Children's Librarian Jobs
Children's Librarian jobs are open across public library systems, school districts, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations, at every level from entry-level to department head, with specializations in youth programming, early literacy, and collection development. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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Showing 5 of 161+ Children's Librarian jobs
Reporting to the Associate Director for Clinical, Academic, and Research Engagement (CARE), the Research Services Librarian provides research, reference, and instructional services to students, residents, faculty, researchers, and staff of UT Health San Antonio. This entry-level position is designed for a new or early-career librarian with an interest in health sciences librarianship. The incumbent supports public services such as access services and interlibrary loan, develops and coordinates outreach programs and initiatives, and assists with special projects. Working with the Collections, Acquisitions & Resource Discovery Services (CARDS) unit and the Senior Curator for Special Collections & Archives, the incumbent also supports collections and electronic resource management, student scholarly works, and Archives and Special Collections. The incumbent works alongside experienced liaison librarians and specialists in both the CARE and CARDS units, gaining broad experience across public services, collections, and special collections in an academic health science center library. The position is part of the CARE unit within the Health Science Center Libraries, which is responsible for outreach and engagement across the institution’s clinical, academic, and research enterprises. The Health Science Center Libraries support the incumbent’s professional development, including participation in the Medical Library Association and its chapters or related organizations.
Schedule:
Monday - Friday from 7:00am or 7:30am to 4:00pm - 4:30pm.
Fully on-site.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Provides general reference assistance and research consultations to students, residents, faculty, researchers, and staff by chat, email, and virtual or in-person appointments, and refers discipline-specific and complex requests to the appropriate liaison librarian.
Participates in the library’s On-Call Librarian rotation and provides backup coverage for liaison librarians’ on-call shifts.
Assists liaison librarians with literature searching and document delivery for research projects, including structured reviews, and with compiling data for departmental and faculty publication reports.
Designs and delivers in-person and virtual instruction and training sessions on library resources, evidence-based practice, information literacy, research skills, and related topics in collaboration with liaison librarians.
Creates and maintains instructional materials and online library guides in multiple formats (videos, online tutorials, guides, etc.) and identifies new topics for digital learning objects based on user needs.
Triages questions and requests from library users and resolves issues within established policies and procedures, escalating to the appropriate librarian or staff member as needed.
Plans and participates in library programs, events, and outreach activities in collaboration with the Resource Sharing & Outreach Librarian and other colleagues, including Student Life.
Provides backup coverage for the Library Services Assistants and for interlibrary loan and document delivery services as needed.
Supports collection management activities for electronic resources in collaboration with the CARDS unit, including monitoring collection expenditures and renewals and processing and tracking payments so that access to resources is not interrupted.
Maintains access and holdings information for electronic resources across library systems, troubleshoots access issues, and performs copy cataloging in the Koha integrated library system.
Receives, processes, and catalogs student scholarly works, including electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) projects, adds them to the Digital Archive, and manages embargoes in accordance with established procedures.
Assists with the processing and organization of Archives and Special Collections materials and supports tours of the P.I. Nixon Medical Historical Library.
Participates in library planning activities, contributes to the development of policies, procedures, and reports, and serves on library and campus committees.
Participates in professional development activities, including professional association involvement and continuing education.
Performs additional or special duties as assigned.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Candidate must be able to meet the criteria for appointment at the Librarian level. No post-MLIS professional library experience is required.
Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science from an ALA-accredited program. Degree must be completed and awarded prior to the hire date (anticipated hire date January 2027).
Working knowledge of library services and practices related to reference, instruction, outreach, and collection management, ideally in an academic or health sciences library.
Knowledge of health science information resources, including databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, and UpToDate, and of evidence-based medicine.
Ability to provide high-quality services to diverse library users to meet their academic, research, and clinical information needs.
Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
Demonstrated organizational and project management skills and ability to balance multiple priorities, schedule constraints, and deadlines.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a team and to develop and maintain strong working relationships with library users and university colleagues.
Working knowledge of standard productivity software (Microsoft Office); citation management software; integrated library systems and library-related platforms (e.g., Ex Libris Alma, Koha, Springshare); and electronic resource systems and research platforms (e.g., ORCID).
Able to qualify for a security-sensitive position.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
One (1) or more years of library experience at the staff level, or post-MLIS library experience, in an academic, medical, health sciences, or clinical library.
