Academic Libraries

According to the American Library Association, there are 3,094 academic libraries in the United States, of which 2,238 are associated with four-year and above institutions and 856 with less-than-four-year colleges (for example, community colleges, vocational colleges, and similar types of schools.). Academic libraries employ approximately 26,600 professional librarians. In addition, many of the proprietary schools (also known as vocational or technical schools or career colleges) and for-profit colleges provide library resources and services to their students.

To learn more about academic libraries, explore the following pages for an overview of the types of academic libraries, the various roles you can fill, salaries and promotion requirements, and tips to help you land your dream job.

Types of Academic Libraries

Academic libraries are an important part of higher education institutions and usually serve two complementary purposes: to support the curriculum and to support faculty and student research.

College and University Libraries

Academic libraries are an important part of higher education institutions and usually serve two complementary purposes: to support the curriculum and to support faculty and student research. Although academic library positions vary depending on the mission and type of institution they serve, some common responsibilities include: managing projects, departments, and community relationships; providing instruction, reference, curriculum, research, and classroom support; and keeping up with trends and technological advancements in library and information science.

Community College Libraries

Libraries in two-year colleges (also known as community or junior colleges) occupy an interesting and important middle ground between libraries in universities and public libraries. Community college libraries can function as both research/student academic support hubs and community centers. Therefore, librarians in two-year colleges are often called upon to fill a variety of roles from collection development to reader advisory to circulation to reference and instruction. Community college libraries generally have smaller staffs, which also leads to the blurring of job distinctions as well as the opportunity to assume multiple roles. In addition, the community college setting requires consistent outreach efforts to engage the diverse student body, many of whom are part-time students participating in corporate, technical, and continuing education.

Vocational and Technical College Libraries

Libraries in vocational and technical colleges have a very different focus than that of community colleges, four-year colleges, or universities. Whereas the latter three support a very wide-ranging curriculum that includes both general and specialized studies, vocational and technical college libraries usually have a much narrower mandate. The students’ courses focus on various aspects of technical training offered by each school, and the library resources support both the technical training and often some additional basic business skills. Since students rarely engage in research for their courses (and instructors in general are not engaged in research), there is usually much less bibliographic instruction and research support activity. Instead, librarians for vocational and technical colleges may manage collections of standards and specifications, industry technical magazines, manuals, and a small group of more general business and career resources.

For-Profit College Libraries

For-profit colleges are colleges owned and operated by private, profit-focused companies. A wide variety of types of colleges fit within this category, such as some four-year online schools, local independent campus-based programs, schools that focus on a given profession (for example, nursing), and nationally-based colleges that may have both online programs and local “campuses” in major cities throughout the country, such as DeVry or Strayer Education. The level of support given to the library in for-profit institutions may vary widely, and is often a reflection of which is the higher priority: student success or investor profits. However, in a well-supported, reputable for-profit college, librarians’ responsibilities will be very similar to those in more traditional colleges: student and faculty research support, bibliographic instruction, support for course development, etc. The majority of students in for-profit college programs are working adults often juggling school and family responsibilities, and are sometimes unfamiliar with the processes and requirements of academic work. Consequently, as with community colleges, librarians may assume a much-appreciated coaching role in addition to their more traditional work activities.

CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

Types of Academic Libraries	Examples	Institutional Characteristics	Sample Roles of Librarian
Large Research Institutions	Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Purdue, UCLA, OHSU, Duke	Often have several subject specific libraries; often require 2nd Master’s for librarians; have PhD programs; emphasis on scholarly and research support	Scholarly communication; bibliographic instruction; embedded librarianship; subject specialization; web development; data management (especially for major research projects undertaken by faculty); archives
4 Year Public Universities	SJSU, CSU Stanislaus, Portland State	Subject specialist librarians; MA/MS usually highest degree awarded; greater emphasis on instruction rather than research; urban campuses will be mostly commuter students	Reference and instruction; outreach; digital services; subject specialists; possible faculty status
Private 4 Year, Liberal Arts Colleges	Occidental College, Pomona	Small student body and faculty; residential; mostly undergraduates	Reference and Instruction; Technical support; Collection Development; typically a jack of all trades; possible faculty status
Community Colleges	Ohlone Community College, City College of San Francisco, Santa Rosa Junior College	2-year AA and technical programs; teaching and skill development-centered	Outreach and instruction; reference; technical support; typically a jack of all trades; possible faculty status
For-Profit Schools	DeVry University, Strayer University, Walden University	Generally enroll large numbers of low-income and first-generation students as well as veterans; may offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees.	Outreach and instruction; reference; technical support; some “embedded librarianship” activities working directly with faculty and their course delivery; no faculty status

Explore these university and college library websites below to get a feel for the environment and roles that librarians play. The websites listed are examples only – there are many more academic libraries to explore.

