2027 Library Science Degree Underemployment Report: Which Graduates Are Most Likely to Work Below Their Education Level
Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist
Library Science graduates often face a difficult first-career question: take a library assistant job now or hold out for work that fully uses their education. The risk is real. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York's recent college labor market data shows that roughly 4 in 10 recent college graduates work in jobs that do not typically require a degree. For Library Science students, the stakes are higher because many professional librarian roles require an MLIS. This guide explains who is most at risk, which roles count as degree-level, and how to avoid long-term overqualification.
Key Things to Know About Underemployment in Library Science Industry
- Library Science underemployment is highest for graduates who stop at a bachelor's degree, lack supervised library experience, or target professional librarian jobs that commonly require an ALA-accredited MLIS.
- BLS data lists librarians and library media specialists at about $64,000 in 2024 median pay, while library assistant and technician roles are much lower, making early job matching a major ROI issue.
- The safest path into degree-level work combines field experience, metadata or systems skills, user services evidence, and a targeted job search across libraries, archives, museums, universities, government, vendors, and digital information teams.
- How likely is it for Library Science graduates to become underemployed?
- Is the college curricula for Library Science keeping up with employer expectations?
How likely is it for Library Science graduates to become underemployed?
Library Science graduates are more likely to become underemployed when their credential does not match the professional role they want. In this field, "underemployment" usually means working in a job that does not require the degree or does not use the graduate's information organization, research, metadata, instruction, archival, or digital systems training.
The important distinction is that Library Science is not a single labor market. A graduate aiming for "librarian" roles faces different credential expectations than a graduate aiming for records management, digital asset management, knowledge management, archives support, instructional technology, or information services.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York's recent college graduate data continues to show broad underemployment near the 40% range for new degree holders. That benchmark does not isolate Library Science perfectly, but it is useful because many Library Science graduates compete in public-sector, nonprofit, education, and cultural-institution hiring markets where openings can be limited and local.
This table summarizes the main risk patterns. It is not a guarantee of outcomes; it shows how credential level and practical experience usually change a graduate's odds of landing work that uses the degree.
| Graduate profile | Typical underemployment risk | Why it happens | Better-fit target roles |
| Bachelor's in Library Science or adjacent field, no MLIS | High for librarian-title jobs | Many public, academic, and school librarian roles prefer or require an MLIS | Library associate, archives assistant, records coordinator, metadata assistant, information services specialist |
| MLIS student or graduate with no internship or practicum | Moderate to high | Employers often want evidence of cataloging, reference, instruction, systems, or archives work | Entry-level librarian, digital collections assistant, reference and instruction associate |
| MLIS graduate with specialized technical experience | Lower | Metadata, systems, digital preservation, and data skills map to clearer employer needs | Metadata librarian, systems librarian, digital asset manager, repository specialist |
| Graduate limited to one small local job market | Higher | Library hiring is often location-constrained and turnover can be slow | Hybrid information roles, remote vendor support, records management, academic library staff roles |
The practical takeaway is that the degree alone is rarely enough. Library Science graduates reduce underemployment risk when they can show a direct match between their coursework, applied experience, software fluency, and the type of institution hiring.
Is the college curricula for Library Science keeping up with employer expectations?
Library Science curricula are evolving, but employer expectations often move faster than program requirements. Traditional coursework in reference, cataloging, collection development, youth services, archives, and information ethics still matters. However, many employers now expect graduates to be comfortable with digital repositories, metadata schemas, electronic resource management, accessibility, research data services, privacy, analytics, and user experience.
This mismatch matters because employers may not view a general Library Science degree as job-ready unless the applicant can translate coursework into work products. Graduates who can point to a digital exhibit, metadata cleanup project, LibGuides-style research guide, finding aid, collection assessment, or systems workflow are easier to evaluate.
The table below compares common curriculum areas with current employer expectations. Use it to audit whether a program is preparing students for the roles they actually want.
| Curriculum area | What many programs teach | What employers increasingly expect | Underemployment risk if missing |
| Cataloging and metadata | Classification, subject headings, bibliographic records | RDA, MARC, Dublin Core, linked data awareness, metadata quality control | Graduates may be limited to clerical processing roles |
| Reference and instruction | Research support and information literacy theory | Teaching samples, assessment, online learning tools, discipline-specific research support | Harder to compete for academic and school-facing roles |
| Digital collections | Archives and preservation concepts | Repository platforms, digitization workflows, copyright review, accessibility, digital preservation planning | Graduates may lose out to candidates with technical project experience |
| Systems and data | Introductory information technology | Integrated library systems, discovery layers, vendor platforms, SQL basics, analytics dashboards | Higher risk of being screened out of systems or electronic resources roles |
| User services | Patron services, community engagement, ethics | Evidence of customer service, programming, outreach metrics, inclusive service design | May be considered for assistant roles rather than professional roles |
Students comparing Library Science with more technical information careers should study job descriptions carefully. For example, careers with a bioinformatics degree often make technical skill requirements more explicit, while Library Science roles may hide technical expectations inside phrases such as "digital initiatives," "electronic resources," or "discovery services."
