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

What is a research librarian and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Kerol Harrod

Book lovers can pursue their careers to become research librarians, which is quite an interesting field for someone who likes to read, be creative and think outside the box. Your main responsibilities as a research librarian will be to help scholars, students, and other researchers in finding materials and books. You will also be expected to provide research-related guidance to students.

By becoming a subject specialist, you can apply for the position of a research librarian. Most research librarians obtain a master's degree or complete their Ph.D. before applying for this role. In short, you should be educated enough to apply for this research-level position.

While enjoying their profession with books, research librarians can earn around $24 an hour, making their earnings sum up to almost $50,000 in a year. If you have great library research skills and helping nature, you have a greater chance of excelling as a research librarian and getting better opportunities.

What general advice would you give to a Research Librarian?

Kerol Harrod

Lecturer, School of Library and Information Studies, Texas Woman’s University, Texas Woman's University

Much of what I would advise involves just sticking to the basics. Show up to work on time. Have a good attitude and a growth mindset. Don't complain about menial tasks, and always be looking to learn the skills of the next position above you. I started out as the transit driver in my library system, loading and unloading boxes of books that circulated among the different library branches. I worked my way up, and now I am teaching graduate students how to become librarians. Put in the time and do the work. Networking is a huge part of success, so it's important to maintain good connections with co-workers, former professors, and fellow librarians. Finally, consider establishing a mentorship with a successful, trusted colleague who has experience in the position you want to attain. Personal connections go a long way.

ScoreResearch LibrarianUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $51,263

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 4.85%

Black or African American 6.34%

Hispanic or Latino 7.71%

Unknown 3.58%

White 77.19%

Gender

female 64.29%

male 35.71%

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 research librarian

Explore research librarian education requirements

Most common research librarian degrees

Bachelor's

60.1 %

Master's

28.9 %

Associate

3.7 %

Start to develop specific research librarian skills

Skills	Percentages
Research Support	13.02%
Library Services	8.66%
Collection Development	8.36%
Research Services	6.37%
Library Resources	6.10%

Complete relevant research librarian training and internships

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

Research research librarian duties and responsibilities

Manage integrated library system including OPAC, serials control, cataloging and acquisitions.
Order materials and perform literature searches using OCLC.
Utilize Microsoft SharePoint to create and maintain the library intranet portal.
Advise clients using factual data in the Lexis Nexis computer system.

Prepare your research librarian resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your research 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 research 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 Research Librarian Resume templates

Build a professional Research 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 Research Librarian resume.

Apply for research librarian jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a research 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 research librarians rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

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1 Star

Research Librarian reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Pros

I'm an academic librarian, so helping students learn about information and research, teaching classes about same, and the intellectual aspect of working with information access around colleagues who are smart and kind. I've also been a teacher and a sales and marketing executive, but librarianship is by far my most rewarding career.

Cons

The pay. The stereotypes. The people who ask, "do they even still have libraries"?