• Large Research Institution: Stanford University
• 4-6 Year Public University : California State University Stanislaus
• Private Liberal Arts College: Occidental College
• Community College: Ohlone College
• For-Profit School: DeVry University

Job Titles and Responsibilities

Regardless of what sort of position you are applying for, there are several skills and experiences that are valuable for all academic librarians.

Regardless of what sort of position you are applying for, there are several skills and experiences that are valuable for all academic librarians. These include leadership ability, strong communication skills, ability to work in a team environment, good technical skills, and knowledge of the issues facing libraries and higher education. A broad understanding of all aspects of librarianship from reference work to technical services is also useful. Please see the career pathways section on academic librarianship for more information on general skills to develop and courses that will prepare you to work in an academic library setting.

For more information about how positions in academic libraries are changing and current trends, check out the following articles:

ACRL’s Top Trends in Academic Libraries, 2020

This 2020 trends report focuses on change management, evolving integrated library systems, the role of learning analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence, open access transitions and transformations, the ethics and maturation of research data services (RDS), social justice topics, streaming media, and student wellbeing, among other trends.

ACRL’s Top Trends in Academic Libraries, 2018

ACRL’s biennial trends report covers the publisher and vendor landscape, fake news and information literacy, project management in libraries, textbook affordability and OER, learning analytics, data collection, and ethical concerns, research datasets acquisition, text mining, and data science, as well as collection management trends.

ACRL’s Top Trends in Academic Libraries, 2016

Explore this list to learn more about how librarians successfully collaborate in the following areas: research data services (RDS), data policies and data management plans, professional development for librarians providing RDS, digital scholarship, collection assessment trends, ILS and content provider/fulfillment mergers, and collection assessment trends, among other emerging trends.

Sample Job Postings

Keep in mind that job titles are fluid, positions often merge with those with similar responsibilities, and all academic librarians need management skills, as they will be expected to manage projects, departments, and community relationships.

Keep in mind that job titles are fluid, positions often merge with those with similar responsibilities, and all academic librarians need management skills, as they will be expected to manage projects, departments, and community relationships. In addition, most academic librarians will be expected to provide some information literacy instruction, assist with research, serve on committees, provide collection management, conduct outreach to faculty and students, and form partnerships/collaborate with university and community groups. At large research institutions and often at community colleges or anywhere librarians are given faculty status, librarians will often be expected to conduct their own research for publication.

Use this chart and job descriptions to think about how your career goals and current skill set match up. Once you see what you need, consider choosing courses, internships, and volunteer experiences that will help you develop new skills and increase your desirability as a job candidate.

Sample Academic Librarian Positions (as of 9/2020; click on position title for full job posting)
(Note: all jobs listed below require or strongly prefer an MLIS from an ALA-accredited program.)

