# Library Assistants, Clerical

US SOC code 43-4121. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/43-4121

Also called: Library assistant, Library clerk, Circulation clerk, Circulation assistant, Library aide.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **85,520** US clerical library assistants, with median pay of **$36,910** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **115,310**, in May 2009. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/hrdr/librarysupportstaff/history_of_library_support_staff) of **15,000** from 1920, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for clerical library assistants: Cloud ILS and discovery layers, 2012 to 2023.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to decline 6.4% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=43-4121&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **44%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Library Assistants, Clerical employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1887
- Latest US employment: 85,520 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [3]
- Latest US median pay: $36,910 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [7]
- Outlook: -6.4% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [19]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 14300)
  - Employment, 2020: 14,120. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [5]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 14300 Library assistants and clerks, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$48,800. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [9]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 14300 Library assistants and clerks, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 27 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1920 | 15,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., ALA [1] |
| 1945 | 28,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., ALA [1] |
| 1989 | 42,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., ALA [1] |
| 2002 | 120,000 (estimate) | $19,450 | Est., AFL-CIO DPE (employment) [2]; BLS OEWS 2002 (pay) [6] |
| 2003 | 109,900 | $19,930 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [3] |
| 2004 | 102,310 | $20,720 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [3] |
| 2005 | 104,650 | $21,140 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [3] |
| 2006 | 109,090 | $21,640 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [3] |
| 2007 | 112,300 | $22,270 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [3] |
| 2008 | 114,740 | $22,630 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [3] |
| 2009 | 115,310 | $22,980 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [3] |
| 2010 | 110,210 | $23,120 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [3] |
| 2011 | 109,440 | $23,440 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [3] |
| 2012 | 104,030 | $23,440 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [3] |
| 2013 | 101,990 | $23,660 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [3] |
| 2014 | 100,800 | $23,910 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [3] |
| 2015 | 100,090 | $24,480 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [3] |
| 2016 | 98,560 | $25,220 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [3] |
| 2017 | 94,140 | $25,810 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [3] |
| 2018 | 88,970 | $26,500 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [3] |
| 2019 | 85,910 | $27,490 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [3] |
| 2020 | 84,560 | $28,730 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [3] |
| 2021 | 78,470 | $29,450 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [3] |
| 2022 | 77,660 | $31,150 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [3] |
| 2023 | 83,680 | $34,020 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [3] |
| 2024 | 80,070 | $36,010 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [3] |
| 2025 | 85,520 | $36,910 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [3] |

## Sources (79)

### Employment series

1. [ALA — "In the Beginning, There was Support Staff" (history of library support staff employment)](https://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/hrdr/librarysupportstaff/history_of_library_support_staff), American Library Association
2. [AFL-CIO DPE — Library Workers: Facts and Figures (2011 fact sheet citing 2002 BLS baseline data)](https://ala-apa.org/files/2012/03/Library-Workers-2011.pdf), AFL-CIO Department for Professional Employees / ALA-APA
3. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
4. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
5. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

6. [BLS OES 2002 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes02nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
7. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
8. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
9. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

10. [Wikipedia — Charles Ammi Cutter (Rules for a Printed Dictionary Catalog, 1876)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ammi_Cutter), Wikipedia
11. [Raymond Geddes — The Evolution of the Card Catalog System](https://www.raymondgeddes.com/blogs/news/evolution-of-the-card-catalog-system), Raymond Geddes
12. [Bibliotheca — Self-Service in Libraries: Evolution, Impact, and the Future (Tattle-Tape 1970, early automation history)](https://www.bibliotheca.com/self-service-in-libraries-evolution-impact-and-the-future/), Bibliotheca
13. [Illinois State Library Heritage Project — Other Automated Improvements (CLSI adoption 1974)](https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/library/heritage_project/home/chapters/coming-of-age-the-1970s/other-automated-improvements/), Illinois State Library
14. [Wikipedia — SirsiDynix (Sirsi Corporation 1979, Dynix 1983 founding and history)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SirsiDynix), Wikipedia
15. [RFID Journal — "RFID Turns the Page in Library Efficiency" (Garland County Library staffing case study)](https://www.rfidjournal.com/news/rfid-turns-the-page-in-library-efficiency/223038/), RFID Journal
16. [American Libraries Magazine — 2025 Library Systems Report (cloud ILS adoption trends)](https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2025/05/01/2025-library-systems-report/), American Libraries Magazine
17. [OCLC — AI Record Manager and Connexion features (December 2025)](https://www.oclc.org/en/news/releases/2025/20251208-ai-recordmanager-connexion.html), OCLC
18. [Bibliotheca — AI in Libraries (2025)](https://www.bibliotheca.com/ai-in-libraries/), Bibliotheca

### Forecasts and exposure studies

19. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 43-4121 Library assistants, clerical (2025: 89.5 thousand; 2035: 83.8 thousand; -6.4%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=43-4121&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
20. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 43-4121.00, human-rated β 0.44)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

21. [Wikipedia — Charles Ammi Cutter (1876 Rules; ALA founding)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ammi_Cutter), Wikipedia
22. [Melvil Dewey Establishes the First Library School at Columbia University — History of Information](https://historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=3270), History of Information
23. [Raymond Geddes — The Evolution of the Card Catalog System (LC card distribution 1901)](https://www.raymondgeddes.com/blogs/news/evolution-of-the-card-catalog-system), Raymond Geddes
24. [ALA — "In the Beginning, There was Support Staff" (Williamson Report 1923, professional/clerical segmentation)](https://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/hrdr/librarysupportstaff/history_of_library_support_staff), American Library Association
25. [Bibliotheca — Self-Service in Libraries: Evolution, Impact, and the Future (Tattle-Tape 1970, Saint Paul Public Library)](https://www.bibliotheca.com/self-service-in-libraries-evolution-impact-and-the-future/), Bibliotheca

### Predecessors & successors

26. [ALA — "In the Beginning, There was Support Staff" (history of library support staff)](https://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/hrdr/librarysupportstaff/history_of_library_support_staff), American Library Association

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Library Assistants, Clerical (43-4121.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/43-4121.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Library Technicians and Assistants (2024-34)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/library-technicians-and-assistants.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [American Libraries 2025 Library Systems Report](https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2025/05/01/2025-library-systems-report/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Bibliotheca — AI in Libraries (2025)](https://www.bibliotheca.com/ai-in-libraries/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Bibliotheca Automated Materials Handling overview](https://info.bibliotheca.com/updated-automated-materials-handling), accessed 2026-06-05
- [RFID Turns the Page in Library Efficiency — RFID Journal](https://www.rfidjournal.com/news/rfid-turns-the-page-in-library-efficiency/223038/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Bibliotheca selfCheck 3000 — Minitex cooperative purchasing (2025)](https://minitex.umn.edu/news/library-products-cooperative-purchasing/2025-05/minitex-now-offering-bibliotheca-hybrid), accessed 2026-06-05
- [OCLC AI Record Manager and Connexion features (Dec 2025)](https://www.oclc.org/en/news/releases/2025/20251208-ai-recordmanager-connexion.html), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.