A strong curriculum is one that lets students graduate with both professional theory and work samples. If a program offers only broad survey courses, students should use electives, assistantships, practicums, and independent projects to build proof of job-ready skills.
Library Science underemployment is different from underemployment in many other majors because the professional credential ladder is unusually important. In some fields, a bachelor's degree plus internships can open direct degree-level roles. In Library Science, many "librarian" jobs are master's-level roles, especially in academic, public, school, and specialized libraries.
The comparison below helps show why Library Science graduates can feel squeezed even when they studied a career-focused subject. The issue is not that libraries do not need skilled workers; it is that the credential, location, and specialization match can be narrow.
| Field comparison | Typical entry credential for degree-level work | Main underemployment pressure | What protects graduates |
| Library Science | Often MLIS for librarian roles; bachelor's may fit support or adjacent information roles | Professional titles may require graduate education and prior library experience | MLIS alignment, internships, metadata, systems, archives, instruction, and digital collections skills |
| General humanities and social sciences | Bachelor's degree plus transferable skills | Broad degree may not map clearly to job titles | Writing samples, data skills, internships, targeted industry positioning |
| Health professions | Often regulated credential or license | Underemployment can occur when graduates lack licensure or clinical requirements | Accredited programs, supervised practice, exam eligibility |
| Technical information fields | Bachelor's or master's depending on role | Skills can become outdated quickly | Portfolio, programming, data, cloud, analytics, and domain expertise |
Students weighing Library Science against applied health or wellness degrees should compare how directly the credential maps to licensure or job titles. An online exercise physiology degree, for instance, has different employer pathways and credential expectations than an MLIS-focused library career.
The best comparison is not simply "which major has the lowest underemployment rate." It is whether the degree, credential, experience, and local hiring market line up with the actual roles the student wants.
Taking a low-credential role does not automatically damage a Library Science career. It can help if the graduate uses it to gain library-specific experience. However, long-term underemployment can slow wage growth, delay professional title progression, and make it harder to compete with candidates who have already built specialized portfolios.
The financial risk is especially important for graduates who borrowed for an MLIS. Federal Student Aid rates for the 2025-2026 award year list graduate Direct Unsubsidized Loans at 7.94%, which means delayed earnings can make repayment more difficult even when the total debt is moderate.
Career growth is affected most when low-credential work prevents graduates from building evidence in the areas employers reward. These are the most common long-term effects:
- Delayed title progression because employers may classify the candidate as support staff rather than a professional librarian, archivist, or information specialist.
- Weaker salary negotiation power because the candidate's recent compensation history and responsibilities may not reflect degree-level work.
- Skill stagnation if the job does not involve cataloging, electronic resources, instruction, digital preservation, research support, or systems administration.
- Reduced mobility if the graduate becomes tied to a local library system with few professional openings.
The safest strategy is to treat the first low-credential role as a project-based stepping stone. Graduates should ask for responsibilities that create resume evidence, such as managing a small collection audit, supporting a digitization project, leading a program, updating a research guide, or cleaning metadata records.
The salary gap between degree-level Library Science work and low-credential library support work can be significant. BLS 2024 wage data places librarians and library media specialists at about $64,000 in median annual pay, while library assistants and technicians sit much lower, around the upper-$30,000 range. That difference matters because even a short period of underemployment can delay loan repayment, savings, and professional advancement.
This table shows how the wage picture usually looks across role types. The figures should be used as national benchmarks, not promises, because salaries vary by state, union contract, institution type, funding source, and cost of living.
| Role category | Typical credential match | 2024 national pay context | Career interpretation |
| Librarian or library media specialist | Often MLIS or state school-library credential, depending on role | About $64,000 median annual pay | Most likely to fully use graduate-level Library Science training |
| Archivist, curator, or museum-related information role | Often master's degree plus archives, museum, or records experience | Pay varies widely by institution and specialization | Can be degree-level if duties involve appraisal, description, preservation, or collections strategy |
| Library technician or assistant | Often high school, certificate, associate degree, or experience-based | Typically far below professional librarian pay | May be a bridge role, but long-term fit is weaker for MLIS graduates |
| Records, knowledge management, or digital asset support | Bachelor's or master's plus technical systems knowledge | Pay depends heavily on industry | Can be a strong alternative when library hiring is limited |
The gap is not only about salary. Degree-level roles usually provide stronger professional identity, clearer advancement paths, and better alignment with the skills students paid to develop. Low-credential roles may still be worth taking if they build specialized experience quickly.
