look by using our expert-created templates and our resume builder.

Professional

As the name implies, this streamlined template is suitable for a variety of professional jobs, opting for a straightforward header and a spacious layout.

Insightful

This design offers a subtle but striking dash of color in the header, while section headings are arranged on the left for quick reference.

Whitespace

Elegant resume fonts and understated lines give this layout a classy appearance, while making it easy to customize for any resume format.

Our resume templates page features dozens of other professional layouts you can use.

Do’s and Don’ts for Your Resume

  • DO make sure your resume isn’t too long.  As a librarian, you know the value of efficiency, so keep your resume efficient — no longer than two-pages long. Use punchy phrases and bullet points instead of verbose sentences, and focus on skills, accomplishments, and work duties that are targeted specifically to the role you want.
  • DO quantify your accomplishments. There’s strength in numbers — make your work achievements really sing by quantifying them with numbers and metrics. For example, writing “Trained and led staff of 7 library associates” gives employers a better idea of your abilities than simply writing “Trained and led library associates.” Other examples: “Oversaw library collection of over 2,000 preserved newspapers,” or “Classified and catalogued 5,000 print and media materials.”
  • DO focus on intangible skills. Though library work requires professional knowledge and skills, your soft skills will determine how well you interact with others, and approach your work. Highlight soft skills such as time management, being a team player, excellent written and verbal communication, and organizational abilities. Our Top Resume Skills page features more soft skill suggestions.
  • DON’T forget to review your resume. Just as you wouldn’t dream of misplacing a book on a shelf, make sure there’s no misplaced spelling or grammar in your resume. Proofread it a few times before you send it in, and use the opportunity to make sure your facts and information about yourself are accurate. For extra security, use our resume builder, which reviews your document for you.
  • DON’T get too fancy with your layout. You may be tempted to show off your personality or creativity via your resume design, but flamboyant fonts and graphics can confuse hiring managers, as well as the applicant tracking systems (ATS) they use to review resumes. Instead of going crazy with your layout, use an employer-ready resume template for your resume, and focus on getting your content right.
  • DON’T use the same resume for different jobs. Each library position will feature different requirements, so tailor your resume to fit the job. Read through the job description, pick out the job’s prime requirements and skills, and adjust your resume to match. For example, if the job calls for providing computer literacy training, list your skills with computer training in your skills, or feature a job experience such as “Managed computer literacy training sessions.” For more tips on customizing your resume, see How to Create a Targeted Resume.