Position	Sample Duties	Sample Required Qualifications	Salary
California	Develop, implement curriculum materials related to academic year courses; develop assessment plan for library curricular engagement; develop plan for further work Digital Library Program can undertake for next academic year. Apply instructional design, technology skills to model effective use of digital content for remote instruction, working with instructors, faculty, and academic stakeholders; develop remote instruction support to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion. Coordinate with library colleagues to conduct outreach to, support of faculty, instructors related to online instruction.	Strong understanding of pedagogy, learning theories; excellent verbal, written, interpersonal communication skills, strong collaboration and negotiation skills. Experience with design and evaluation of instruction for undergraduate students; demonstrated ability to plan, coordinate, and manage projects. Ability to initiate and maintain cooperative working relationships with co-workers, supervisors, and managers. Ability to work harmoniously and as a team player, thrive in a team-based environment, and skill in fostering teamwork among others.	$56,665 – $86,788
Wisconsin	Provide specialized library instruction to undergraduate and graduate students with a focus on courses with a digital scholarship or media-rich component. Offer workshops and consultations on digital tools and methods to faculty, students, and library staff. Serve as a liaison to departments in the humanities by providing research, instruction and collection development support for faculty and students.	Knowledge of a variety of digital methods used to support data visualization and web publishing; understanding of current trends and methodologies in humanities research, scholarly communication. Ability to listen and offer effective solutions for students and faculty seeking guidance on digital scholarship projects, assignments. Strong commitment to patron service, support; strong organizational skills; excellent oral, written communication skills.	Not provided
Texas	Initiates, plans and conducts variety of programs, activities to encourage use of library by students, faculty, staff, community. Works independently and as team member to develop interesting, relevant programming, events that support the library’s vision to connect to curriculum, provide broad cultural exposure, and provide STC community and general public with opportunities for engagement.	At least two years of demonstrated library services and at least one year of supervisory experience; at least two years’ experience with library programming and at least two years’ experience with project management and/or event planning strongly preferred. Recent academic library experience also preferred.	$39,000
Nebraska	Promote findability, adoption, adaptation, and assessment of open educational resources with faculty and staff. Support integration of open educational resources and open access textbooks into curriculum; serve as primary liaison to teaching faculty who want to adopt OER; assess needs regarding OER approaches. Chair OER grant program, serve as subject specialist to specific departments.	Minimum 1 years’ experience with OER (coursework may substitute for professional experience). Familiarity with Canvas or other Learning Management Systems. Ability to assess, learn new technologies quickly, manage projects in collaborative environment. Ability to set, attain goals effectively. Excellent organizational, planning, interpersonal, communication and written skills. Ability to establish, maintain successful working relationships with staff and university community.	$50,000 – $57,000
Utah	Provides leadership, support re design, implementation of creative e-learning materials. Also responsible for creating videos, tutorials, and course modules as needed. Will collaborate closely with liaison librarians, others across library, as well as instructional designers on campus to provide guidance and expertise regarding e-learning materials, pedagogy. Serve as liaison librarian to two or more academic departments.	Excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills, particularly ability to explain complex concepts to wide variety of users in individual and group settings. Knowledge of current trends, issues in pedagogy for e-learning and distance education. Working knowledge of instructional technologies to support classroom and remote or asynchronous instruction. Ability to collaborate, maintaining collegial working relationships with administrators, staff, and faculty.	$48,000
Minnesota	Provide library liaison services to assigned departments and programs, library research support services and library instruction for College Writing program. Provide specialized reference services for assigned departments and programs, select information resources, create web content, serve as faculty liaison, provide class library instruction. Participate in Research & Learning Team meetings and projects, serve on teams working on library-wide initiatives, contribute to library profession and/or campus.	ALA-accredited MLIS or equivalent combination of advanced degree and relevant experience. Excellent organizational, written communication skills Demonstrated experience with proposing and/or implementing actions that improve equity and inclusion in your work. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with faculty, students, and colleagues in a research environment. Experience delivering research assistance in a library or delivering academic or co-curricular student services and/or programs in a college or university.	$45,046
Oregon	Lead development, management of library website, ExLibris Primo discovery layer, LibGuides, other library web platforms. Improve web interface, enhance student success through solid usability, accessibility, and information architecture practices. ensure an engaging and effective experience for users. Liaise with other campus web developers, IT staff to ensure websites align with campus policies.	Proficiency with web development tech (HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, JQuery, PHP, etc.). Mastery of Web Content Accessibility Guideline 2.0 standards. Proven understanding of information architecture and usability principles; ability to interact with diverse population. Excellent oral, written, interpersonal skills; commitment to professional growth especially in realm of web development, Primo discovery, electronic resource access. 2d master’s degree or in process of completion.	$61,000 – $64,000

Status, Promotion, and Salary

If you are interested in a career in Academic Librarianship, you may have heard the phrases, tenure track and faculty status. What does that mean in the context of employment and how does it affect salaries and professional opportunities?

