Librarians assess the informational, educational, cultural and recreational needs of the community they serve, find resources to meet those needs, and provide access to and manage resources.

Librarians lead and manage the delivery of library and information services. They make information accessible by selecting, purchasing, organizing, maintaining and retrieving a wide variety of materials: books, newspapers, periodicals, government documents, films, microfilm, audiovisual resources, on-line databases and electronic information resources. This involves the development and use of classification and information management systems to organize, house and display materials in such a way that desired resources can be readily located, obtained and used. It also involves teaching others how to use information resources and providing related advice.

Librarians' duties vary depending on the size and type of organization (for example, public library, school, government department, corporate office, information technology firm) but, in general, librarians:

• help people access the materials and information they want
• answer questions by critically assessing information in reference books and resources such as on-line databases and the Internet
• evaluate, select and purchase materials, and negotiate software licensing agreements
• catalogue materials and supervise cataloguing assistants
• develop access/instructional resources such as indexes, bibliographies, web pages, electronic pathfinders and on-line tutorials
• evaluate, select, use and maintain computer systems and software
• plan and deliver client-centred programs and services (for example, services for corporate clients, storytelling for children, newsletters, public lectures, or programs for seniors, young adults or special groups)
• design and deliver information literacy instruction programs
• collaborate in facility planning
• advocate on behalf of libraries and information service, and do public relations work for their organizations (for example, do televised book reviews or community talks)
• develop library policies and procedures
• supervise library staff
• conduct related research.

Librarians also may have management responsibilities such as planning and budgeting. In public libraries, managers work closely with advisory boards and municipal governments. In corporate settings, librarians may be members of the corporation's management team.

Librarians may work in large libraries providing services to the public or smaller libraries providing specialized resources and reference information for a specific group of people.

Academic and public libraries may require librarians to work evening and weekend shifts.

New entrants to the profession must have a master's degree in library science or library and information studies. Some positions also require specialized subject knowledge. For example, employers generally require music librarians to have a bachelor's degree or master's degree in music.

The University of Alberta in Edmonton offers a two year Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) program. The entrance requirement is a four year bachelor's degree or equivalent from a recognized institution and a Grade Point Average (GPA) sufficient for admission to a graduate program.

Librarians are employed by:

• public libraries in urban centres and rural communities
• public and private schools
• college, research and university libraries 
• regional library systems
• corporate, government, hospital and legal libraries
• publishers and broadcasters
• museums and archives
• not-for-profit organizations
• information brokerage firms
• information technology firms.

A growing number of librarians are self-employed and work as independent consultants or entrepreneurs.

In Alberta, 84 per cent of people employed as librarians work in the following industries:

• Information, Culture and Recreation
• Educational Services
• Professional, Scientific and Technical Services.

The employment outlook in this occupation will be influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

• trends and events affecting overall employment (especially in the industries listed above)
• location in Alberta
• employment turnover (work opportunities generated by people leaving existing positions)
• occupational growth (work opportunities resulting from the creation of new positions that never existed before)
• size of the occupation.

Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next ten years.

According to the 2009 Alberta Wage and Salary Survey, Albertans in the Librarians group earned from $15.18 to $51.63 an hour. The average wage was $28.27 an hour.

For more detailed information, see WAGEinfo.

Post-secondary institution calendar or website (see Educational Requirements above)

Canadian Library Association (CLA) website: www.cla.ca

Special Library Association (SLA) website: www.sla.org