Coursework, practicum, internship, or work experience in health sciences librarianship, reference and instruction, cataloging and metadata, electronic resources, or archives and special collections.
Experience providing reference or research assistance, including by chat or email, or teaching library or research skills.
Familiarity with expert literature searching or systematic review methods.
Experience with cataloging (MARC, RDA) and with OCLC, Koha, or another integrated library system.
Experience creating research guides or instructional materials (e.g., LibGuides, video tutorials).
Interest in professional involvement through the Medical Library Association, its chapters, or related organizations.
Reporting to the Associate Director for Clinical, Academic, and Research Engagement (CARE), the Research Services Librarian provides research, reference, and instructional services to students, residents, faculty, researchers, and staff of UT Health San Antonio. This entry-level position is designed for a new or early-career librarian with an interest in health sciences librarianship. The incumbent supports public services such as access services and interlibrary loan, develops and coordinates outreach programs and initiatives, and assists with special projects. Working with the Collections, Acquisitions & Resource Discovery Services (CARDS) unit and the Senior Curator for Special Collections & Archives, the incumbent also supports collections and electronic resource management, student scholarly works, and Archives and Special Collections. The incumbent works alongside experienced liaison librarians and specialists in both the CARE and CARDS units, gaining broad experience across public services, collections, and special collections in an academic health science center library. The position is part of the CARE unit within the Health Science Center Libraries, which is responsible for outreach and engagement across the institution’s clinical, academic, and research enterprises. The Health Science Center Libraries support the incumbent’s professional development, including participation in the Medical Library Association and its chapters or related organizations.
Schedule:
Monday - Friday from 7:00am or 7:30am to 4:00pm - 4:30pm.
Fully on-site.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Provides general reference assistance and research consultations to students, residents, faculty, researchers, and staff by chat, email, and virtual or in-person appointments, and refers discipline-specific and complex requests to the appropriate liaison librarian.
Participates in the library’s On-Call Librarian rotation and provides backup coverage for liaison librarians’ on-call shifts.
Assists liaison librarians with literature searching and document delivery for research projects, including structured reviews, and with compiling data for departmental and faculty publication reports.
Designs and delivers in-person and virtual instruction and training sessions on library resources, evidence-based practice, information literacy, research skills, and related topics in collaboration with liaison librarians.
Creates and maintains instructional materials and online library guides in multiple formats (videos, online tutorials, guides, etc.) and identifies new topics for digital learning objects based on user needs.
Triages questions and requests from library users and resolves issues within established policies and procedures, escalating to the appropriate librarian or staff member as needed.
Plans and participates in library programs, events, and outreach activities in collaboration with the Resource Sharing & Outreach Librarian and other colleagues, including Student Life.
Provides backup coverage for the Library Services Assistants and for interlibrary loan and document delivery services as needed.
Supports collection management activities for electronic resources in collaboration with the CARDS unit, including monitoring collection expenditures and renewals and processing and tracking payments so that access to resources is not interrupted.
Maintains access and holdings information for electronic resources across library systems, troubleshoots access issues, and performs copy cataloging in the Koha integrated library system.
Receives, processes, and catalogs student scholarly works, including electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) projects, adds them to the Digital Archive, and manages embargoes in accordance with established procedures.
Assists with the processing and organization of Archives and Special Collections materials and supports tours of the P.I. Nixon Medical Historical Library.
Participates in library planning activities, contributes to the development of policies, procedures, and reports, and serves on library and campus committees.
Participates in professional development activities, including professional association involvement and continuing education.
Performs additional or special duties as assigned.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Candidate must be able to meet the criteria for appointment at the Librarian level. No post-MLIS professional library experience is required.
Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science from an ALA-accredited program. Degree must be completed and awarded prior to the hire date (anticipated hire date January 2027).
Working knowledge of library services and practices related to reference, instruction, outreach, and collection management, ideally in an academic or health sciences library.
Knowledge of health science information resources, including databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, and UpToDate, and of evidence-based medicine.
Ability to provide high-quality services to diverse library users to meet their academic, research, and clinical information needs.
Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
Demonstrated organizational and project management skills and ability to balance multiple priorities, schedule constraints, and deadlines.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a team and to develop and maintain strong working relationships with library users and university colleagues.
Working knowledge of standard productivity software (Microsoft Office); citation management software; integrated library systems and library-related platforms (e.g., Ex Libris Alma, Koha, Springshare); and electronic resource systems and research platforms (e.g., ORCID).
