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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Library Technicians?
Task-level automation exposure for Library Technicians: 31 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
53%
weighted task index
31 of 31 tasks scored
Median Salary
$44,580 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Medium
68,690 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
-6.4%
employment change
10,800 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 52 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$26,850 – $62,570
Highest medians
Washington $62,570
District of Columbia $61,040
Connecticut $57,060
California $53,260
Minnesota $51,110
Lowest medians
Wyoming $26,850
Mississippi $27,080
Arkansas $28,570
Oklahoma $29,440
South Dakota $29,590
State figures come from the 25-4031 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 53%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 12%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 14%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 45%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 0/100
Low
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
31 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 36%
12 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 42%
12 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 23%
7 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Emerging & rewritten tasks
Tasks O*NET added or rewrote for this occupation in its recent updates (05/2025 – 08/2026), with who proposed them. Additions are not in the scored task inventory — they are new work O*NET is still measuring, so they appear here and nowhere in the index. A Revision replaces a task that is scored, which is why only those move the "Rewritten by O*NET" share.
- New 07/2017 · Incumbent
Open and close the library.
Constituent Tasks
#1688 · Core · 50% automatable
Reserve, circulate, renew, and discharge books and other materials.
physical manipulation — Physical library materials handling and shelving
Process library materials.
#18511 · Core · 55% automatable
Answer routine telephone or in-person reference inquiries, referring patrons to librarians for further assistance, when necessary.
information retrieval — Public info provision partly automatable; accountability human
Provide information to the general public.
#18510 · Core · 55% automatable
Help patrons find and use library resources, such as reference materials, audio-visual equipment, computers, and other electronic resources and provide technical assistance when needed.
information retrieval — Guiding resource use; in-person help needed
Help patrons use library or archival resources.
#1696 · Core · 9% automatable
Deliver and retrieve items throughout the library by hand or using pushcart.
situated mobility — Physical delivery of items in real environments
Move materials, equipment, or supplies. Deliver items.
#1699 · Core · 50% automatable
Process print and non-print library materials to prepare them for inclusion in library collections.
physical manipulation — Physical library materials handling and shelving
Process library materials.
#18512 · Core · 66% automatable
Catalogue and sort books and other print and non-print materials according to procedure and return them to shelves, files, or other designated storage areas.
text generation — Standard classification systems applied to text records
Classify materials according to standard systems. Process library materials.
#1689 · Core · 80% automatable
Enter and update patrons' records on computers.
data analysis — Maintain operational records in structured systems
Maintain operational records.
#1690 · Core · 50% automatable
Provide assistance to teachers and students by locating materials and helping to complete special projects.
interpersonal — Assisting colleagues needs contextual coordination
Assist other educational professionals with projects or research.
#1702 · Core · 80% automatable
Compile and maintain records relating to circulation, materials, and equipment.
data analysis — Maintain operational records in structured systems
Maintain operational records.
#1697 · Core · 30% automatable
Take actions to halt disruption of library activities by problem patrons.
interpersonal — Mediation requires live facilitation and trust
Mediate disputes.
#18513 · Core · 30% automatable
Maintain and troubleshoot problems with library equipment, including computers, photocopiers, and audio-visual equipment.
physical manipulation — Software side AI-assisted; hardware maintenance is hands-on
Maintain computer equipment or software.
#18515 · Core · 22% automatable
Check for damaged library materials, such as books or audio-visual equipment, and provide replacements or make repairs.
visual inspection — Repair-need determination needs hands-on inspection
Inspect materials or equipment to determine need for repair or replacement.
#1703 · Core · 45% automatable
Collect fines and respond to complaints about fines.
interpersonal — Drafting responses easy; live de-escalation is human
Respond to customer problems or complaints. Collect deposits, payments or fees.
#1693 · Core · 35% automatable
Train other staff, volunteers, or student assistants and schedule and supervise their work.
interpersonal — Staff training is relational and accountability-bearing
Train staff members. Direct activities of subordinates.
#1695 · Core · 85% automatable
Conduct reference searches, using printed materials and in-house and online databases.
information retrieval — Search sources for specific data is core
Search information sources to find specific data.
#18518 · Core · 80% automatable
Compile data and create statistical reports on library usage.
data analysis — Maintain operational records in structured systems
Maintain operational records.
#1717 · Core · 80% automatable
Design posters and special displays to promote use of library facilities or specific reading programs at libraries.
text generation — Develop instructional materials; human reviews
Develop instructional materials.
#1704 · Supplemental · 30% automatable
Issue identification cards to borrowers.
physical manipulation — Physically handing out materials to people
Distribute instructional or library materials.
#1706 · Supplemental · 82% automatable
Review subject matter of materials to be classified and select classification numbers and headings according to classification systems.
text generation — Standard classification systems applied to text records
Classify materials according to standard systems.
#1698 · Supplemental · 50% automatable
Process interlibrary loans for patrons.
physical manipulation — Physical library materials handling and shelving
Process library materials.
#18514 · Supplemental · 72% automatable
Order all print and non-print library materials, checking prices, figuring costs, preparing order slips, and making payments.
decision support — Routine ordering automatable; human approves purchases
Order instructional or library materials or equipment.
#1707 · Supplemental · 75% automatable
Send out notices about lost or overdue books.
text generation — Sending digital materials automatable; physical mailing human
Send information, materials or documentation.
#1700 · Supplemental · 50% automatable
Retrieve information from central databases for storage in a library's computer.
physical manipulation — Physical library materials handling and shelving
Process library materials.
#1705 · Supplemental · 50% automatable
Verify bibliographical data for materials, including author, title, publisher, publication date, and edition.
physical manipulation — Physical library materials handling and shelving
Process library materials.
#18517 · Supplemental · 52% automatable
Plan and conduct children's programs, community outreach programs, and other specialized programs, such as library tours.
interpersonal — Public programs need community engagement and judgment
Plan community programs or activities for the general public.
#1701 · Supplemental · 82% automatable
Organize and maintain periodicals and reference materials.
text generation — Organize and structure informational materials
Organize informational materials.
#18516 · Supplemental · 70% automatable
Claim missing issues of periodicals and journals.
data analysis — Materials inventory records and forecasting automatable
Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
#1714 · Supplemental · 55% automatable
Compose explanatory summaries of contents of books and other reference materials.
text generation — AI drafts; original expertise and authorship are human
Write articles, books or other original materials in area of expertise.
#20989 · Supplemental · 11% automatable
Sort and deliver library mail and packages.
physical manipulation — Sorting physical mail requires hands-on handling
Sort mail. Deliver items.
#1710 · Supplemental · 20% automatable
Operate and maintain audio-visual equipment, such as projectors, tape recorders, and videocassette recorders.
physical manipulation — Audiovisual equipment set up and operated by hand
Operate audiovisual equipment.
#1718 · Supplemental · 80% automatable
Compile bibliographies and prepare abstracts on subjects of interest to particular organizations or groups.
information retrieval — Bibliography compilation from sources, human curates
Compile specialized bibliographies or lists of materials.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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