# Will AI replace librarians? Updated October 2026 Librarians score 50 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 61%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 13% outright, and 26% stays with people. - **13%** AI can do it - **61%** AI helps - **26%** Needs a person High exposure Higher than 75% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 30 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 4 of them today, speeds up 18 and leaves 8 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Compile lists of books, periodicals, articles, and audio-visual materials on particular subjects. Bibliography compilation is a strong fit for AI search. | 80% AI can do it | | Code, classify, and catalog books, publications, films, audio-visual aids, and other library materials, based on subject matter or standard library classification systems. Subject headings and classification suit AI; physical items need handling. | 68% AI can do it | | Search standard reference materials, including online sources and the Internet, to answer patrons' reference questions. AI search answers most reference questions; librarian verifies sources. | 65% AI can do it | | Arrange for interlibrary loans of materials not available in a particular library. ILL requests are mostly digital workflows; partner contact remains. | 62% AI can do it | | Develop, maintain, and troubleshoot information access aids, such as databases, annotated bibliographies, Web pages, electronic pathfinders, software programs, and online tutorials. AI can draft guides and code; upkeep needs system access. | 58% AI helps | ## How librarians compare All occupations (923) Educational instruction and library (62) **Librarians score 50**, marked by the dark line. Each dot is a score, darker where more occupations share it. The short marks show the averages, 37 for all occupations and 45 for educational instruction and library. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $68,270 a year, May 2025 People employed 133,790 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +2.6% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Run catalog record audits in Springshare LibGuides - Build subject guides and pathfinders in Springshare LibGuides - Verify AI-compiled bibliographies against primary catalogs in Microsoft Excel - Run in-person library instruction sessions with PowerPoint slides - Hold relationships with faculty and community committees in person - Maintain physical collection inventory and shelf counts ## Safer roles nearby 5 related occupations with lower scores. - [Library assistants49 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/library-assistants/) - [Library science professors49 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/library-science-professors/) - [University administrators43 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/university-administrators/) - [Media programming directors46 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/media-programming-directors/) - [Administrative services managers38 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/administrative-services-managers/) ## Questions about librarians and AI Will librarians be replaced by AI? Partly. About 4 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly compiling bibliographies and classifying and cataloging materials. Reference searching and interlibrary loan requests are next. What stays with people is verifying sources, handling physical collections, and deciding what the library offers its community. Which library tasks is AI taking over? Bibliography compilation has an exposure score of 80, the highest in this job, because AI search can assemble lists of books and articles on a subject quickly. Cataloging and classification, scored 68, also fit AI since subject headings follow standard systems. Interlibrary loan requests, scored 62, are mostly digital workflows now. Which library tasks stay with people? Committee work, colleague and community consultation, and setting up audio-visual equipment for events score 12 or lower on exposure. These tasks depend on relationships, physical equipment, and judgment in the room. Complaint handling, scored 18, also stays human because patrons need someone accountable for the outcome. How can librarians stay valuable as AI takes over search and cataloging? Verify every AI-compiled list against the library catalog and cite sources you have checked yourself. Build subject guides in Springshare LibGuides that patrons trust. Lead in-person instruction, serve on committees, and keep physical collection audits current. Those tasks carry the most weight in this role. ## Related jobs - [Library technicians53 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/library-technicians/) - [Instructional coordinators59 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/instructional-coordinators/) - [IT support specialists59 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/it-support-specialists/) - [Database administrators60 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/database-administrators/) ## Next steps for librarians - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your actual tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV and see which of your tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Cement masons score lowest, at 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Radiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Cement masons need little prior training and score 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**For natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we publish, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 occupation groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.