Resume template · Updated October 2026
Librarian and research librarian resume template
Short answer
FAANGPath suits a librarian whose search skills and systems carry the application. It prints skills above experience in a minimal black-and-grey layout, so databases, the library platform and instruction methods are read first. The fictional sample is a university research and instruction librarian who came from a public library branch: consultations, classes taught, research guides and a systematic review service, with the MLIS in the headline.
Download the librarian sample
Naomi is a fictional research and instruction librarian. Replace every detail with your own before you send it.
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Why FAANGPath suits a librarian resume
FAANGPath puts labelled skill rows above the job history, so a search committee sees PubMed, Scopus, Alma and LibGuides before reading a single job, which suits work built on search expertise and systems. Its minimal centred layout with full-width rules keeps a dense page of consultations and classes easy to scan.
Second choice: Leslie. Leslie prints experience before skills under a blue header; choose it for a public library post where programs and community reach matter more than databases.
What goes in each section, in FAANGPath's order
FAANGPath prints its sections in a fixed order, the same in the PDF and the Word file. Here is that order for this sample, and what to put in each section.
- Professional Summary. Library type (academic, public, school, special), your role in it (reference, instruction, liaison, collections, systems) and the subjects or communities you serve. Name the MLIS here too, because education prints after experience.
- Skills. Search and teaching work in the first row (systematic review searching, information literacy instruction, consultations), then platforms: library services platform, discovery layer, LibGuides, citation managers and the databases you search well. Keep the names exact.
- Work Experience. For each library, who you serve and how many (departments, a branch community), then counts that show the work (consultations, classes, guides, programs) and one change you made. Liaison librarians should name their departments.
- Projects. Services or tools you built: a systematic review service, an open textbook program, a digitization project. Give its scope and who uses it.
- Education. MLIS or MLS with school and year, and "ALA-accredited" if your program is: the American Library Association says many employers require an accredited master's for professional posts. A subject degree follows and matters for liaison work in that field.
- Presentations and service. "Presentations and service" covers conference talks, committee roles and association work. Two or three lines; academic posts that want more will ask for a CV.
The sample resume as text
The same content as the files above, so you can copy a line or compare it with your own.
Naomi Feldstein
Research and Instruction Librarian, MLIS
Pittsburgh, PA | naomi.feldstein@example.com | (412) 555-0128 | linkedin.com/in/sample-naomi-feldstein
Academic librarian with eight years in reference and instruction, now liaison to the nursing and public health programs at a university library. Teaches about 60 information literacy sessions a year, supports systematic reviews and maintains the health sciences research guides. MLIS from an ALA-accredited program.
Experience
Research and Instruction Librarian, Allegheny Ridge University Libraries, Pittsburgh, PA (07/2021 to Present)
- Liaison to the schools of nursing and public health, serving about 1,800 students and 90 faculty.
- Teach about 60 information literacy sessions a year, from first-year nursing orientation to graduate workshops on search methods.
- Hold about 250 research consultations a year and build search strategies for faculty systematic reviews.
- Rebuilt eight health sciences research guides in LibGuides; guide views roughly doubled in the first year.
Adult Services Librarian, Three Rivers Public Library, Northside Branch, Pittsburgh, PA (08/2018 to 06/2021)
- Staffed the reference desk and chat service, answering questions on job searches, health information and local history.
- Started a monthly digital skills class for older adults, with 12 to 20 people at each session.
- Selected adult nonfiction for the branch within an annual budget of about $28,000.
Projects
Systematic review consultation service: An intake form, planning checklist and search protocol template for faculty and graduate students starting a systematic review.
- Supported 14 reviews in 2025; three were published with the librarian as co-author.
Presentations and service
- Presenter, state library association annual conference, 2024: teaching search strategy to nursing students.
- Chair, library instruction committee, 2023 to 2025.
