Academic Librarian: Key Skills, Qualifications and Career Path
Learn about the key skills, qualifications, and career path for a Academic Librarian
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Practice Now »What is a Academic Librarian?
As an Academic Librarian, you'd work in universities or other learning institutions and manage, organise and distribute educational resources to students, teachers, and researchers. Your role could include developing specialized collections, managing databases, assisting with research work, and generally supporting the educational mission of your institution.
Skills
- Information literacy instruction
- Collection development and management
- Reference and research assistance
- Cataloging and classification
- Digital resource management
- User needs assessment
- Information retrieval and database searching
- Library technology and systems management
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Communication and customer service
Qualifications & Education
- An accredited degree or postgraduate qualification is required for entry into the library professionals career field in the UK
- Most postgraduate courses require applicants to have prior relevant work experience
- Professional qualifications in Information and Library Service are available at Levels 2, 3, and 4
- NVQs/SVQs in Information and Library Service are also available at Levels 2, 3, and 4
Career Path
Frequently Asked Questions
To become an academic librarian in the UK, you can start by obtaining a degree or postgraduate qualification in librarianship or information management that is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. It is also important to gain practical experience, which can be done through internships during your first degree or by volunteering at a library.
An academic librarian in the UK is responsible for cataloguing and organizing library materials, providing guidance to academics on relevant resources for their courses, ensuring that all library users have access to resources, and responding to requests from students, staff, and other library users.
To be an academic librarian in the UK, you typically need either a first degree accredited by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), or a degree in any subject along with a CILIP-accredited postgraduate diploma or Masters in librarianship or information science/management.
Identify your strengths and weakness in a realistic Academic Librarian mock interview, under 10 minutes
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