OPT University Librarian Jobs
University Librarian roles qualify for OPT work authorization when tied to a degree in library science, information science, or a related field. Most positions are at universities and colleges, which are cap-exempt H-1B visa sponsors, giving you a stronger path to long-term sponsorship after your OPT period ends.
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Under the direction of the Access Services Librarian and University Library Director, this staff member will be primarily responsible for Circulation Desk daily processes and activities such as providing customer service to all patrons, providing assistance to in locating library materials, stack maintenance, processing circulation transactions (check-in/check-out of all library materials including study rooms), monitoring circulation email requests, assisting the Access Services Librarian in the supervision of the student assistants, and general collection maintenance. This position may be assigned to work closely with the Collection Management Services staff concerning stack maintenance, shelving of library materials and special projects. This position may oversee the opening and closing of the library.
Essential Functions
To be a productive member of the Library Team, and as an important member of the team, this staff member will perform whatever task or function required to meet the evolving needs of the STU community including students, faculty, and patrons. Team members will be readily available and visible to students, faculty, and patrons. Every effort will be made to answer patron inquiries. If unable to answer an inquiry, the team member will ensure that the customer is assisted by another member of the Library team or staff.
Circulation
- Perform all opening/closing procedures as directed.
- Upon opening the library, ensure that the Circulation Desk as well as the library are ready for daily operation.
- Oversee the check-in/out of library materials of various formats.
- Forward damaged library materials upon check-in to the Collection Management Services department for repair or replacement.
- Oversee the reservation and check-in/out of study rooms/study tables.
- Assist in organizing and directing overdue notices.
- Recommend changes and new policies and procedures that may need updating or changing to library administrators. Implement any changes as directed.
- Assist in keeping Circulation Department manuals up to date. Communicate these policies to library patrons.
- Assist patrons in the use of ILS and the library online public access catalog.
- Assist students with printing/photocopy needs, ensure that printers/copiers are stocked with paper and are functioning properly. Communicate with OIT (Office of Information Technology) to report malfunctions or problems with network access.
- Ensure that all study rooms are available and ready for use.
- Ensure that all office supplies areas (staplers, hole puncher, etc.) are stocked and functional. Inform the Circulation Manager of any supply needs for the department.
- Refer any reference questions to a librarian.
Collection Maintenance
- Shelving, shelf reading and shifting of the library collection as needed. This entails working closely with the staff in the Technical Services department.
- Recommend the replacement or discard of damaged and obsolete library materials to the Collection Management Services Department.
Other duties
- Perform any duties assigned by librarians or library administrators.
- Assist in collecting data related to collection use, circulation desk transactions and building use.
- May be required to represent the Law Library in local library meetings as requested.
- Report to the University Library Director any library building issues that require maintenance.
- Work in other areas and perform other tasks as assigned.
Competencies
- Ability to communicate effectively and courteously.
- Ability to work as a team player and deal cooperatively with others.
- Ability to interpret a variety of instructions in either written, oral or schedule form.
- Ability to understand library system technology in order to assist patrons successfully.
- Ability to acquire a working knowledge of regulations and procedures pertaining to library responsibilities.
- Strong and effective communication skills.
- Strong service orientation.
- Ability to multitask.
- Be flexible with work assignments and work hours as needed.
Supervisory Responsibility
This position does not have supervisory responsibility, it may assist the Circulation Manager in the direction and training of the law library assistants assigned to the Circulation Department.
Work Environment/Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand, walk; sit; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; push library carts full of books; climb on stands to shelf books. The employee must occasionally lift or move library materials and supplies, up to 30 pounds.
Position Type/Expected Hours of Work
This is a full-time position and is generally expected that work hours will be 9am-5pm. However, this position may, on occasion, be asked to arrive earlier or stay later or potentially attend on weekends in response to University/College of Law events and Library needs.
Travel
This position does not require any travel.
Education and Experience
Bachelor’s degree is required. Library experience is preferred.
Other Duties
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Summary
Under the direction of the Access Services Librarian and University Library Director, this staff member will be primarily responsible for Circulation Desk daily processes and activities such as providing customer service to all patrons, providing assistance to in locating library materials, stack maintenance, processing circulation transactions (check-in/check-out of all library materials including study rooms), monitoring circulation email requests, assisting the Access Services Librarian in the supervision of the student assistants, and general collection maintenance. This position may be assigned to work closely with the Collection Management Services staff concerning stack maintenance, shelving of library materials and special projects. This position may oversee the opening and closing of the library.
Essential Functions
To be a productive member of the Library Team, and as an important member of the team, this staff member will perform whatever task or function required to meet the evolving needs of the STU community including students, faculty, and patrons. Team members will be readily available and visible to students, faculty, and patrons. Every effort will be made to answer patron inquiries. If unable to answer an inquiry, the team member will ensure that the customer is assisted by another member of the Library team or staff.
Circulation
- Perform all opening/closing procedures as directed.
- Upon opening the library, ensure that the Circulation Desk as well as the library are ready for daily operation.
- Oversee the check-in/out of library materials of various formats.
- Forward damaged library materials upon check-in to the Collection Management Services department for repair or replacement.
- Oversee the reservation and check-in/out of study rooms/study tables.
- Assist in organizing and directing overdue notices.