Able to qualify for a security-sensitive position.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
One (1) or more years of library experience at the staff level, or post-MLIS library experience, in an academic, medical, health sciences, or clinical library.
Coursework, practicum, internship, or work experience in health sciences librarianship, reference and instruction, cataloging and metadata, electronic resources, or archives and special collections.
Experience providing reference or research assistance, including by chat or email, or teaching library or research skills.
Familiarity with expert literature searching or systematic review methods.
Experience with cataloging (MARC, RDA) and with OCLC, Koha, or another integrated library system.
Experience creating research guides or instructional materials (e.g., LibGuides, video tutorials).
Interest in professional involvement through the Medical Library Association, its chapters, or related organizations.
Children's Librarian Jobs by Experience Level
See All 161+ Children's Librarian Jobs
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Find Children's Librarian JobsChildren's Librarian Job Market
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Education
- Healthcare & Medical Services
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in Children's librarian jobs.
- Master's degree in Library Science from an ALA-accredited program
- Experience designing and delivering children's or youth programming
- Knowledge of children's literature, reader's advisory, and collection development
- Strong public speaking and storytime facilitation skills for diverse age groups
- Proficiency with integrated library systems such as Polaris, Sierra, or Koha
- State library certification or eligibility to obtain certification upon hire
Tips for Your Children's Librarian Job Search
Tailor your resume for youth services
Highlight storytime facilitation, early literacy programming, and any STEM or STEAM outreach you've led. Generic librarian resumes get screened out fast when a posting calls for children's services specifically, so lead with youth-focused accomplishments, not general cataloging duties.
List your ALA-accredited MLS degree clearly
Many public library systems require an MLS or MLIS from an ALA-accredited program as a hard cutoff. Put the degree, institution, and accreditation status in your resume header or summary so screeners confirm eligibility without hunting through your education section.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists children's librarian openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target postings that match your program specialization
Job listings for children's librarians often specify a program focus, whether that's summer reading, bilingual outreach, makerspace coordination, or school partnership work. Apply to roles where your existing program portfolio aligns directly rather than pitching yourself as a generalist.
Prepare a programming portfolio before interviews
Hiring panels for children's librarian roles frequently ask you to describe a program you designed from scratch. Bring documented examples, attendance numbers, and community feedback so your answers are concrete, not theoretical, and show measurable community impact.
Negotiate start date around budget cycles
Public library hiring is often tied to municipal fiscal years. If you receive an offer in late spring or early fall, ask about the budget timeline before countering on salary, since start dates tied to new funding cycles can give you more room to negotiate than salary alone.
Children's Librarian Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most children's librarians?
The most active employers for children's librarians right now are University of Alabama, Library Systems & Services, and George Washington University, and the most openings are in New York, Massachusetts, and Texas, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Public library systems and school districts consistently make up the largest share of open roles.
How many children's librarian jobs are remote?
About 64% of children's librarian openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting that most roles require in-person programming and community presence. Sub-areas with the highest remote share tend to be youth services consulting, curriculum development, and library outreach coordination rather than front-line branch positions.
How do you become a children's librarian?
Start by earning a Master's degree in Library Science from an ALA-accredited program, with coursework in youth services, children's literature, and information services. Gain practical experience through practicum placements or part-time library work focused on youth programming. Check whether your target state requires a separate library certification and complete that process before or shortly after hire.
Can you get hired as a children's librarian with little experience?
Yes, entry-level children's librarian roles exist, especially in public library systems willing to hire recent MLS graduates. Strengthen your candidacy by volunteering to lead storytimes, running summer reading programs, or working as a library assistant in a youth services department while completing your degree. Emphasize transferable experience with children, such as tutoring, teaching, or camp counseling, alongside your library coursework.
What does the children's librarian interview process look like?
Most hiring processes include a phone or video screening followed by an in-person panel interview with library administration and sometimes community members. You'll likely be asked to describe a program you developed, demonstrate a storytime or book talk, and answer scenario-based questions about working with families, schools, and underserved populations. Some systems require a written exercise or reference check before extending an offer.
Where can I find and apply to children's librarian jobs?
You can find and apply to children's librarian jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from public libraries, school systems, and other employers across the United States. Search for roles that fit your experience level and program specialization, then apply directly to each listing that matches what you're looking for.
See All 161+ Children's Librarian Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Children's Librarian Jobs