Requirements

Librarian - requirements

As a librarian, or learning resource manager, you’ll use your knowledge and skills to manage and share resources with a community. Learn more about the qualifications needed, and what the role involves.

Know what you'll need to land a job below.

What qualifications do you need to be a librarian?

Most people do an undergraduate degree in any subject, followed by a CILIP-accredited postgraduate diploma or degree.

You can also do an undergraduate degree accredited by CILIP. Examples of undergraduate degrees are:

It’s possible to get a job as a library assistant and work your way up to a full librarian, getting qualifications as you work. However, competition for these types of roles are tough.

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Do you need a postgraduate qualification to be a librarian?

A postgraduate qualification is needed to work as a librarian in most cases. Examples of taught postgraduate courses are:

Library management
Librarianship
Information and library studies
Information science
Digital information and media management
Library science

What skills do you need to be a librarian?

As well as a professional understanding of library management, this role needs great communication skills. You’ll be working closely with the public and the rest of your team, so interpersonal skills are also important.

Hard skills usually include:

Library services
Administration
IT
Child protection

Soft skills include:

Communication
Customer service
Interpersonal skills
Organisation
Research

Do you need work experience to be a librarian?

As many people decide to get into this role through a postgraduate degree or diploma, work experience is really helpful when applying for courses. You could get a paid or voluntary role as a library assistant while you’re at uni. Some libraries might also offer internships.