- Recommend changes and new policies and procedures that may need updating or changing to library administrators. Implement any changes as directed.
- Assist in keeping Circulation Department manuals up to date. Communicate these policies to library patrons.
- Assist patrons in the use of ILS and the library online public access catalog.
- Assist students with printing/photocopy needs, ensure that printers/copiers are stocked with paper and are functioning properly. Communicate with OIT (Office of Information Technology) to report malfunctions or problems with network access.
- Ensure that all study rooms are available and ready for use.
- Ensure that all office supplies areas (staplers, hole puncher, etc.) are stocked and functional. Inform the Circulation Manager of any supply needs for the department.
- Refer any reference questions to a librarian.
Collection Maintenance
- Shelving, shelf reading and shifting of the library collection as needed. This entails working closely with the staff in the Technical Services department.
- Recommend the replacement or discard of damaged and obsolete library materials to the Collection Management Services Department.
Other duties
- Perform any duties assigned by librarians or library administrators.
- Assist in collecting data related to collection use, circulation desk transactions and building use.
- May be required to represent the Law Library in local library meetings as requested.
- Report to the University Library Director any library building issues that require maintenance.
- Work in other areas and perform other tasks as assigned.
Competencies
- Ability to communicate effectively and courteously.
- Ability to work as a team player and deal cooperatively with others.
- Ability to interpret a variety of instructions in either written, oral or schedule form.
- Ability to understand library system technology in order to assist patrons successfully.
- Ability to acquire a working knowledge of regulations and procedures pertaining to library responsibilities.
- Strong and effective communication skills.
- Strong service orientation.
- Ability to multitask.
- Be flexible with work assignments and work hours as needed.
Supervisory Responsibility
This position does not have supervisory responsibility, it may assist the Circulation Manager in the direction and training of the law library assistants assigned to the Circulation Department.
Work Environment/Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand, walk; sit; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; push library carts full of books; climb on stands to shelf books. The employee must occasionally lift or move library materials and supplies, up to 30 pounds.
Position Type/Expected Hours of Work
This is a full-time position and is generally expected that work hours will be 9am-5pm. However, this position may, on occasion, be asked to arrive earlier or stay later or potentially attend on weekends in response to University/College of Law events and Library needs.
Travel
This position does not require any travel.
Education and Experience
Bachelor’s degree is required. Library experience is preferred.
Other Duties
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship in University Librarian
Target academic institutions first
Universities and colleges are cap-exempt H-1B visa employers, meaning they can file year-round without waiting for the lottery. This gives you a significantly more reliable path to sponsorship than private-sector employers after your OPT ends.
Align your degree to the job posting
OPT authorization must relate to your degree field. A Master of Library Science or MLIS is the standard credential for professional librarian roles. Confirm your degree field matches before applying to avoid authorization issues down the line.
Apply for STEM OPT extension if eligible
Library informatics and data-focused roles at universities may qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension if your degree program has a CIP code listed on the STEM Designated Degree Program list. Confirm eligibility with your DSO early.
Highlight specialized technical skills
Employers sponsoring librarians want candidates with rare, specialized expertise. Data management, digital preservation, institutional repository systems, or subject specialist knowledge make your profile harder to fill locally and strengthen a sponsorship case.
Start conversations about sponsorship before the offer stage
Academic hiring cycles are long. Raise your OPT status and future H-1B sponsorship needs during the interview process so HR can confirm institutional policy before you invest significant time in their hiring pipeline.
Network through professional library associations
The American Library Association and Association of College and Research Libraries host conferences and job listings where academic employers actively recruit. Connecting directly with hiring librarians builds relationships that often lead to sponsorship-friendly opportunities.
University Librarian OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a University Librarian role qualify for OPT work authorization?
Yes, provided your degree is in library science, information science, or a closely related field. OPT requires that your employment be directly related to your major area of study. Most professional librarian positions require an ALA-accredited Master of Library Science, which satisfies both the degree requirement and the OPT relatedness standard.
Can I get H-1B sponsorship from a university after my OPT ends?
Universities are cap-exempt H-1B employers, which means they can file an H-1B petition at any time of year without entering the annual lottery. This is one of the most significant advantages of working in academic libraries. Cap-exempt petitions can also be approved faster than cap-subject ones, reducing the gap between your OPT expiration and H-1B approval.
Do University Librarian roles qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
It depends on your degree's CIP code. Library and Information Science programs are not automatically on the STEM Designated Degree Program list, but programs with a strong data science, informatics, or computer science component sometimes qualify. Check with your DSO to confirm whether your specific program's CIP code is STEM-designated before assuming a 24-month extension is available.
Where can I find University Librarian jobs that are open to OPT candidates?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for F-1 OPT and international students, so every listing on the platform is filtered for visa sponsorship relevance. Searching for University Librarian roles on Migrate Mate lets you focus on employers who have a documented history of working with international candidates, saving time compared to applying broadly and discovering sponsorship limitations late in the process.
What makes a University Librarian a strong OPT hire from an employer's perspective?
Employers in academic libraries look for subject specialization, proficiency with digital library systems such as Ex Libris or OCLC platforms, and research support skills that are often harder to source locally. If your background includes data curation, institutional repository management, or multilingual reference services, those specializations make a sponsorship case more straightforward for university HR and legal teams to approve.