Librarian
Resume Example

Most people think a librarian is someone just sitting at a desk shushing people. Well done, You are going to break that stereotype and show that you are not a useless or boring librarian and get hired to your dream place. Let’s find out how to do it.

The very first step is to write a compelling resume to get your readers attracted. There are tons of articles online to read about writing resumes but we cannot entirely trust those because the style of writing resumes updates every day. “Don’t worry, you’re in safe hands.” 

Let’s get started!

Things to do before you write your Librarian resume

• Here are a few must-know things before you write your resume because at this point you cannot make a mistake and get rejected.
• Librarians work in different settings such as public libraries, schools, colleges, universities. When you apply for a job, find out about the place you are going to work.
• Gather information about yourself and What Skills/Qualities Employers Seek.
• If you are a first-time job seeker get help and guidance from a professional.

How To write a Librarian Resume that really works

Can you write anything in your resume? No, absolutely not. It’s very important to know what to write and where to put them. In this guide, we are going to answer all your questions in detail.

What should I include on a librarian resume?

Simply,

• Resume header, Summary, Work experience, Education, and Skills are mandatory to write.
• certifications, Projects, Hobbies and Interests, Languages, Awards, and honors are your options to stand out from the crowd.

Let’s talk about these sections separately.

01. Resume Header

The first thing your employer notice is your Resume Header. Therefore, You need to use your header wisely. Here’s what you need to include in your header,

• Your name should be written in the largest font used and make sure to bold it.
• Write the job title just below your name. Such as “Assistant Librarian”, “Reference Librarian”, “Library Assistant”, or “Library Associate”
• Don’t use an embarrassing email address like johnny.coolfreak@email.com in your resume. Use a popular email service like Gmail and your email address should look like johnnymith@gmail.com.
• Mention your City and the State. It is absolutely not necessary to mention your whole address.
• Use your personal telephone number here but never your work number.
• LinkedIn and Web are not a must but clearly, if you have them you must include them.

02. Resume Summary

A summary or profile is an overview of a candidate’s skills, expertise, and experience. In other words, it simply describes the benefits of a candidate to the employer. It is written as a simple 4-5 lines paragraph with important keywords. As a Librarian looking for a job, you can read job postings to find the relevant keywords. 
It’s not so easy to draft a summary. Take your time and craft a perfect Summary to suit your position. If you find it difficult to write it, ask yourself a few questions like, What are the skills that will make me perfect for the role? The problems you have solved and achievements related to your field. It will help you to write a unique resume summary.

03.Work Experience

There are different forms of writing the work experience section but the most used and most preferred way is the reverse chronological order, starting with the present and working backward. Use keywords to show that you have taken actions and any important job-related achievements.

However, there are some people who take their first step in their career path. Those people are just worried and ask the question “What if I don’t have any experience related to being a Librarian?” Well, Emphasize your skills and education that can contribute to the current job posting.

Each job Experience section should include the following:

• Job title
• Employer/company name
• Location (City, State)
• Dates of employment
• Details of your accomplishments and contributions

04. Educational qualifications

If you are a recent graduate, the education section will be your most valuable asset. Even if you have little work experience, an impressive education section can make you stand out.

In addition to that, to become a librarian you need a bachelor’s degree in any subject and a master’s degree in library science or information science. In most states, it is required to obtain state licensure as well. Some rural libraries may prefer someone only with a lesser degree but remember that having a specialized degree in this field definitely opens up to any number of job openings.

Those who are dreaming of becoming a librarian and giving some thought to it. You must consider Choosing an American Library Association (ALA) accredited program.

Having all that, how do you write your Educational qualifications in a resume? First of all, Be honest about your qualifications.

The section on education should include the:

• Everything should be in reverse chronological order
• Mention start and end dates.
• Name and location of the institute/college/university.
• Type of degree.
• Brief details of related coursework

05. Skills

Your resume should highlight your librarian resume skills to show the value you can bring to the employer. Take a moment and think about the skills you have. Categorize them under people skills, Problem-solving skills, Creativity skills, Practical skills, and Technical skills. It will help you to see yourself better and to be armed before you write your resume. 

Skills are particularly necessary for librarians to deal With Library users, to help people find information, to give technical support, organize, manage, and for many more things. Let’s see what skills are needed to qualify for a librarian position. Also, You can list them in your resume to make it more ATS friendly.

Best skills for a librarian resume

• Ability to organize job duties and work independently
• Ability to prepare comprehensive reports
• Attention to detail.
• Bibliographic instruction software
• Cataloging skills
• Circulation management systems
• Collaboration
• Communication skills
• Computer skills
• Critical thinking
• Decision-making
• Demonstrated knowledge of library materials and resources
• Digital literacy
• Documentation
• Influencing
• Information curation skills
• Integrated search tools
• Interpersonal and listening skills
• Leadership skills
• Literacy software
• Mobile apps for e-books
• Multi-tasking
• Negotiation
• Organization
• Time-management abilities
• Organizational skills
• Problem-solving
• Records preservation and management
• Research skills
• Retrieval Systems
• Scheduling and event management software
• Software and computer skills
• Technical and library software knowledge
• Verbal and written communication abilities

06. Certifications

If you have any certifications that can support your currently pursuing career, you must include them in your librarian resume to show your competence to do your role as a librarian.  Never add any outdated or irrelevant certifications to your resume.

