# Will library assistants be replaced by AI? Updated October 2026 Library assistants score 49 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 48%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 21% outright, and 31% stays with people. - **21%** AI can do it - **48%** AI helps - **31%** Needs a person Moderate exposure Higher than 72% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 32 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 7 of them today, speeds up 15 and leaves 10 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Enter and update patrons' records on computers. Routine patron record entry and updates in software. | 82% AI can do it | | Prepare library statistics reports. Compiling figures and drafting summaries is highly automatable. | 72% AI can do it | | Prepare, store, and retrieve classification and catalog information, lecture notes, or other information related to stored documents, using computers. Catalog metadata and retrieval are highly automatable tasks. | 70% AI can do it | | Acquire books, pamphlets, periodicals, audio-visual materials, and other library supplies by checking prices, figuring costs, and preparing appropriate order forms and facilitating the ordering process by providing such information to others. Price comparison and order forms are highly automatable tasks. | 70% AI can do it | | Review records, such as microfilm and issue cards, to identify titles of overdue materials and delinquent borrowers. Record review and overdue lists are highly automatable. | 68% AI can do it | [See what AI can take on across a customer service team](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/customer-service/) ## How library assistants compare All occupations (923) Office and administrative support (51) **Library assistants score 49**, 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 57 for office and administrative support. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $36,910 a year, May 2025 People employed 85,520 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs \-6.4% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Shelve and sort stock by call number and title - Repair books with mending tape and paste - Check patron record updates in Microsoft Access - Operate and maintain audio-visual equipment in the library - Review overdue lists and delinquent borrower records in Excel - Handle disruptive patrons and live conflict on the floor ## Safer roles nearby 3 related occupations with lower scores. - [Stockers30 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/stockers/) - [Office machine operators33 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/office-machine-operators/) - [Elementary school teachers41 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/elementary-school-teachers/) ## Questions about library assistants and AI Will AI replace library assistants? Partly. About 4 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly patron record entry and library statistics reports. Shelving, book repair, and handling problem patrons stay with people because they need hands and a person present. Which library assistant tasks is AI taking over? Patron record entry and library statistics reports lead, with exposure scores of 82 and 72. Catalog metadata retrieval scores 70, and overdue record review scores 68, because the rules and figures sit in software that AI can follow. Which library assistant tasks stay human? Shelving books scores 10 on exposure, since moving stock needs hands and walking the stacks. Handling disruptive patrons also scores 10, because live conflict needs a person in the room who uses judgement. How can library assistants stay valuable? Learn to check AI-drafted patron records and overdue lists in Microsoft Access and Excel before they go out. Keep the hands-on shelving, repair, and AV equipment work, which scores 5 to 12 on exposure. Build statistics summaries in Excel and PowerPoint for library managers. ## Related jobs - [Library technicians53 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/library-technicians/) - [File clerks59 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/file-clerks/) - [Office clerks60 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/office-clerks/) - [Secretaries66 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/secretaries/) ## Next steps for library assistants - ### 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.