Home Librarian Resume template
Librarian resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what librarians actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most librarians should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Librarian experienced in cataloguing collections, supporting research and reference work, and helping people build their own digital literacy skills. Comfortable working across MARC cataloguing standards, library management systems and discovery platforms in public, academic or school settings. Known for clear, patient instruction and for keeping collections organised and useful to the people who rely on them.
Key skills
- Cataloguing and classification using MARC standards
- Library management systems (Koha, Alma)
- Discovery platforms (Primo, Summon)
- Digital asset management
- Database indexing and search strategy
- Collection development and acquisitions evaluation
- Teaching and instruction (digital and information literacy)
- Data analysis of collection and program use
- Customer service and reference support
Experience: example bullet points
- Catalogued and classified print and digital resources against MARC standards, keeping the collection accurately indexed and easy to search
- Assisted patrons with research and information queries, guiding students, staff or community members to the right databases and reference material
- Designed and delivered digital literacy workshops, building participants' confidence with online research tools and library databases
- Managed collection acquisitions, evaluating resource relevance against community or curriculum needs before committing budget
- Trained casual and new staff on the library management system and discovery platform, cutting the time it took them to handle routine circulation and enquiry tasks unsupervised
Education
Standard pathway is a bachelor degree followed by a Master of Information Studies or Librarianship accredited by ALIA; technical and paraprofessional library roles are also accessible via a Diploma of Library and Information Services.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- ALIA accreditation
- MARC cataloguing
- Koha
- Alma
- Primo
- Summon
- Dewey Decimal Classification
- RFID library systems
- digital literacy
- information literacy
- collection development
- reference services
- interlibrary loan
- public library programs
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.