"The Librarian", a 1556 painting by Giuseppe Arcimboldo

A librarian is a person who develops procedures for organizing information and provides services that assist and instruct people in the most efficient ways to identify and access any needed information or information resource (article, book, magazine, etc.). In the workplace, the librarian is usually a professional with a Master's degree in library science or information science who is trained and educated to analyze information needs and use a wide variety of information resources to meet those needs. Although librarians are traditionally associated with collections of books, they can deal with the organization and retrieval of information in many formats such as Internet resources, compact discs, photographs, videotapes, newspapers, magazines, and computer databases. Download high resolution version (760x1075, 122 KB)The Librarian by Giuseppe Arcimboldo. ... Download high resolution version (760x1075, 122 KB)The Librarian by Giuseppe Arcimboldo. ... Events January 16 - Abdication of Emperor Charles V. His son, Philip II becomes King of Spain, while his brother Ferdinand becomes Holy Roman Emperor January 23 - The Shaanxi earthquake, the deadliest earthquake in history, occurs with its epicenter in Shaanxi province, China. ... Vertemnus, a portrait of Rudolf II Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527 in Milan, Italy - 1593) was a distinctive and eccentric painter who is best known for creating portrait heads made entirely of such objects as fruit or vegetables or flowers, or fish, or inanimate objects such as books -- that is, he painted... Information is a word which seems to have many different meanings, but is as a rule it closely relates to such concepts as meaning, knowledge, instruction, communication, representation, and mental stimulus. ... A professional works to receive payment for an activity (as a profession), which usually requires expertise and carries with it socially significant mores and folkways. ... A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate or graduate course of one to three years in duration. ... Fundamental Concepts Library and information science (LIS) is the study of issues related to libraries. ... Information science or informatics is the science of information. ... Look up book on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

In a library, there are many other positions besides the librarian, including library associates, library technicians, library assistants, pages, shelvers, and volunteers. Modern-style library In its traditional sense, a library is a collection of books and periodicals. ...

Librarian roles and duties

The specific duties vary depending on the size and type of library, but most librarians spend their time working in one of the following areas of a library:

• Public service librarians work with the public, frequently at the reference desk of lending libraries. Some specialize in serving adults or children. (In larger libraries they may specialize in teen services, periodicals, or other special collections.)
• Reference librarians help people doing research to find the information they need. The help may take the form of research on a specific question, providing direction on the use of databases and other electronic information resources; obtaining specialized materials from other sources; providing access to and care of delicate or expensive materials. Increasingly, these services are provided by other library staff.
• Technical service librarians work "behind the scenes" ordering library materials and database subscriptions, computers and other equipment, and supervise the cataloging and physical processing of new materials.
• "Collections librarians" monitor the selection of books and electronic resources. Large libraries often use approval plans, which involve the librarian for a specific subject creating a profile that allows publishers to send relevant books to the library without any additional vetting. Librarians can then see those books when they arrive and decide if they will become part of the collection or not. All collections librarians also have a discreet amount of funding to allow them to purchase books and materials that don't arrive via approval.
• Experienced librarians may take administrative positions such as library or information center director. Similar to the management of any other business, they are concerned with the long-term planning of the library as a business, and its relationship with its parent organization (the city or county for a public library, the college for an academic library, or the organization served by a special library).
• Archivists can be specialized librarians who deal with archival materials, such as manuscripts, documents and records, though this varies from country to country.

Common examples of tasks: The reference desk or information desk of a library is a public service desk where professional librarians offer help to library users. ... // Basic Characteristics There is some debate as to what constitutes childrens literature. ... Young adult (YA) literature, while having only been recognized as a legitimate genre for a relatively short time, is a collection of books that can range from science fiction to autobiography. ... A collection of magazines A magazine is a periodical publication containing a variety of articles. ... A library catalog (or library catalogue) is a register of all bibliographic items found in a library. ... An Archivist is someone who collects, organizes, and maintains control over a wide range of important information. ... For alternate uses see: Archive (disambiguation). ...

• Researching topics of interest for their constituencies.
• Referrals to other community organizations and government offices.
• Suggesting appropriate books ("readers' advisory") for children of different reading levels, and recommending novels for recreational reading.
• Supervising and promoting reading clubs.
• Developing programs for library users of all ages and backgrounds.
• Managing access to electronic information resources.

