LIBRARIANS bring order to and guide users through the vast array of information available in today's libraries. Public libraries provide services to all members of the community. School libraries serve the information and pleasure reading needs of students and faculty in elementary, middle, and high schools. Academic libraries are located in colleges and universities. Special libraries serve the demands of one specific organization such as a business or governmental agency or one field of study such as law or medicine.

Librarians perform the following tasks to ensure library patrons have the information they need:

• Organize collections of books, publications, documents, audiovisual aids, and other reference materials for convenient access.
• Research, retrieve, and disseminate information from books, periodicals, reference materials or commercial database in response to requests.
• Acquire and manage materials in various formats to add to the library collection.
• Assist patrons in selecting books and informational material.
• Demonstrate library equipment.
• Explain how to use library facilities and procedures.
• Assemble and arrange display materials.
• Review, compile, and publish a listing of library materials, including bibliographies and book reviews.
• Manage library resources stored in files, on film, or in computer databases for Research information.
• Create databases.
• Instruct staff and customers on database use in information retrieval.

The size and character of the library determine whether Librarians perform all phases of the work or engage in a specialty.

Acquisitions Librarians select and purchase books, periodicals, newspapers, films, recordings, and other types of material that make up the library collection.

Administrative Librarians supervise, direct, and coordinate library activities, programs, and services and may be known as Library Administrators, Library Directors, or Head Librarians. Their duties include hiring and training library personnel, preparing budgets, and planning public relations activities.

Catalogers examine, classify, and organize materials based on subject matter or standardized library classification systems.

Children's Librarians select materials for children, show children how to use the library, and organize and conduct story hours and film programs.

Library Media Teachers work in library media centers within the public school system in the role of information specialist, teacher, instructional partner, and program administrator to develop strategies and teaching methods promoting the integration of technology into the curriculum. They teach information literacy skills to students and staff using print and nonprint resources.

Reference Librarians direct patrons to reference sources; aid them in Researching information; explain the use of equipment such as microfilm readers, computers, and copiers; and obtain requested information from data retrieval systems.

Modern technology is having an impact on the Librarian's job. Automated registration of borrowers, circulation of materials, ordering and cataloging are now common in all types of libraries. The increasing amount of information on the Internet has given Research Librarians a powerful new tool in their work. Librarians still perform the same functions, but are adding some new methods of delivery.

Other library specialization includes young adult, audio-visual, bookmobile, document, medical, and legal.

Skills, knowledge, and abilities key to success as a Librarian include the following:

• Information Organization - Finding ways to structure or classify multiple pieces of information.
• Information Gathering - Knowing how to find information and identifying essential information.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
• Category Flexibility - The ability to produce many rules so that each rule tells how to group or combine a set of things in a different way.
• Information Ordering - The ability to correctly follow a given rule or set of rules in order to arrange things or actions in a certain order.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.

Work schedules for Librarians directly serving the public may be busy, demanding, and even stressful. Answering the information needs of people and teaching them to use library resources can be taxing.

The job may require much standing, stooping, bending, and reaching. Acquisitions and Catalogue Librarians often work all day at desks or computer terminals. Constant work at video display terminals can cause headaches and eyestrain.

Membership in professional associations keeps Librarians aware of the constantly changing array of technology that is reshaping library services.

Librarians can belong to public employee unions.

The profession of Librarian will grow slower than average compared with all occupations. Job opportunities will also arise as Librarians leave the work force. Persons with experience and training in a library specialization will have the greatest chance of being hired. In some areas, it has been difficult to fill the positions of Children's Librarian, Cataloger, Ethnic Services Librarian, Documents Librarian, and Library Media Teachers. The State of California sometimes finds it difficult to fill positions for Librarians in State prison and California Youth Authority libraries.

The continuing demand for accurate and computer-delivered information has increased the need for Librarians with information management skills. After years of reduced library hours because of government budgets, many public libraries have lengthened their open hours as the economy and government revenues have improved. Both these factors have improved the job prospects for Librarians.