Subject Librarians

Subject librarians are usually, but no means exclusively, found in academic and research libraries and special collections. Large institutions such as the British Library, National Library of Scotland and National Library of Wales for example employ a number of subject librarians across different disciplines.

Subject librarians are expected to be the go-to person for enquiries relating to their subject and to produce tutorials and subject guides geared towards that area of study. The role often involves liaising with academic teaching staff to ensure resources and guides are available and up to date for particular courses as well as running workshops for the students taking that course, so you’ll need excellent interpersonal skills for this job!

Qualifications and experience

Subject librarian posts in some areas may require you to have some knowledge of the subject area, this is particularly true for subject librarians for languages and healthcare.

Many employers also look for CILIP Chartership or a willingness to work towards Chartership for higher-grade roles.

Related roles

Academic & research librarians

Relevant Special Interest Group

Academic & Research Libraries Group