Library Services Manager
What the work is
Plans, organises, directs, controls and evaluates the operations of a library or library system.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Ensures effective planning for the provision of high quality library services within identified priorities and community needs
- Leads, directs and coordinates staff and the allocation of resources
- Manages risk, budget, resources and facilities, and continuously improves the cost effective and efficient provision of library services
- Directs the investigation, evaluation and implementation of new and alternative methods of service delivery
- Manages, develops and evaluates print, audio visual and electronic collections to ensure that they meet community needs
- Oversees the selection, training and performance of staff
- Develops strategic plans and policies, and prepares budget submissions and briefings
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a fictional regional arts centre that runs a gallery, a theatre and an annual community festival. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- Opening night, when a show you took a chance on fills the theatre
- A local artist sees their work on a gallery wall for the first time
- A school group arrives for a workshop and the building feels full of noise and possibility
Hard days
- A grant application deadline lands the same week as the festival
- A performer cancels the day before, and you have a sold-out house
- Saying no to an artist whose work you admire because the money is not there
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 149132, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.