If you want to apply for a librarian position in a school, You must need a teaching certification. Otherwise, there are many other online and offline certification programs for public librarians such as,

• ALA-APA Certified Public Library Administrator Program
• Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC)
• State and Regional Library Certification 
• The Library Support Staff Certification Program.
• Identifying Community Needs for Public Library Management

07. Languages

This is an optional section but worth adding to your resume. Even within the United States, if you are bilingual or multilingual that will be an asset to you during the interview. Also, be honest about your language skill, do not exaggerate that you have ‘advanced’ knowledge of English, and make mistakes in your resume.

It will be quite resourceful if you as a librarian know an extra language. You will encounter people who speak not your native language and you can become the star of the place by assisting and guiding them. Therefore, don’t have second thoughts to add your language skill to your resume.

More tips for your Librarian resume

Follow the tips in this guide to gain as many leads as possible to make your resume bring up the stack. With the tips presented here, and a little practice, you are the next star.

Tip 01 –  Use strong powerful Action verbs and Adverbs in your resume.

Use them appropriately to describe your experience and achievements. Below are some Action verbs and Adverbs to use in your librarian resume. Even though there is a long list be careful not to overuse them in your resume.

Action verbs for a Librarian resume

• Analyzed
• Applied
• Approved
• Archived
• Arranged
• Assigned
• Catalog
• Chronicled
• Circulated
• Circulated
• Cited
• Clarified
• Classified
• Communicated
• Labeled
• Managed
• Organized
• Planned
• Preserved
• Processed
• Researched
• Revised
• Searched
• Selected
• Served
• Shelved
• Sorted
• Taught
• Transferred
• Transmitted
• Tutored
• Updated
• Weeded

Adverbs to describe your actions

• Accurately
• Actively
• Ambitiously
• Competently
• Competitively
• Energetically
• Enthusiastically
• Patiently
• Responsibly
• Significantly
• Steadily
• Strongly
• Supportively
• Technically

Tip 02 –  It is necessary to fill your resume with keywords without making it too obvious.

You can easily find keywords and phrases in the job postings advertised. They are nouns or short phrases. If you ask why do I need to put keywords in my resume? because it shows your knowledge of a particular area and definitely to get pass the Application Tracking System.

Here are some of the keywords to use in your librarian Resume.

• Academic Libraries
• Cataloging
• Collection Development
• Communicating strategies
• Critical Library strategic objectives
• Digital Libraries
• Electronic Resources
• Information Literacy
• Library Instruction
• Library Management
• Providing information services
• Public Libraries
• Library Reference
• Library Research
• Traditional library activities and settings
• Library Science
• Library Services
• User requirements and trends
• Virtual Reference

Tip 03 –  Write a matching cover letter to increase job winning chances.

Write a cover letter to send along with your resume to a potential employer. The main aim of a cover letter is to convince the reader to look at your Resume. When you write it, be sure to convince your hiring managers that by hiring you their workplace will be 100% efficient and productive.

Tip 04 – Use a good resume font.

Followings are a few of the top ATS resume fonts in 2022. Use one of the following fonts to increase the readability and it actually helps to focus on the content in your resume.

• Calibri
• Cambria
• Helvetica
• Garamond
• Georgia

Avoid these top 10 Librarian Resume Mistakes

• Submitting resumes that don’t fit the position
• Lying on your resume
• Resumes that are more than two pages long 
• spelling and grammar mistakes
• Resumes with typos
• Including irrelevant information
• Writing a lengthy job description
• Too Many forced Keywords 
• Highlighting Duties Instead of Accomplishments
• Exaggerating the truth

Frequently asked questions about Librarian resumes?

1. How can I highlight my work experience fits in with the librarian post I am applying for?

Analyze the job description and decide what keywords are to use. When writing work Experience in bullet form, Use numbers or percentages and quantify your achievements.

2. I am a recent graduate. What can I do to fill my resume? 

When writing your resume, focusing on highlighting your training, volunteer work, professional skills, and especially the projects you completed that are related to your major is a good start. As a librarian you must have Hobbies that might help you as a librarian, you can occupy a space for that too.

3. What kinds of words should I use, and what words should I avoid in my librarian resume?

Do not use words like “amazing” and “best” that exaggerate your skills unless you can prove them. Use positive words that will give a good impression.

Finally, before you send your resume, ask a friend to check and proofread through your final version and make sure you have made no mistakes. Now you are ready to beat the other libraricandidates. 

Fingers crossed!