If you are interested in a career in Academic Librarianship, you may have heard the phrases, tenure track and faculty status. What does that mean in the context of employment and how does it affect salaries and professional opportunities? Academic institutions classify librarians and their work differently. Depending on the institution, this can range from librarians being employed as tenured faculty to librarians employed as academic staff.

Often, tenure-track librarians are expected to do research and publish results in peer-reviewed journals as part of the promotion to tenure process. This may not be true for academic staff librarians.

As you apply for work in different academic settings, it is important to determine how the institution classifies librarian employment and status, because that will help you know what you need to do to advance in your career in that setting.

Tenure vs. non-tenure – What are the fundamental differences?

The following tables illustrate the differences between the two major university library systems in the state of California. As of June 2016, the University of California (UC) system (research intensive – R1) employs librarians as academic staff without a tenure process, whereas the California State University (CSU) system (teaching-focused) employs librarians as faculty on the tenure track.

The requirements for research and publication for community college librarians differ by institution. At many community colleges, a successful history of service and instruction are the primary criteria by which librarians are promoted. Promotion and salary advancement are structured and depend on years of service and rank. For example, many California community college librarians may earn tenure after four years of full-time employment. Keep in mind, however, that published research may provide an edge in the hiring process at community colleges, and check out the promotion requirements when you apply for or consider accepting a position.

Note: This comparison presents an example of some differences you may encounter. There are, of course, exceptions, such as an R1 university library where the librarians are tenured/tenure-track faculty (for example, The University of Colorado, Boulder).

Librarian Status

Research 1 (University of California, Stanford, etc.)	Teaching (California State University, Florida State, etc.)
Academic staff, a special status. No faculty status or tenure process for promotion	Faculty status, on tenure-track.
Must achieve academic staff status within in a certain number of years	Must complete a full, satisfactory dossier within in 6 years to earn tenure
Progress is reviewed every two years	Internal progress review has specific schedule deadlines
Review process never leaves the library	Tenure review begins in the library, moves to campus faculty level, and then culminates with the provost and president for final review

Professional Achievement

Research 1 (University of California, Stanford, etc.)	Teaching (California State University, Florida State, etc.)
Attending national conferences and being involved in committees is sufficient	Occasional attendance at conferences is useful to build relationships for research possibilities
Occasional presentations and publications are nice but not necessary	Presentations and publications (particularly peer-reviewed journal articles) are absolutely necessary
Equal monetary support distributed among all librarians for conference attendance	Point-based system of distributing travel funds to librarians (untenured library faculty receive more funds)

Salary Comparison

Research 1 (University of California, Stanford, etc.)	Teaching (California State University, Florida State, etc.)
Lower base. ($49,165 for Assistant Librarian) Source: University of California Academic Salary Scales	Moderate base. ($57,000)
Steady increases every 2-3 years	No increases until tenure is achieved
Specifically set $$ amount for each rank for all UC librarians	Range is very broad and not applied consistently across the CSU libraries

How to Gain Experience

• Work in an academic library.
• Find an internship (see the SJSU iSchool Internships site for a variety of physical and virtual internships).
• Vary your experience as much as possible – teach library instruction sessions or courses, develop or contribute to Web services, supervise students, work at the reference desk, work in technical services.
• Check out academic libraries in the areas where you live and inquire about internship possibilities if you can’t find something that works for you through the iSchool.
• If you’re unable to find opportunities to volunteer, intern, or work in an academic library, try to find opportunities that let you do work similar to that you’d do in an academic library setting so you can build and point to “transferable skills.”

Another great way to gain experience is by getting involved with one of the many student chapters of library associations. The iSchool hosts thriving chapters of ALA, ASIS&T, SLA. and SAA.

In addition, keep your eye out for other volunteer opportunities, such as serving as a moderator at the annual Library 2.0 conference, etc. Be sure to read iSchool announcement emails for Library 2.0 and other volunteer options – you might be surprised how many opportunities there are.

Job Application and Interview Tips

Learn about interviewing for the Academic Librarian job from this short list of valuable resources.

• Academic Interview Process
• How to Land an Academic Library Job
• Library Interview Questions
• Nailing the Library Interview

Voices from the Field

An Interview with a Community College Librarian

While it is important to keep in mind that every library, institution, and state is different, it may also be helpful to read a first-hand account of what it’s like working in a California community college library.