Recent issues of concern for U.S. libraries include implementation of the Patriot Act and the Children's Internet Protection Act. Yet librarians around the world share American librarians' concern over ethical issues surrounding censorship and privacy. Some librarians even join activist organizations like the UK-based Information for Social Change and the North American-based Progressive Librarians Guild. Within the American Library Association (ALA), some also join the Social Responsibilities Round Table. SRRT came into being amid the social ferment of the 1960s and is often critical of the American Library Association for not living up to its professed ideals. Another important activist organization is the Social Responsibilities Special Interest Section of the American Association of Law Libraries(AALL). These activist organizations are viewed as controversial by some librarians, while others view them as a natural extension and outgrowth of their own deeply-held library ethics. DeFoes Robinson Crusoe, Newspaper edition published in 1719 A novel (from French nouvelle, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ... This article needs cleanup. ... CIPA may mean: Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis, a medical condition, CIPA, a television station in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. ... Censorship is the use of governmental power to control speech and other forms of human expression. ... Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to stop information about themselves from becoming known to people other than those they choose to give the information to. ... The American Library Association promotes libraries and library education in the United States and internationally. ...

Workplaces

Basic categories of workplace settings for librarians are routinely classified around the world as: public, academic, school, and special. Some librarians will start and operate their own business. They often call themselves information brokers, research specialists, knowledge management, competitive intelligence or independent information professionals. Below are the basic differences between the types of libraries. Information Broker An Information Broker is someone who buys and sells information based on the needs of a client. ... Knowledge management (KM) is the organization, creation, sharing and flow of knowledge within organizations. ... Competitive Intelligence is defined as the process of obtaining and analyzing competitive information from publicly available sources to help achieve the objectives of the organization (as defined in the book Beat the Competition, by Ian Gordon, 1989, one of the first books to focus on Competitive Intelligence). It is the...

Public library: These institutions are created through legislation within the jurisdiction they serve. Accordingly, they are given certain benefits, such as taxpayer funding, but must adhere to service standards and meet a wide group of client needs. They are usually overseen by a board of directors or library commission from the community. Mission statements, service and collection policies are the fundamental administrative features of public libraries. Occasionally private lending libraries serve the public in the manner of public libraries. In the United States, public librarians and public libraries are represented by the Public Library Association. Librarians and patrons in a typical larger urban public library A public library is a library which is accessible by the public and is often operated by civil servants and funded from public sources. ...

Academic library: Libraries that serve a post-secondary institution. Depending upon the institution, the library may serve a particular faculty or the entire institution. Many different types, sizes, and collections are found in academic libraries and some academic librarians are specialists in these collections and archives. A University librarian, or Chief librarian, is responsible for the library within the college structure, and may also be called the Dean of Libraries. Some post-secondary institutions treat librarians as faculty, and they may be called Professor. The school may make the same demands of academic librarians for research and professional service as are required of faculty. Academic librarians may have to administer various levels of service and privilege to faculty, students, alumni and the public. An academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint responsibilities. ...

School library: Libraries which exclusively serve the needs of a public or private school. The primary, if not sole, purpose is to support the students, teachers, and curriculum of the school, or school district. Audio-visual equipment service may also be included in a school librarian's responsibilities. In the United States there are many non-ALA accredited university faculties that exclusively serve their state’s need for school librarians. More often than not, teacher-librarians are firstly qualified teachers who take additional qualification courses in library administration from faculties of education. A Teacher-Librarian is a professional with a baccalaureate degree and a certificate in secondary or elementary education, like any other public school teacher, but who also has at least 18 graduate hours in Library Science (focused on school librarianship) and a state certification, sometimes called a Learning Resources Endorsement...

Special library: Law, medical, government, corporate, museum or any other type of library owned and operated by an organization is considered a special library. They can be highly specialized, serving a discrete user group with a restricted collection area. In an increasingly global and virtual workplace, many special librarians may not even work in a library at all but instead manage and facilitate the use of an electronic collection. Funding for special libraries varies widely. Librarians in some types of special libraries are required to have additional training, such as a law degree for a librarian in a law library. Many belong to the Special Libraries Association. There are also more specific associations such as the American Association of Law Libraries or the Medical Library Association.

Education

In the United States and Canada, a librarian normally has a one or two-year master's degree in library and information science, library science or information science (called an MSLS, MLS, MIS, MISt, MLIS or MILS) from an accredited university. These degrees are accredited by the American Library Association and can have specializations within fields such as archiving, records management, information architecture, public librarianship, medical librarianship, law librarianship, special librarianship, academic librarianship, or school (K-12) librarianship. School librarians often are required to have a teaching credential as well as a library science degree. Many if not most academic librarians also have a second, subject-based master's degree. A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate or graduate course of one to three years in duration. ... Library and information science (LIS) is the study of issues related to libraries and the information fields. ... Fundamental Concepts Library and information science (LIS) is the study of issues related to libraries. ... Information science or informatics is the science of information. ... The American Library Association promotes libraries and library education in the United States and internationally. ... Archives refers to a collection of records with specific characteristics, and also refers to the location in which these records are kept. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Information Architecture (IA) is the art and science of structuring knowledge (technically data), and defining user interactions (also see use case). ...

