Library Assistants

ANZSCO ID 5997

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
6,200
Future Growth
10%
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
31%
Female Share
87%
Average age
49

Summary

Library Assistants issue, receive and shelve library items and maintain associated records.

Also known as: Library Attendant or Library Clerk.

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Library Assistant. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification or a university degree in library and information services.

Tasks

  • issuing library items to borrowers and recording identification data and due dates

  • sorting and shelving returned items

  • locating and retrieving items on request

  • maintaining records and index systems

  • receiving overdue items, issuing overdue notices, and receiving fines

  • inspecting returned items for damage and making minor repairs

  • assisting with the preparation of displays and promotional activities

  • may prepare catalogued items for shelving

Characteristics

Job Type
Clerical And Administrative Workers
Skill Level
Lower skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
Below average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Practical
  • Administrative
  • Helping
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary
  • Light
  • Medium

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. The latest data are for the five years from November 2021 to November 2026. Over this period, the number of workers:

  • is expected to grow strongly
  • is likely to reach 8,300 by 2026.
  • Source: Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.

    Notes: The number employed includes people who work in this occupation as their main job. People who work in more than one job are counted against the occupation they work the most hours in.

    Employment projections figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Calculations based on these rounded figures may result in differences to the numbers that are displayed on this page. Employment projections data (including occupations) can be downloaded from the Employment Projections page.

Projected Change
10%
(or 800 jobs)
From
7,500
in 2021
To
8,300
in 2026

Number of Workers

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.
Year Employment
2011 7,000
2012 6,300
2013 6,900
2014 6,000
2015 6,900
2016 6,200
2017 6,600
2018 8,000
2019 7,500
2020 5,600
2021 7,500
2026 8,300

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 29% of people employed as Library Assistants work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 37 percentage points below the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 38 hours per week in their main job. This is 6 hours less than the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Information Media and Telecommunications
60.0%
2
Education and Training
30.0%
3
Public Administration and Safety
10.0%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

31.4% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

16.3% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

28.3% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

10.5% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

8.0% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

2.1% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.9% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

2.5% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Library Assistants All Jobs Average
NSW 31.4 31.6
VIC 16.3 25.6
QLD 28.3 20.0
SA 10.5 7.0
WA 8.0 10.8
TAS 2.1 2.0
NT 0.9 1.0
ACT 2.5 1.9


  • Around 47% of Library Assistants live outside of capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 38%.

    Queensland and South Australia have a large share of employment relative to their population size.

    The regions with the largest share of workers are:

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian states, territories and regions, in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
49
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
87%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Library Assistants is 49 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 45 to 54 years.

    Females make up 87% of the workforce. This is 39 percentage points above the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Library Assistants All Jobs Average
15-19 5.7 5.0
20-24 7.8 9.3
25-34 11.0 22.9
35-44 15.6 22.0
45-54 26.4 21.6
55-59 14.6 9.0
60-64 11.8 6.0
65 and Over 7.1 4.2
Median Age 49 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Library Assistant. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification or a university degree in library and information services.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Public Sector VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Library Assistants All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 8.6 10.1
Bachelor degree 18.7 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 17.5 11.6
Certificate III/IV 16.4 21.1
Year 12 19.9 18.1
Year 11 6.2 4.8
Year 10 and below 12.7 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Library Assistants who can interact well with a variety of people, provide good customer service and self-manage.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 50%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 48%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 46%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 45%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 45%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 43%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 41%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 39%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 39%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 39%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 36%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 34%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 34%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 34%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

  • 34%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

  • 32%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

  • 30%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 27%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 25%

    Management of material resources

    Providing the right equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do work.

  • 23%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 73%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 64%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 58%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 57%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 44%

    Geography

    Describing land, sea, and air, including their physical characteristics, locations, how they work together, and the location of plant, animal, and human life.

  • 42%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 38%

    History and archeology

    Events of the past, their causes, how we learn about them, and how they influence the way we live today.

  • 35%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 34%

    Sociology and anthropology

    Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

  • 32%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 30%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 30%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 30%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 29%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 27%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 26%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 24%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 21%

    Foreign language

    Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

  • 18%

    Fine arts

    Compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

  • 17%

    Telecommunications

    Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 57%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 54%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 54%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 50%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 48%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 46%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 45%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 45%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 41%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 41%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 41%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 39%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 37%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 37%

    Perceptual speed

    Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • 37%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 36%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 34%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 32%

    Memorization

    Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.

  • 32%

    Trunk strength

    Use your abdominal and lower back muscles a number of times without 'giving out' or fatiguing.

  • 30%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 69%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 69%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 66%

    Working with the public

    Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.

  • 64%

    Handling and moving objects

    Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.

  • 63%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 62%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 61%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 59%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 57%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

    Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.

  • 57%

    Documenting or recording information

    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

  • 57%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 56%

    Communicating with the public

    Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 55%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 54%

    Working with computers

    Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

  • 53%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 49%

    Providing office support

    Doing day-to-day office work such as filing and processing paperwork.

  • 46%

    Thinking creatively

    Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.

  • 44%

    Scheduling work and activities

    Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

  • 41%

    Training and teaching others

    Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.

  • 40%

    Doing physically active work

    Use your arms, legs and whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling objects.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 100%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 76%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 57%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 38%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 24%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 14%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 71%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 52%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.

  • 38%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 36%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 33%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 33%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 97%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 95%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 91%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 89%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 86%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 85%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 83%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 83%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 82%

    Repeating same tasks

    Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.

  • 78%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 78%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 69%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 69%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 67%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 67%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

    Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.

  • 66%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 65%

    Exposure to contaminants

    Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.

  • 63%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 63%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 62%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 43-4121.00 - Library Assistants, Clerical.


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