Library Science underemployment usually results from several barriers at once, not one bad decision. The most common pattern is a graduate with broad coursework, limited experience, and a job search focused only on "librarian" titles in one geographic area.
These barriers are the ones students should identify early because they can be addressed before graduation:
- Credential mismatch: Many professional librarian openings prefer or require an MLIS, while bachelor's-level graduates may need to target assistant, associate, records, archives support, or information services roles first.
- Experience inflation: Entry-level postings may still ask for prior library, teaching, archives, systems, or public-service experience, which disadvantages students without practicums or assistantships.
- Local hiring limits: Public and academic libraries may have slow turnover, budget constraints, civil service rules, or part-time staffing models that limit full-time openings.
- Technical skill gaps: Graduates who cannot discuss metadata, discovery systems, electronic resources, digital collections, accessibility, or data tools may be filtered into lower-level service roles.
- Weak occupational targeting: Applying only to "librarian" postings can miss adjacent degree-level roles in vendors, universities, law firms, hospitals, museums, government agencies, and corporate knowledge teams.
Healthcare education pathways can look more structured because licensure requirements are clearer. A student comparing a library pathway with an best online pharmacy school search should notice the difference: pharmacy roles are tightly credentialed, while Library Science outcomes depend more on specialization, institution type, and job-market strategy.
The biggest tactical mistake is accepting a fallback job without defining the next move. Graduates should know which skill, credential, portfolio item, or professional contact the role will help them gain.
A Library Science resume should make the degree-level match obvious in the first few seconds. Hiring committees and applicant tracking systems look for role-specific terms, but human reviewers also want evidence that the candidate can serve users, manage information, and work with systems.
The best resumes are built around the target role, not around a generic list of courses. A metadata-focused resume should look different from a youth services resume, a school library resume, or an archives resume.
Use this sequence to position the resume for degree-level work:
- Start with a targeted headline such as "MLIS Candidate | Metadata and Digital Collections" or "Library Science Graduate | Reference, Instruction, and Research Support."
- Mirror the job posting's language where accurate, especially terms such as RDA, MARC, Dublin Core, LibGuides, ArchivesSpace, Alma, Primo, OCLC, digital preservation, instruction, outreach, or electronic resources.
- Translate coursework into evidence by naming projects, collections, user groups, systems, and outcomes rather than listing class titles alone.
- Separate "Library and Information Skills" from general workplace skills so specialized abilities do not get buried below customer service or administrative tasks.
- Quantify work when possible, such as number of records cleaned, guides created, programs delivered, collection items processed, or patrons supported.
- Include supervised field experience, assistantships, volunteer projects, capstones, and practicums if they demonstrate professional responsibilities.
Graduates should also remove signals that accidentally position them below their education level. A resume that emphasizes only shelving, circulation, retail service, or clerical work may be read as support-staff experience unless it also shows higher-level information work.
Certifications can help Library Science graduates qualify for degree-level or near-degree-level roles, but they rarely replace the MLIS when the job explicitly requires it. Their best use is to prove specialized skills that a transcript may not show clearly.
The right certification depends on the target role. Students should choose credentials that match job descriptions in their preferred sector, not simply the most recognizable certificate name.
| Certification or credential area | Best fit | How it reduces underemployment risk | Important limitation |
| Digital asset management training | Museums, media organizations, universities, corporate archives | Signals readiness for image, document, rights, taxonomy, and repository workflows | Does not replace experience with actual collections or platforms |
| Archives or records management credentials | Archives, government records, corporate information governance | Strengthens fit for appraisal, retention, description, and compliance-related roles | Some credentials require experience before eligibility |
| Project management credentials such as CAPM | Digital initiatives, systems migrations, grant-funded projects | Shows ability to manage timelines, stakeholders, documentation, and implementation work | Most useful when paired with library or archives projects |
| Data, analytics, or database certificates | Assessment, electronic resources, research impact, systems, knowledge management | Helps graduates compete for roles involving usage data, dashboards, SQL, or reporting | Should be supported by a portfolio or project samples |
| Teaching, school library, or media specialist credential | K-12 school library roles | May be required for public school positions, depending on state rules | Requirements vary by state and may include exams or educator licensure |
Library Science students should think of certifications as targeted add-ons, not universal solutions. In contrast, a credential pathway such as an LPN fast track program is designed around a specific licensed occupation, while Library Science certifications usually strengthen specialization within a broader information career market.
The fastest return usually comes from a certification that helps the graduate qualify for a role category they are already close to entering. For example, a student with archives coursework may benefit more from digital preservation and ArchivesSpace experience than from a general business certificate.