Elsewhere, a librarian can have a three- or four-year bachelor's degree in library and information studies or Information science; separate master's degrees in librarianship, archive management, and records management are also available. In the United Kingdom, these degrees are accredited by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals and the Society of Archivists. A bachelors degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts three or four years. ... Library and information science (LIS) is the study of issues related to libraries and the information fields. ... Information science or informatics is the science of information. ... A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate or graduate course of one to three years in duration. ... The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) is a professional body representing librarians and other information professionals in the United Kingdom. ...

Doctorates in Library and Information Science are also possible, with graduates of these programs holding Ph.D.s. They often become university faculty (teaching in LIS programs) or university librarians, e.g. directors of Academic Libraries. The PhD is normally required for a library director in an academic setting, though the doctoral degree need not necessarily be in Library Science. Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. ...

Other degrees often taken in conjunction with a degree in librarianship are law, management, or public administration. Aphorism Critical legal studies Jurisprudence Law (principle) Legal research Letter versus Spirit List of legal abbreviations Legal code Natural justice Natural law Philosophy of law Religious law External links Wikibooks Wikiversity has more about this subject: School of Law Look up law on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Management (from Old French ménagement the art of conducting, directing, from Latin manu agere to lead by the hand) characterises the process of leading and directing all or part of an organization, often a business, through the deployment and manipulation of resources (human, financial, material, intellectual or intangible). ... Public administration is, broadly speaking, the implementation of policy within a state framework. ...

Library associates, Library technicians, and library assistants usually do not hold the specific Library Science or Information Management Master's degree, but often hold bachelor's and master's degrees in other fields. They perform duties such as database management, cataloging, ready reference, and serials and monograph acquisitions. A library catalog (or library catalogue) is a register of all bibliographic items found in a library. ...

Professional organizations

The two largest library associations in the United States are the American Library Association (ALA) and the Special Libraries Association. Many states have their own library association, as well. Librarians may also join such organizations as the Association of College and Research Libraries and the Public Library Association. The Canadian Library Association serves Canada and there are provincial associations as well, such as the Ontario Library Association. In the United Kingdom, the professional body for Librarians is the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (formally known as the Library Association). The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) represents the interests of libraries and librarians internationally. (See also the List of Library Associations. The American Library Association promotes libraries and library education in the United States and internationally. ... The Canadian Library Association (CLA) was founded in Hamilton, Ontario in 1946, and was incorporated under the Companies Act on November 26, 1947. ... Founded in 1900, the Ontario Library Association is the oldest continually operating library association in Canada. ... // International Christian Librarians, Association of Website International Association of Law Libraries Website International Association of Music Libraries Website International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres Website International Association of School Librarianship Website International Association of Technological University Libraries Website International Council on Archives Website International Federation of Library...

Technology in libraries

The increasing role of technology in libraries has a significant impact on the changing roles of librarians. New technologies are dramatically increasing the accessibility of information, and librarians are adapting to the evolving needs of users that emerge from the adoption of these new technologies.

The most significant example of how technology has changed the role of librarians in the last 50 years has been the move from traditional card catalogs to online public access catalogs (OPAC). Librarians had to develop software and the MARC standards for cataloging records electronically. They had to purchase and run the computers necessary to use the software. They had to teach the public how to use the new technologies and move to more virtual working environments. An Online Public Access Catalog or OPAC is a computerized online catalog of the materials held in a library. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

The same could be said of other technology developments from electronic databases (including the Internet) to logistical functions such as barcodes (or in the near future RFID). In the future, it will not be uncommon for librarians to be providing virtual reference services, using digital rights management to distribute documents, work in digitalization initiatives for works in the public domain or working on the development of information architectures for improving access and search functionality - among other things. These examples are merely new ways that librarians are using technology to fulfill and expand upon their historical roles. An EPC RFID tag used for Wal-Mart An RFID tag used for electronic toll collection Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders. ...

For some, there is the belief that technology will eventually make librarians irrelevent. It is not uncommon to find mention of trivial applications of technology as "librarians". For example, in 2004 a group of researchers in Spain developed the UJI Online Robot. Many called this a robotic librarian. Considering that the robot was only capable of navigating the library, looking for the needed book and carefully taking it from the shelf, speculation on the potential threat to the job security of this kind of robot to librarians is premature. 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The UJI Online Robot is a robot librarian that was created at University Jaume I, Spain in 2004. ...

