Library Science and Administration Degree
Students study information organization, cataloging systems, digital resource management, library programming, and how to connect communities with information and resources. Graduates typically pursue careers as librarians, archivists, information managers, knowledge management specialists, and digital asset coordinators in public libraries, universities, and corporations. Modern librarianship increasingly involves digital literacy, data management, and community technology support.
What Library Science and Administration Graduates Do
You’ll begin your career connecting people with information in very tangible ways. As a librarian, you might spend your day teaching students how to use a complex research database, helping a community member with genealogy, or curating digital collections. As an archivist, you could be the one meticulously preserving fragile historical documents or authenticating records for a legal case.
With experience, you can advance into management, a path with strong growth. Here, your focus shifts from direct user support to leading a team, managing budgets, and setting the strategic vision for a library system or corporate archive. While the core librarian role faces headwinds, management and archivist positions are expanding. Across these fields, AI will automate significant chunks of routine work like basic cataloging and search queries. The jobs aren't disappearing, but your day-to-day will change, freeing you to focus on complex research, community outreach, and making critical judgments about information quality. Adaptability is key.
Common Career Paths
Where Library Science and Administration graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 121,700 combined openings per year.
| Career Path | Salary Range | Openings/yr | Growth | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managers, all other | 106,700 | +4.5% | 47% | |
| Library science teachers, postsecondary | 400 | +3.0% | 51% | |
| Librarians and media collections specialists | 13,500 | +1.7% | 54% | |
| Archivists | 1,100 | +3.8% | 50% |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).
Best Schools for Library Science and Administration
2 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.
| # | School | DW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE |
30 30–31 |
$25,054/yr | 6.5x |
| 2 | Ashford University San Diego, CA |
28 29–28 |
$29,163/yr | 5.8x |
Highest Earning Library Science and Administration Programs
Schools where Library Science and Administration graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.
| School | 1-Year Earnings | DW Score |
|---|---|---|
| Ashford University | $29,163/yr | 28 |
| University of Nebraska at Omaha | $25,054/yr | 30 |
Best ROI for Library Science and Administration
Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Library Science and Administration.
| School | ROI Multiple | Earnings | DW Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Nebraska at Omaha | 6.5x | $25,054/yr | 30 |
| Ashford University | 5.8x | $29,163/yr | 28 |
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