Library Science students can lower underemployment risk by planning backward from job descriptions. The goal is to graduate with a credential, experience record, and portfolio that match a real hiring category.
These steps are most useful when started before the final year of school:
- Choose a target lane early, such as public librarianship, academic reference, school library media, archives, metadata, systems, electronic resources, digital collections, records management, or knowledge management.
- Collect 20 recent job postings in that lane and identify repeated requirements, software names, credentials, and experience expectations.
- Use electives and projects to fill the gaps between the curriculum and the postings, especially in metadata, instruction, digital repositories, accessibility, data, or archives tools.
- Complete at least one supervised practicum, internship, assistantship, or volunteer project that produces concrete resume evidence.
- Build a small portfolio with work samples such as a finding aid, metadata crosswalk, research guide, digital exhibit plan, instruction outline, collection analysis, or data dashboard.
- Network with alumni, state library associations, archives groups, public library systems, academic library departments, vendors, and local government records offices before applications open.
- Apply beyond traditional librarian titles, including information specialist, knowledge management analyst, records coordinator, digital collections assistant, electronic resources assistant, and research services associate.
- Evaluate any low-credential offer by asking what professional tasks it adds within 6 to 12 months and what next role it realistically supports.
Students should also compare program ROI honestly. If a target career requires graduate education, the MLIS may make sense; if the student wants a faster healthcare workforce route, a different credential pathway may be more direct. The same comparison logic applies when reviewing unrelated professional degrees, such as an online exercise physiology degree, because the smartest choice is the one with the clearest connection between coursework, credential, and hiring demand.
The main strategy is simple: do not wait until graduation to become employable. Library Science students who build applied proof while enrolled are better positioned to avoid low-credential roles or leave them quickly.
Some Library Science graduates use low-credential roles as a short bridge into professional work, but others get stuck. The difference usually comes down to whether the role builds relevant experience and whether the graduate has a planned transition timeline.
A low-credential role can be useful if it gives the graduate access to circulation systems, reference desks, cataloging workflows, archives processing, interlibrary loan, programming, or collection maintenance. It is less useful if the work is mostly clerical, scheduling, shelving, or front-desk coverage with no path into higher-skill responsibilities.
Before accepting a lower-credential job, graduates should evaluate whether it functions as a gateway or a trap. These signs help separate the two:
- A gateway role includes supervised professional tasks, mentorship from librarians or archivists, and chances to document measurable work such as metadata records, programs delivered, or patron research support.
- A gateway role has a visible promotion path, a history of internal hiring, or tuition support for an MLIS if the graduate does not already have one.
- A risky role uses the Library Science degree mainly as a customer-service signal while offering little exposure to systems, collections, instruction, archives, or research support.
- A risky role requires nights, weekends, or multiple part-time schedules that prevent the graduate from completing applications, internships, certifications, or graduate coursework.
A reasonable bridge period may make sense, especially in competitive cities or public-sector systems with slow hiring cycles. The problem starts when a graduate stays in a low-credential job without accumulating new evidence for the next role.
Other Things You Should Know About Library Science
Sometimes, but many professional librarian roles prefer or require an MLIS, especially in public, academic, and school libraries. Bachelor's graduates may have better odds targeting library associate, archives support, records, research support, or information services roles first.
No. An MLIS is important for many librarian-title jobs, but some graduates avoid underemployment through adjacent roles in digital asset management, records management, vendor support, knowledge management, or research operations. The key is matching the role's credential and skill expectations.
They can be worth taking if they provide professional experience, mentorship, and a path to stronger responsibilities. They are riskier if they offer mostly clerical work, unstable hours, and no route into cataloging, reference, instruction, archives, systems, or digital projects.
Graduates with an MLIS or role-matched credential, supervised field experience, strong writing and user-service skills, and technical evidence in metadata, digital collections, systems, archives, or instruction are typically better positioned for degree-level roles.
See What Experts Have To Say About Studying Library Science
Read our interview with Library Science experts
Kay Anne Cassell
Library Science Expert
Professor Emerita of Library and Information Science
Rutgers University
Edward Benoit III
Library Science Expert
Associate Director, School of Information Studies
Louisiana State University
Beatrice C. Baaden
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Associate Professor
Long Island University
Maura Madigan
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School Librarian
Book Author
Book Author
- MLIS Degree Jobs & Careers: Your Complete 2026 Guide https://www.mastersinlibraryscience.org/careers/
- Alternative Career Paths Utilizing Library Science Skills https://www.librariancertification.com/alternative-career-paths-utilizing-library-science-skills/
- The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market
- Educational Attainment, Income and Earnings, and Unemployment | NEA https://www.nea.org/resource-library/educational-attainment-income-and-earnings-and-unemployment
