According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Reserve, circulate, renew, and discharge books and other materials. | 86% |
| Answer routine telephone or in-person reference inquiries, referring patrons to librarians for further assistance, when necessary. | 85% |
| Help patrons find and use library resources, such as reference materials, audio-visual equipment, computers, and other electronic resources and provide technical assistance when needed. | 83% |
| Deliver and retrieve items throughout the library by hand or using pushcart. | 83% |
| Process print and non-print library materials to prepare them for inclusion in library collections. | 82% |
| Catalogue and sort books and other print and non-print materials according to procedure and return them to shelves, files, or other designated storage areas. | 81% |
| Enter and update patrons' records on computers. | 80% |
| Issue identification cards to borrowers. | 79% |
| Provide assistance to teachers and students by locating materials and helping to complete special projects. | 78% |
| Compile and maintain records relating to circulation, materials, and equipment. | 76% |
| Take actions to halt disruption of library activities by problem patrons. | 75% |
| Review subject matter of materials to be classified and select classification numbers and headings according to classification systems. | 74% |
| Process interlibrary loans for patrons. | 74% |
| Maintain and troubleshoot problems with library equipment, including computers, photocopiers, and audio-visual equipment. | 74% |
| Check for damaged library materials, such as books or audio-visual equipment, and provide replacements or make repairs. | 74% |
| Order all print and non-print library materials, checking prices, figuring costs, preparing order slips, and making payments. | 74% |
| Collect fines and respond to complaints about fines. | 73% |
| Send out notices about lost or overdue books. | 73% |
| Retrieve information from central databases for storage in a library's computer. | 72% |
| Train other staff, volunteers, or student assistants and schedule and supervise their work. | 71% |
| Conduct reference searches, using printed materials and in-house and online databases. | 71% |
| Verify bibliographical data for materials, including author, title, publisher, publication date, and edition. | 71% |
| Plan and conduct children's programs, community outreach programs, and other specialized programs, such as library tours. | 70% |
| Compile data and create statistical reports on library usage. | 69% |
| Organize and maintain periodicals and reference materials. | 69% |
| Claim missing issues of periodicals and journals. | 68% |
| Design posters and special displays to promote use of library facilities or specific reading programs at libraries. | 67% |
| Compose explanatory summaries of contents of books and other reference materials. | 62% |
| Design, customize, and maintain databases, web pages, and local area networks. | 61% |
| Sort and deliver library mail and packages. | 61% |
| Collaborate with archivists to arrange for the safe storage of historical records and documents. | 57% |
| Operate and maintain audio-visual equipment, such as projectors, tape recorders, and videocassette recorders. | 56% |
| Prepare volumes for binding. | 53% |
| File catalog cards according to system used. | 52% |
| Compile bibliographies and prepare abstracts on subjects of interest to particular organizations or groups. | 50% |