While it is important to keep in mind that every library, institution, and state is different, it may also be helpful to read a first-hand account of what it’s like working in a California community college library. The information below is from an iSchool alumna (MLIS 2011) interview done in summer 2014.

This is the for the position she currently holds.

1. What is the typical salary of a community college librarian?

For full-time faculty members, the salary is based on a set schedule (based on the units of education one has, as well on unit loads of work). You can find faculty salary schedules for any community college district by doing a search on their website or Google, which allows you to see the breakdown. Every community college district might be a little different.

2. Is there a tenure process?

At my college there is a four-year tenure process for faculty members. For librarians undergoing the process, one is evaluated every fall for reference service and instruction. The process includes a pre-meeting with the faculty lead that includes a self-evaluation; a reference observation, which includes anonymous student evaluations for reference service, and an instruction observation; a meeting of the committee members (faculty lead librarian, dean, and another faculty librarian) to talk over the observations and documents; and then a final meeting between the committee members and the faculty librarian to go over the results.

3. Are librarians expected to do research and publish?

While I believe that no one is required to research or publish at this particular college, that is something I am going to do and am starting this summer. We are very much expected to work on a number of committees, complete a set number of professional development hours, and be involved on campus. Attending pre-term orientations and graduation is a requirement, as well.

4. Do librarians at the community college level have specific job titles (i.e. subject specialist, digital initiatives, etc.) or are they more “jacks of all trades” (generalists)?

Some librarians have specific titles, and you will find lots of variety across community colleges. We have an electronic resources librarian who does some reference, and everyone else is just called a reference librarian, except for our associate librarian, although everyone does much more than reference. We have one part-time librarian who teaches library classes for credit. At the campus where I work—I am a solo librarian—I provide 30 hours of reference, but I also teach one-shot sessions, manage the collection, and do liaison work with all the instructors at my campus, community outreach, marketing, club advising, etc. I am not always able to be at the desk if I’m at a class, etc. It’s a little worrying that the desk is empty when I’m doing something. For someone new to the job, it can be overwhelming, but a great learning experience.

5. How many faculty librarians are there at your institution?

I’m the only full-time faculty librarian at my campus; at the other larger campus there are three full-time faculty librarians. We also have three part-time faculty librarians at the larger campus.

6. What are some of the benefits to working at a community college library?

I have great working conditions as far as benefits and time off. I have a 10-month appointment. Although it’s a detriment to students, the libraries are closed on the weekends and during winter break, spring break, and summer break between spring term ending and summer term beginning, and for a few weeks between summer term ending and fall term beginning. I don’t work during these times. In the summer, I have the option to work, but we have a part-time librarian who worked it this past summer. I also don’t work at night, which is quite the change from other library environments.

I love being able to make a real difference in the lives of our students. Many are working parents, or take care of their siblings or aging parents, and it’s wonderful to help them on their road to earning a certificate or two-year degree, or transferring to a four-year university. And it also feels great when students come by to say that they did well on a paper; share other good news, like getting a new job; or even sharing a book or article they read that they found interesting.

Learn more about academic library careers via these iSchool alumni profiles:

Ann Agee
Jennifer Allison
Evan Carlson
Melanie Chu
Chad Francisco
Donna Frederick
Brighid Gonzales
Rebecca Goodchild
Elizabeth Housewright
Martin Kelly
Sam Leif
Erin Mischak
Essraa Nawar
Sarah Naumann
Christy Nini
Paula Pereira
Adam Weissengruber

Additional Resources

ACRL Research Planning and Review Committee (2020). 2020 Top Trends in Academic Libraries: A Review of the Trends and Issues Affecting Academic Libraries in Higher Education.

Bell, Steven (2017, July 13). Academic Librarians Have Something to Sell | From the Bell Tower. Library Journal online column, accessed August 2, 2017

Cornett, J. (2015, April 22). Equity and the new ACRL framework for information literacy. From Two-Year Talk, A Blog for Librarians at Two Year Colleges.

DeWitt, M. (2017, November, 8). Preparing for the [Academic] Job Search.