Education
Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS), Keystone State University (05/2018). ALA-accredited program
BA, Biology, Lehigh Valley College (05/2015)
Skills
Systematic review searching, Information literacy instruction, Research consultations, Collection development, Citation analysis, Instructional design, PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Alma and Primo, LibGuides, Zotero, Teaching adult learners, Faculty outreach
How to make the sample yours
Set the summary for the library type
An academic post reads for liaison subjects, instruction and research support; a public library post reads for programs, community reach and reader services. Rewrite the first sentence for the post, and order bullets inside each job the same way.
Use your exact systems
Replace Alma and Primo with what you worked in (Sierra, Polaris, Koha, WorldShare) and the databases you really search. Committees look for exact names.
Count your teaching
Sessions a year, students reached, and one assessment result if you have it. "About 60 sessions a year" is clearer than "extensive instruction experience".
Name the departments you serve
Liaison posts are matched by subject. Swap nursing and public health for your departments, and add a subject degree if you have one.
Be exact about the degree
Still in the program? Write "MLIS expected 05/2027" in the headline and keep library assistant work as your main job entry.
Keywords to keep where they are true
Terms this kind of resume is usually searched for. Use the posting's exact wording, and only for work you have done.
- reference services
- research consultations
- information literacy instruction
- liaison librarian
- systematic review searching
- database searching
- PubMed
- Scopus
- LibGuides
- Alma
- collection development
- citation management
- Zotero
- MLIS
- outreach programming
Mistakes to avoid
- Describing the job as "helping patrons find books" with no counts, subjects or services.
- Leaving the MLIS to the education section only, below two jobs; say it in the headline or summary.
- Listing every database the library subscribes to instead of the ones you search well.
- Patron names or details of anyone's research question; treat them as confidential.
How the sample PDF reads in text extractors
We exported this sample with Resumity's PDF exporter in Chrome on 2026-10-29 and read the file back with three open-source text extractors. This shows whether software that turns a PDF into text can recover it; it is not a test of any commercial applicant tracking system. How we test templates.
| Extractor | Name, email, phone | Headings | Bullets intact |
|---|---|---|---|
| pdf.js 4.10.38 | All found | 6 of 6 | 8 of 8 |
| pdftotext (Xpdf) 4.00 | All found | 6 of 6 | 8 of 8 |
| pypdf 6.13.0 | All found | 6 of 6 | 8 of 8 |
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an MLIS to work as a librarian?
For most professional librarian posts, yes. The American Library Association notes that many employers require an ALA-accredited master's for professional-level positions, and that some states require one for public or school librarians. Library assistant and associate roles often do not.
How is a research librarian resume different from a public librarian resume?
Research and academic librarians lead with consultations, instruction, liaison subjects and search expertise. Public librarians lead with programs, community reach and reader services. The sample keeps a public library job under the academic one to show how both read.
Should I list library systems on my resume?
Yes, by name, and only the ones you have worked in: the library system or platform, the discovery layer and the databases you can search without help.
How do I move from library assistant to librarian?
Keep the assistant job and bring out the professional work in it: reference shifts, programs you ran, cataloging, instruction you helped with. Put the MLIS, or its expected date, in the headline.
How long should a librarian resume be?
One to two pages. Some academic library posts ask for a CV listing presentations and publications; follow the posting.
Will applicant tracking systems read this FAANGPath PDF?
The sample PDF read back with its contact details, all 6 section headings and all 8 bullets intact in three open-source text extractors (pdf.js, pdftotext and pypdf). Commercial systems such as Workday, Greenhouse or Taleo were not tested, and each employer configures its own.
Guides and templates for this resume
Sources, checked 29 October 2026
We opened every page below on that date. Pay, rules and requirements change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.
- American Library Association: Accredited Library and Information Studies Master's Programs (ALA accredits master's programs in library and information studies in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico; many employers require an ALA-accredited master's for professional-level positions, and some states require one for public or school librarians)
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