How To Become A Digital Librarian: What It Is and Career Path

What is a digital librarian and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A digital librarian works in a library and oversees its digital collections. Libraries are no longer just buildings full of dusty books; many have online collections as well to meet their patrons' needs. Other organizations, such as museums, may have online libraries as well in order to share information as widely as possible. Digital librarians are in charge of obtaining new digital media for the collection and digitizing physical records. They are in charge of MARC cataloging, which is the way information is stored in online cataloging. In addition to knowing a lot about libraries, digital librarians need to have excellent computer skills in order to maintain digital collections, use software such as Sharepoint, and manage a library's digital presence on social media or their website.

Like regular librarians, digital librarians need a master's degree in library science if they want to work for a public or academic library. In other positions, they can probably get by with only a bachelor's degree.

They can gain practical experience with digital media through internships or by working as a library assistant. It takes some effort to become a digital librarian, but it pays off with an average salary of $55,453 a year.

ScoreDigital LibrarianUS Average

Salary

4.5

Avg. Salary $57,957

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.6

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.33%

Asian 4.96%

Black or African American 6.55%

Hispanic or Latino 7.90%

Unknown 3.60%

White 76.65%

Gender

female 55.56%

male 44.44%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress Level

5.6

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

5.6

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

9.5

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a digital librarian

Explore digital librarian education requirements

Most common digital librarian degrees

Bachelor's

56.6 %

Master's

31.0 %

Associate

9.3 %

Start to develop specific digital librarian skills

Skills	Percentages
Metadata	16.67%
Digital Collections	10.90%
Digital Assets	10.37%
Digital Content	10.29%
Technical Support	9.33%

Complete relevant digital librarian training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New digital librarians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a digital librarian based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real digital librarian resumes.

Research digital librarian duties and responsibilities

Manage and customize Sharepoint sites, design Sharepoint forms and workflows.
Manage document delivery via Docline and consortia memberships.
Manage integrated library system including OPAC, serials control, cataloging and acquisitions.
Edit various XML and MARC metadata standards.

Prepare your digital librarian resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your digital librarian resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a digital librarian resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Digital Librarian Resume templates

Build a professional Digital Librarian resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Digital Librarian resume.

Apply for digital librarian jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a digital librarian job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do digital librarians rate their job?