undergradly.
Major · Library Science

Run the back office of books, archives, and the quiet machinery behind public knowledge

Library and Archives Assisting is an associate-level program that trains paraprofessionals who keep libraries and archives running — cataloging, circulation, acquisitions, and helping patrons find what they need. About 161 degrees are awarded annually across 29 colleges, almost all of them community colleges. Graduates report median five-year earnings around $34,202.

Schools offering
29
Annual completions
161
Typical degree level
Associate's
Median earnings (5yr)
$34k

About this major

Library and Archives Assisting trains paraprofessionals to keep libraries and archives running — cataloging and classifying materials, handling circulation, processing acquisitions, assisting patrons at the reference desk, and organizing storage and display systems for books, periodicals, and records. The CIP definition is explicit about the scope: graduates assist professional librarians and archivists rather than replacing them. In practice, that means the curriculum leans toward procedure and systems — learning specific cataloging standards, running digital discovery tools, handling the physical and digital workflow of a collection from acquisition to shelf to circulation to weeding.

The major tends to fit students who like tidy systems, quiet work environments, and the satisfaction of helping someone find exactly what they were looking for. Attention to detail matters more than charisma here. Many students enter the program already working part-time in a library, and most programs are structured around a practicum or supervised work experience at a real library or archive — the curriculum assumes you want hands-on exposure, not abstract theory.

The field is small and geographically concentrated. About 161 degrees are awarded annually across only 29 colleges, and the top feeders are almost entirely California community colleges — Long Beach City College (19 completions), Spokane Falls Community College (16), Cuesta College (14), San Bernardino Valley College (13), and City College of San Francisco (13) lead the list. The direct occupational destination is library technician, with a BLS median wage of $39,970 but projected employment decline of 6.8% as public-library budgets tighten and routine tasks move to software. That makes this a major where local institutional connections and geographic flexibility matter more than the raw credential.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Library technicians $40k -6.8% Postsecondary nondegree award
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$34k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you genuinely enjoy organizing information and find satisfaction in helping someone navigate a collection to the specific source they needed, if you prefer quiet, systematic work over high-pressure client-facing roles, if you already volunteer or work part-time in a library and want to formalize what you've learned, if you have the patience for detail-heavy cataloging and metadata work that rewards precision over speed, and if the modest wage — about $34,202 five-year median for associate's completers, roughly $39,970 BLS median for library technicians — fits your cost-of-living plans.

Think twice if you're counting on this degree to become a credentialed librarian — that path typically requires a master's in library science beyond a bachelor's, and the associate's alone does not get you there. Think twice if you want strong long-term wage growth or broad geographic optionality: BLS projects library technician employment to decline 6.8%, and the 29 programs nationally cluster heavily in California, which constrains where the training signal carries most weight. Think twice if you're drawn to "books as a career" romantically but uncertain about the operational reality — the day-to-day is procedural work with cataloging software, circulation systems, and quiet problem-solving, not curating personal reading lists. The related Library and Information Science major, which does include bachelor's-level programs (123 annual completions across 15 colleges), may be a better fit if you want to keep the MLIS door open.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Library and Archives Assisting

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Long Beach City College Long Beach, CA 19 0 19
Spokane Falls Community College Spokane, WA 16 0 16
Cuesta College San Luis Obispo, CA 14 0 14
San Bernardino Valley College San Bernardino, CA 13 0 13
City College of San Francisco San Francisco, CA 13 0 13
College of DuPage Glen Ellyn, IL 12 0 12
Central Carolina Community College Sanford, NC 11 0 11
Sacramento City College Sacramento, CA 9 0 9
Pasadena City College Pasadena, CA 9 0 9
Fresno City College Fresno, CA 8 0 8
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Library and Information Science

123 completions/yr

Library Science, Other

3 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Library and Archives Assisting majors actually study day-to-day?
Coursework covers the mechanics of how a library or archive is run: cataloging and classification systems, circulation procedures, reference interviews, collection acquisition, materials storage and preservation, and discovery tools for print and digital holdings. Most programs weave in hands-on practice — shelving, processing new materials, running a help desk, handling basic archival description. The CIP definition centers on assisting professional librarians and archivists rather than training independent professionals, so the curriculum is deliberately practical and procedural. Expect more time on systems and workflow than on theory.
Do I need a bachelor's, or is an associate's enough for library assistant work?
For this specific major and its entry-level roles, an associate's is the intended credential — the degree is listed only at the associate's level and all 161 annual completions come from community colleges. The primary career destination, library technician, is classified by BLS as requiring a postsecondary nondegree award, so an associate's exceeds the formal minimum. However, the professional librarian role (a different occupation entirely) typically requires a master's degree in library science — an MLIS — so this associate's program is not a stepping stone to becoming a librarian without substantial additional schooling.
What kinds of jobs do Library and Archives Assisting graduates end up in?
The direct career destination is library technician, with a BLS median wage of $39,970. Typical job titles include library assistant, library technician, archives assistant, and archives technician. Employers are overwhelmingly public libraries, school and college libraries, government agencies, historical societies, and corporate or law-firm information centers. Some graduates move into adjacent records-management or documentation-clerk work, where similar cataloging and retrieval skills transfer.
How competitive is the job market for this major?
The supply side is small — roughly 161 associate's degrees a year across 29 colleges — so graduates don't face a flood of peer competition. The demand side is the harder story: BLS projects library technician employment to decline by 6.8% over the coming decade, reflecting public-library budget pressure and digitization of routine work. That combination favors graduates who can anchor to a specific institution, library system, or archival niche rather than expecting plentiful open listings. Geography matters — the top feeder programs cluster heavily in California, where large public and community-college library systems create more openings than in rural regions.
What if I want to become a librarian — will this degree help?
Becoming a credentialed librarian (median wage $64,320 per BLS) typically requires a master's in library and information science (MLIS), which is a separate graduate program beyond any bachelor's. This associate's gives you strong practical exposure to library work, which can confirm whether the field is a real fit before you invest in a four-year degree plus a master's. Credits may or may not transfer into a bachelor's depending on the receiving institution — many students in this major end up either staying in paraprofessional roles long-term or transferring into a bachelor's in a related field like Library and Information Science or Information Science.
What's a common next step after this degree?
Three patterns dominate. First, graduates take a library technician or archives assistant role — often at the same institution where they did their practicum or work-study — and build a long-term paraprofessional career. Second, some transfer into a bachelor's in Library and Information Science (123 annual completions nationally) or a broader Information Science program to eventually pursue an MLIS. Third, some pivot into adjacent clerical, records-management, or administrative roles where the cataloging and organization skills transfer, trading the library-specific context for broader labor-market exposure.