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

What is a law librarian and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a law librarian. For example, did you know that they make an average of $24.86 an hour? That's $51,708 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 8,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreLaw LibrarianUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $51,708

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 4.86%

Black or African American 6.37%

Hispanic or Latino 7.74%

Unknown 3.58%

White 77.11%

Gender

female 67.58%

male 32.42%

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

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Key steps to become a law librarian

Explore law librarian education requirements

Most common law librarian degrees

Bachelor's

54.9 %

Master's

20.5 %

Associate

10.6 %

Start to develop specific law librarian skills

Skills	Percentages
Library Services	10.67%
Collection Development	9.02%
Reference Services	8.66%
Research Services	8.17%
Legal Resources	6.47%

Complete relevant law librarian training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New law 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 law librarian based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real law librarian resumes.

Research law librarian duties and responsibilities

Manage integrated library system including OPAC, serials control, cataloging and acquisitions.
Supervise cataloging and processing of all materials.
Perform library technical services, including cataloging, processing, and acquisitions.
Review monthly Lexis and Westlaw usage to identify users needing additional training in cost-effective research techniques.

Prepare your law librarian resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your law 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 law 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 Law Librarian Resume templates

Build a professional Law 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 Law Librarian resume.

Apply for law librarian jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a law 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