This is a list of 5 Characteristics of a Librarian. If you are interested in pursuing a degree in library science follow along. Students interested in pursuing a degree in library science may want to know the characteristics of a librarian to determine whether the career is right for them. There are quite a few traits that successful librarians tend to have. Below is an overview of five of these traits and why they are especially valuable to librarians.
5 Key Librarian Characteristics
- A Love for Reading
- Highly Organized and Detail-Oriented
- Keep Up with Tech Trends
- Good Researcher
- Strong Commitment and Self-Discipline
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1. A Love for Reading
Librarians need to have a love of reading. After all, their entire career centers around it. Librarians read books of all genres for all age levels. Librarians need to be knowledgeable of popular and trending books. By reading a variety of books, librarians will expand their horizons and discover new books they can use in educational programs or add to their collections. Librarians also know a lot about current movies and music as well as read various materials on library sciences for their own continuing education.
2. Highly Organized and Detail-Oriented
A large part of a librarian’s job is organizing and maintaining collections of media. This includes books, movies, music, and more. As such, they must be highly organized and pay attention to every detail. For example, they need to work within the classification system in place at their library, correctly alphabetize items, keep requested items on hold for patrons, and more. There are a number of library organization systems that librarians are tasked with understanding and choosing between.
3. They Keep Up With Tech Trends
According to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a key job duty of modern librarians is using technology in their libraries. Physical card catalogs are an item of the past. Modern libraries utilize a significant amount of technologies that librarians are responsible for using and maintaining, including computers used by patrons, services for borrowing digital material, the systems and software library staff use, and more. Librarians must be familiar with computers and other forms of technology to help patrons do research as well as decide what hardware and software should be in use at their libraries.
4. Good Researcher
Librarians heavily research what is popular to help them decide what items should and should not be added to their collections. They must also judge which items are no longer popular enough to justify keeping in the collection and then discard them. In some cases, such as school librarians, they are also concerned with whether certain books are or are not appropriate for the reading level or sensibilities of their patrons. This necessitates a lot of research, a lot of reading the books in question and surveying patrons to determine what kinds of books they like.
5. Strong Commitment and Self-Discipline
Librarians frequently are forced to operate with little funding because either the funds aren’t available or are judged to be more needed elsewhere. Because of this, major characteristics of a librarian include passion and a strong commitment to their careers and the work they do. The best librarians are disciplined and keep on top of various tasks, such as re-shelving books, keeping catalogs updated and more.
Librarians are a dedicated group of people. They see to the education and entertainment of students and the general public. Individuals with these characteristics of a librarian will likely find this career well-suited to them.
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