Practically, advances in technology move to eliminate more mundane tasks - such as getting books from a shelf - and free librarians for more difficult and valuable work. Those librarians that embrace technology and use it to their advantage only increase their job security - not decrease it.

Librarians in popular culture

• In most animated cartoon series, like Baby Looney Tunes to Rugrats, and even Doug, the librarian is often shown silencing the main or pivotal characters, especially younger children, when they're in a library area. Some even ban the characters from the libraries for many explicit or strange noises. This is a consistent cultural stereotype that can be seen in such products as the Library Action Figure, an action figure of the stereotypical librarian holding a finger up to her lips, indicating silence.
• On All That, there are several sketches that feature a silence-obsessed librarian (known as "The Loud Librarian" to some) that scolds someone for even making a coughing sound. She is eventually "fired" when Lori Beth Denberg leaves the cast in 1998.
• In the Discworld book series by Terry Pratchett there is a librarian who has been magically turned into an orangutan. In these stories, librarians frequently have supernatural powers related to books and library work, including access to a form of hyperspace known as L-Space.
• A wretched alternate fate is revealed for Mary Hatch Bailey (played by Donna Reed) in the movie It's a Wonderful Life: "She's closing up the library!"
• Vox (played by Orlando Jones), a holographic entity possessing a "compendium of all human knowledge," works at a futuristic New York Public Library in the movie The Time Machine (2002).
• Mary (played by Parker Posey) is the ultimate Party Girl (movie) who discovers, "I want to be a librarian!"
• Librarian Bunny Watson (played by Katharine Hepburn) teaches Richard Sumner (played by Spencer Tracy) a few things about modern research methods in the movie Desk Set.
• Heather Stephens plays Jill, the awkward librarian (and closet dominatrix), in the movie Tomcats.
• Shirley Jones stars as the no-nonsense "Marian the Librarian" in the movie The Music Man.
• Librarian Jocasta Nu is a crotchety archivist in the movie Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
• Evelyn Carnahan is proud to be a librarian in the movies The Mummy and The Mummy Returns.
• In the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Anthony Stewart Head plays the role of school librarian Rupert Giles, Buffy's watcher.
• In the comic book series Batman, Barbara Gordon is a computer-savvy librarian using the name Oracle. Before she was shot by the Joker, restricting the use of her legs, she was known as Batgirl.
• Lucien, from Neil Gaiman's comic book series The Sandman, tends to The Dreaming's library, where all the books that are dreamt of, but never written, are contained.
• Noah Wyle's character in the television movie The Librarian: Quest for The Spear.
• Jet Li's character in the movie Black Mask works as a librarian.
• Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine Librarians are superhuman fighters with potent psychic powers, rather than just being deskbound intellects. Wielding force staffs and psychic abilities, they are found on the battlefield battling alongside their non-psychic battle brothers delivering justice to the Emperor's enemies, while at the same time advising the Space Marine Commander.
• Jack and Annie in the Magic Treehouse Series of children's books become "Master Librarians".

