Library Technicians

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• 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.
• Compose explanatory summaries of contents of books and other reference materials.
• Sort and deliver library mail and packages.
• Collect fines and respond to complaints about fines.
• Collect fines and respond to complaints about fines.
• Verify bibliographical data for materials, including author, title, publisher, publication date, and edition.
• Sort and deliver library mail and packages.
• Train other staff, volunteers, or student assistants and schedule and supervise their work.
• Conduct reference searches, using printed materials and in-house and online databases.
• Claim missing issues of periodicals and journals.
• Reserve, circulate, renew, and discharge books and other materials.
• Enter and update patrons' records on computers.
• Process interlibrary loans for patrons.
• Order all print and non-print library materials, checking prices, figuring costs, preparing order slips, and making payments.
• 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.
• Process print and non-print library materials to prepare them for inclusion in library collections.
• 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.
• Check for damaged library materials, such as books or audio-visual equipment, and provide replacements or make repairs.
• Compile data and create statistical reports on library usage.
• Provide assistance to teachers and students by locating materials and helping to complete special projects.
• Organize and maintain periodicals and reference materials.
• Maintain and troubleshoot problems with library equipment, including computers, photocopiers, and audio-visual equipment.
• Issue identification cards to borrowers.
• Deliver and retrieve items throughout the library by hand or using pushcart.
• Compile and maintain records relating to circulation, materials, and equipment.
• Design posters and special displays to promote use of library facilities or specific reading programs at libraries.
• Compile bibliographies and prepare abstracts on subjects of interest to particular organizations or groups.
• Operate and maintain audio-visual equipment, such as projectors, tape recorders, and videocassette recorders.
• Train other staff, volunteers, or student assistants and schedule and supervise their work.
• Plan and conduct children's programs, community outreach programs, and other specialized programs, such as library tours.
• Deliver and retrieve items throughout the library by hand or using pushcart.
• Take actions to halt disruption of library activities by problem patrons.
• Answer routine telephone or in-person reference inquiries, referring patrons to librarians for further assistance, when necessary.
• Review subject matter of materials to be classified and select classification numbers and headings according to classification systems.
• Send out notices about lost or overdue books.
• Retrieve information from central databases for storage in a library's computer.

Skills

• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

Abilities

• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.

Knowledge

• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

Education

Education

Postsecondary certificate

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

No on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

×

Education and Training Opportunities

• Spokane Falls Community College
  3410 W Whistalks Way, Spokane WA 99224-5288
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 509-533-3500
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://sfcc.spokane.edu/
  Program Name
  Library and Archives Assisting
  Length
  Certificates of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 year
  Award Level
  Certificates of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 year, Associate's degree
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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

57550/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

27.67/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

73,200

Yearly Projected Openings

13000

Personality

Conventional: People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines. They do well at jobs that need:

• Cooperation
• Attention to Detail
• Dependability
• Social Orientation

Tools

• Bar code reader equipment
• Cargo trucks
• Cash registers
• Desktop computers
• Digital video disk players or recorders
• Film projectors
• Microfiche or microfilm viewers
• Microfiche reader printers
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers
• Photocopiers
• Scanners
• Special purpose telephones
• Video cassette players or recorders

Technology

• Data base user interface and query software
• Desktop publishing software
• Document management software
• Electronic mail software
• Graphics or photo imaging software
• Internet browser software
• Library software
• Office suite software
• Operating system software
• Presentation software
• Spreadsheet software
• Web page creation and editing software
• Word processing software