Library Technicians

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Compose explanatory summaries of contents of books and other reference materials.
• Verify bibliographical data for materials, including author, title, publisher, publication date, and edition.
• Collect fines and respond to complaints about fines.
• Collect fines and respond to complaints about fines.
• Train other staff, volunteers, or student assistants and schedule and supervise their work.
• Sort and deliver library mail and packages.
• Conduct reference searches, using printed materials and in-house and online databases.
• Sort and deliver library mail and packages.
• Catalogue and sort books and other print and non-print materials according to procedure and return them to shelves, files, or other designated storage areas.
• Claim missing issues of periodicals and journals.
• Reserve, circulate, renew, and discharge books and other materials.
• Enter and update patrons' records on computers.
• Order all print and non-print library materials, checking prices, figuring costs, preparing order slips, and making payments.
• Process interlibrary loans for patrons.
• Catalogue and sort books and other print and non-print materials according to procedure and return them to shelves, files, or other designated storage areas.
• Process print and non-print library materials to prepare them for inclusion in library collections.
• Check for damaged library materials, such as books or audio-visual equipment, and provide replacements or make repairs.
• Help patrons find and use library resources, such as reference materials, audio-visual equipment, computers, and other electronic resources and provide technical assistance when needed.
• Compile data and create statistical reports on library usage.
• Deliver and retrieve items throughout the library by hand or using pushcart.
• Maintain and troubleshoot problems with library equipment, including computers, photocopiers, and audio-visual equipment.
• Design posters and special displays to promote use of library facilities or specific reading programs at libraries.
• Plan and conduct children's programs, community outreach programs, and other specialized programs, such as library tours.
• Compile and maintain records relating to circulation, materials, and equipment.
• Retrieve information from central databases for storage in a library's computer.
• Compile bibliographies and prepare abstracts on subjects of interest to particular organizations or groups.
• Operate and maintain audio-visual equipment, such as projectors, tape recorders, and videocassette recorders.
• Train other staff, volunteers, or student assistants and schedule and supervise their work.
• Deliver and retrieve items throughout the library by hand or using pushcart.
• Take actions to halt disruption of library activities by problem patrons.
• Review subject matter of materials to be classified and select classification numbers and headings according to classification systems.
• Organize and maintain periodicals and reference materials.
• Issue identification cards to borrowers.
• Answer routine telephone or in-person reference inquiries, referring patrons to librarians for further assistance, when necessary.
• Provide assistance to teachers and students by locating materials and helping to complete special projects.
• Send out notices about lost or overdue books.

Skills

• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

Abilities

• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.

Knowledge

• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

Education

Education

Postsecondary certificate

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

No on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

×

Education and Training Opportunities

• Spokane Falls Community College
  3410 W Whistalks Way, Spokane WA 99224-5288
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 509-533-3500
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://sfcc.spokane.edu/
  Program Name
  Library and Archives Assisting
  Length
  Certificates of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 year
  Award Level
  Certificates of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 year, Associate's degree
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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

57550/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

27.67/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

73,200

Yearly Projected Openings

13000

Personality

Conventional: People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines. They do well at jobs that need:

• Cooperation
• Attention to Detail
• Dependability
• Social Orientation

Tools

• Bar code reader equipment
• Cargo trucks
• Cash registers
• Desktop computers
• Digital video disk players or recorders
• Film projectors
• Microfiche or microfilm viewers
• Microfiche reader printers
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers
• Photocopiers
• Scanners
• Special purpose telephones
• Video cassette players or recorders

Technology

• Data base user interface and query software
• Desktop publishing software
• Document management software
• Electronic mail software
• Graphics or photo imaging software
• Internet browser software
• Library software
• Office suite software
• Operating system software
• Presentation software
• Spreadsheet software
• Web page creation and editing software
• Word processing software