• Academic librarians work at colleges or universities.library books image by Daughterson from Fotolia.com
  
  Academic librarians are employed by educational institutions to manage the day-to-day operations of campus libraries. These librarians might be responsible for a variety of duties pertaining to library services, including circulation, cataloging, collection development, and research support for both faculty and students. Depending upon the library's structure, academic librarians may specialize in a particular area or department, such as technology services, Web development, curating or reference.
  
  

Reference

• Some academic librarians work in the reference section, assisting both students and faculty with research and information gathering. The librarian's duties mostly involve providing instruction on the use of a variety of library services and resources such as online catalogs, electronic data and other reference materials.
  
  

Circulation and Cataloging

• The academic librarian may also oversee the functions of the circulation and/or cataloging departments. In the area of circulation, the librarian may be responsible for establishing and enforcing procedures pertaining to students and faculty borrowing library materials. She may also maintain a computer record of materials borrowed and returned. Similarly, librarians working in cataloging keep an inventory of all library materials. This includes processing new library books and maintaining an online database.
  
  

Building and Managing a Collection

• Academic librarians are often involved in both building and maintaining a collection that supports the students and faculty that the library serves. The librarian may also be involved in securing financing for the collection through patrons and other fundraising efforts.
  
  Some academic libraries might employ librarians to build and oversee a special collection. This might be a collection of books from a particular country or culture, or a resource collection such as rare maps or digital images.
  
  

Human Resources and Business Management

• Academic librarians at the director's level have a host of management responsibilities, beginning with hiring, training and supervising a staff. These professionals are also required to plan and manage a library budget, oversee day-to-day operations (including financial and property management) and act as a liaison between the library staff and other university staff.
  
  

Technology

• Technology plays a vital role in today's university libraries. Academic librarians might be involved in or responsible for selecting software, managing the library's technology system (such as overseeing system upgrades or repairs), maintaining the library's website, and providing system support to students and staff.
  
  

Miscellaneous

• Academic librarians may also be involved in other projects or assignments as assigned by a supervisor. Some of these projects might include planning student orientations, drafting library instructional materials, participating on university committees or representing the university in the community. Some academic librarians also have teaching responsibilities.