Baby Looney Tunes is a television show that shows Looney Tunes characters as toddlers. ... The whole Rugrats gang as of 2001. ... Doug is an animated series on Nickelodeon and is the first Nicktoon ever made, starring an 11-year-old named Doug as the main character. ... Silence is a relative or total lack of sound. ... The All That logo. ... Actress Lori Beth Denberg (born February 2, 1976 in Northridge, California, USA) has starred on US TV shows such as Nickelodeons All That (from 1995 to 1998) and The WB Television Networks The Steve Harvey Show from (1998 to 2002). ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The Discworld is a series of over 30 novels by Terry Pratchett set on the Discworld. ... Terence David John Pratchett OBE (known to some fans as Pterry, following the convention he used in his book Pyramids where characters were given names such as Ptraci and Pteppic) is an English fantasy author (born April 28, 1948, in Beaconsfield, Bucks), best known for his Discworld series. ... The Librarian of Unseen University is one of the most popular characters in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series of fantasy novels. ... The ancient symbol of the pentagram is often used as a symbol for magic. ... Type species Simia pygmaeus Linnaeus, 1760 Species Pongo pygmaeus Pongo abelii Orangutans (also spelled orang utan, orang-utan, sometimes incorrectly orangutang) are two species of great apes with long arms and reddish, sometimes brown, hair native to Malaysia and Indonesia. ... In physics, hyperspace is a theoretical entity. ... Donna Reed (January 27, 1921 – January 14, 1986) was an American actress. ... Its a Wonderful Life is a 1946 Frank Capra film, released originally by RKO Radio Pictures. ... Orlando Jones (born April 10, 1968 in Mobile, Alabama) is an American film and television actor. ... New York Public Library, central block, built 1897–1911, Carrère and Hastings, architects (June 2003) The New York Public Library (NYPL), one of three public library systems serving New York City, is one of the leading libraries in the United States. ... The Time Machine is a novel by H. G. Wells, first published in 1895, later made into two films of the same name. ... Parker Christian Posey (born November 8, 1968) is an American actress best known for her many appearances in independent films. ... Party Girl is a 1995 a film which tells the story of a young woman, Mary, who is living a self-destructive life of drug taking and partying. ... Bunny Watson is a Canadian radio program, which airs Saturday evenings on CBC Radio One and Sunday evenings on CBC Radio Two. ... Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an iconic star of American film, television and stage, widely recognized for her sharp wit, New England gentility and fierce independence. ... Image:ST3. ... Desk Set (or His Other Woman in the U.K.) is a 1957 romantic comedy film directed by Walter Lang and starring Spencer Tracy (as Richard Sumner) and Katharine Hepburn (as Bunny Watson). Its screenplay was written by Phoebe Ephron and Henry Ephron from the play by William Marchant. ... --84. ... Shirley Jones, in a still from the opening credits of The Partridge Family. ... The Music Man is a musical play written by Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey, which premiered on Broadway in 1957 famously starring Robert Preston as Professor Harold Hill (in his musical debut) and revived in 1976 with Ian Richardson. ... This article is about minor Jedi characters in the fictional Star Wars universe. ... Film poster for Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) is the fifth Star Wars science fiction movie released and the second part of the prequel trilogy which began with Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. ... The Mummy is a 1999 movie written and directed by Stephen Sommers and starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, with Arnold Vosloo as the reanimated mummy of the title. ... Promotional poster for The Mummy Returns The Mummy Returns is a 2001 movie starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, and is directed by Stephen Sommers. ... Buffy, the Vampire Slayer is a U.S. television series based on the original script for the 1992 movie of the same name. ... Anthony Stewart Head (born February 20, 1954) is a British actor in theatre, television and films but most widely known for his role in the American television drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the role of Frank N Furter in the London revival of The Rocky Horror Show, and a... Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles Rupert Giles is a character from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series played by actor Anthony Stewart Head. ... The comic book character Batman is a fictional character and superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. ... Batgirl is a DC Comics superhero, a female crime-fighter modeled after and associated with Batman. ... The Joker is a DC Comics supervillain, widely considered to be Batmans archenemy. ... Batgirl is a DC Comics superhero, a female crime-fighter modeled after and associated with Batman. ... This is a list of characters appearing in The Sandman. ... Neil Gaiman (November 2004) Neil Richard Gaiman () (born November 10, 1960 in Portchester, England) is the author of numerous science fiction and fantasy works, including many comic books. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Cover of The Sandman #1, by Dave McKean. ... The Dreaming is a part of a fictional, supernatural world used as the setting for several comic book series and graphic novels, particularly The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, all published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics. ... Noah Wyle Noah Strausser Speer Wyle (born Friday, June 4, 1971) is an American TV and Film Actor best known for his role as Dr. John Carter on the television drama ER. As of June 2004, the show has completed its tenth season, with Wyle the only major cast member... Released on cable channel TNT in November of 2004, The Librarian: Quest for the Spear is executively produced by Dean Devlin (Independence Day, The Patriot), under his Electric Entertainment (founded in 2001), with Phillip M. Goldfarb (Monk, Roswell), Jorg Westerkamp (Superbabies) and Kai Schurman co-producing. ... Jet Li Jet Li (Traditional: 李連傑; Simplified: 李连杰; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Li Lien-chieh; Cantonese: Lei Lin Git; born April 26, 1963) is a Chinese martial artist and filmactor. ... Example of Warhammer 40,000 miniatures Warhammer 40,000 (informally known as Warhammer 40K or just 40K) is a science fiction tabletop miniature wargame, produced by the British gaming company Games Workshop. ...

See also

• List of librarians
• Occupational Outlook Handbook: Librarians
• ALA Code of Ethics
• SLA's Competencies for Information Professionals
• LIS News, a news & interest site (community weblog) by and for librarians and information professionals.
• Library Juice, a library e-zine edited by librarian Rory Litwin.
• Friends of Libraries USA
• Librarian Wage Analysis and Projected Job Outlook