Requirements

• In order to become a periodical librarian you will need a master's or bachelor's degree in librarianship studies and have some past experience working with collections including periodicals. General librarians with a bachelor's degree must get a master's degree if they want to be in charge of a periodicals collection.
  
  

Job Description

• A periodical librarian's services will include cataloging and shelving incoming issues and overseeing the re-shelving of borrowed issues that have been returned. The periodical librarian is in charge of researching new publications, purchasing new issues from publishers and processing customer requests for specific periodicals, including sourcing and locating issues in other libraries available for inter-library loan.
  
  

Duties

• The periodical librarian is in charge of sorting, selecting, acquiring, classifying, cataloging, circulating and maintaining issues in the periodicals collection. This may include rebinding of damaged items and binding and cataloging of newly acquired items. Customer service duties are paramount and a friendly helpful manner is expected at all times. The periodical librarian must oversee all periodical library acquisitions, from a variety of academic and public interest arenas.
  
  

Work Settings

• A periodical librarian can work in a variety of different settings including public libraries, universities and colleges, schools, museums, large corporations, government departments, university hospitals, large law firms and nonprofit organizations. Private collectors with large and valuable collections may also employ a periodical librarian.
  
  

Skills

• A periodical librarian should have excellent English skills both written and spoken and have the ability to present ideas in a professional informed manner. Active listening skills are required for attending conferences and meetings related to the job and for taking customers' requests. Monitoring skills are also required for maintaining a user friendly and well-cataloged collection and for making any necessary changes. The periodical librarian must procure ongoing improvements to the running of the library and the quality of the services offered. Advanced computer skills are required for database interaction, Internet research, online ordering and email skills for communicating with supervisors, coworkers and the public.