Will AI replace Librarians and Media Collections Specialists?
Estimated risk score: 56 out of 100
Moderate replacement risk
Estimate from published task research, not reviewed by a person · how we estimate
Within about 19 points for 4 in 5 of the jobs we checked (37 to 75).
For the occupation as a whole, from ratings of its 30 O*NET tasks published in 2023 and calibrated to our hand scores. A specialty inside it can sit higher or lower.
O*NET-SOC 25-4022.00 · Educational Instruction and Library
Tasks rated in 2023 as ones AI could do or speed up
Tasks a GPT-4-class model could do, or do in half the time or less: 12 of its 30 rated tasks; the first 6 are shown. In O*NET’s words.
- Code, classify, and catalog books, publications, films, audio-visual aids, and other library materials, based on subject matter or standard library classification systems.
- Arrange for interlibrary loans of materials not available in a particular library.
- Check books in and out of the library.
- Compile lists of books, periodicals, articles, and audio-visual materials on particular subjects.
- Evaluate vendor products and performance, negotiate contracts, and place orders.
- Keep up-to-date records of circulation and materials, maintain inventory, and correct cataloging errors.
Tasks rated in 2023 as not sped up by AI
Tasks such a model was rated as not speeding up or taking over: 3 of its 30 rated tasks. In O*NET’s words.
- Represent library or institution on internal and external committees.
- Troubleshoot problems with audio-visual equipment.
- Train faculty and media staff on the use of software and audio-visual equipment.
What the job is
Administer and maintain libraries or collections of information, for public or private access through reference or borrowing. Work in a variety of settings, such as educational institutions, museums, and corporations, and with various types of informational materials, such as books, periodicals, recordings, films, and databases. Tasks may include acquiring, cataloging, and circulating library materials, and user services such as locating and organizing information, providing instruction on how to access information, and setting up and operating a library's media equipment.
Also called: Librarian, Reference Librarian, Library Media Specialist, Cataloger, Cataloguer, AV Aids Tech, Law Librarian, AV Coordinator.
Closest jobs we score by hand
In the same field (Educational Instruction and Library). Different jobs, each scored by a person.
Source. This site includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. (O*NET, CC BY 4.0.) Task ratings: Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock (2023), “GPTs are GPTs: An Early Look at the Labor Market Impact Potential of Large Language Models”, data used under the MIT licence (licence texts). Our change: we averaged the ratings over this occupation’s tasks and calibrated them to our 0–100 scale. It is not a prediction about any one person and not career advice. Disagree? Write to hello@yourstopwashit.com. How we estimate