Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

library assistanttolibrarian

A library assistant already meets 50% of what the librarian role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.

From library assistant
50%
Overlap1
To librarian
24 Skills carried over
6 Required, not held
56.5 Difficulty2
Career overlap Partial match

50%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

56.5/ 100

1 Share of the librarian role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the library assistant profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A librarian role treats 9 of its required skills as things a library assistant already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • analyse library users' queries
  • arrange interlibrary loans
  • assess informational needs
  • buy new library items
  • classify library materials
  • collection management

What stands in the way is 6 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 24 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A librarian role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a library assistant background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held assist in library facility planning management skills
  • already held maintain library equipment handling and moving
  • already held select new library items to acquire communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held analyse library users' queries information skills
  • already held buy new library items communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held classify library materials information skills

All 24 carried skills, including the 9 the librarian role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 30 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier
01 information skills 2 required, 2 supplementary
  • required, not held evaluate information services using metrics required
  • required, not held conduct scholarly research required
  • optional, not held manage digital archives optional
  • optional, not held manage information access aids optional
02 assisting and caring 1 required, 4 supplementary
  • required, not held perform customer management required
  • optional, not held assist students with library operations optional
  • optional, not held escort students on a field trip optional
  • optional, not held guarantee students' safety optional
  • optional, not held perform playground surveillance optional
03 education 1 required, 3 supplementary
  • required, not held scientific research methodology required
  • optional, not held post-secondary school procedures optional
  • optional, not held kindergarten school procedures optional
  • optional, not held primary school procedures optional
04 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 2 supplementary
  • required, not held negotiate library contracts required
  • optional, not held draw up professional texts optional
  • optional, not held apply social media marketing optional
05 social sciences, journalism and information 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held information governance compliance required
  • optional, not held digital curation optional
06 management skills 8 supplementary
  • optional, not held develop artistic educational activities optional
  • optional, not held supervise daily library operations optional
  • optional, not held assist in the organisation of school events optional
  • optional, not held coordinate educational programmes optional
  • optional, not held manage fundraising activities optional
  • optional, not held manage human resources optional
  • optional, not held oversee extra-curricular activities optional
  • optional, not held recruit employees optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a librarian role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 24 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held analyse library users' queries skill
  • already held arrange interlibrary loans skill
  • already held assess informational needs skill
  • already held buy new library items skill
  • already held classify library materials skill
  • already held collection management knowledge
  • already held develop solutions to information issues skill
  • already held manage digital libraries skill
  • already held provide library information skill
  • already held apply for library funding skill
  • already held assist in library facility planning skill
  • already held compile library lists skill
  • already held confer with library colleagues skill
  • already held copyright legislation knowledge
  • already held create semantic trees skill
  • already held develop classification systems skill
  • already held digitise documents skill
  • already held digitization knowledge
  • already held literature knowledge
  • already held maintain library equipment skill
  • already held organise information skill
  • already held select new library items to acquire skill
  • already held use databases skill
  • already held use software for data preservation skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
Skill to acquire Tier
07 arts and humanities 3 supplementary
  • optional, not held music and video industry optional
  • optional, not held musical genres optional
  • optional, not held types of literature genres optional
08 business, administration and law 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held secondary school procedures optional
24 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held assist students with library operations optional
  • optional, not held digital curation optional
  • optional, not held develop artistic educational activities optional
  • optional, not held draw up professional texts optional
  • optional, not held manage digital archives optional
  • optional, not held manage information access aids optional
  • optional, not held post-secondary school procedures optional
  • optional, not held supervise daily library operations optional
  • optional, not held apply social media marketing optional
  • optional, not held assist in the organisation of school events optional
  • optional, not held coordinate educational programmes optional
  • optional, not held escort students on a field trip optional
  • optional, not held guarantee students' safety optional
  • optional, not held kindergarten school procedures optional
  • optional, not held manage fundraising activities optional
  • optional, not held manage human resources optional
  • optional, not held music and video industry optional
  • optional, not held musical genres optional
  • optional, not held oversee extra-curricular activities optional
  • optional, not held perform playground surveillance optional
  • optional, not held primary school procedures optional
  • optional, not held recruit employees optional
  • optional, not held secondary school procedures optional
  • optional, not held types of literature genres optional
8 held skills the librarian role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role display library material skill
  • not needed by the target role evaluate library materials skill
  • not needed by the target role instruct library users in digital literacy skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain library inventory skill
  • not needed by the target role manage digital documents skill
  • not needed by the target role manage library users queries skill
  • not needed by the target role manage overdue library materials skill
  • not needed by the target role organise library material skill
10 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier
  • required, not held information governance compliance required
  • required, not held scientific research methodology required
  • optional, not held digital curation optional
  • optional, not held post-secondary school procedures optional
  • optional, not held kindergarten school procedures optional
  • optional, not held music and video industry optional
  • optional, not held musical genres optional
  • optional, not held primary school procedures optional
  • optional, not held secondary school procedures optional
  • optional, not held types of literature genres optional
Index

Other moves recorded from library assistant

Full index of moves from library assistant

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.