The Indiana Library Federation
(ILF) began in 1891 as a meeting of 10 librarians from universities in the state and from the Indianapolis Public Library. This group started the Library Association of Indiana, which later became the Indiana Library Association and then merged with the Indiana Library Trustee Association. The organization was officially renamed in 1990 as the Indiana Library Federation. The ILF represents all types of libraries within the state, including public, academic, school, special, and library supporters.
The Indiana State Library maintains a directory of all libraries operating within the state. This includes academic libraries, library associations, institutional libraries, national library associations, public libraries, and school (K-12) libraries. According to the ILF, library staff throughout Indiana consists of people from diverse backgrounds and communities. The staff is representative of the population of Indiana and of the users of the library. According to the 2020 census, the population of Indiana rose 4.7 percent to 331.4 million between 2010 and 2020, and the diversity index rose from 54.9 percent to 61.1 percent.
If you want to become a librarian in Indiana, the employment opportunities there are vast. We will discuss how to become an Indiana librarian here.
What Does an Indiana Librarian Do?
Librarians in Indiana are just as diverse as the many jobs that are available. The job duties vary greatly from one position to the next. In general, the following duties are true of most, if not all, Indiana librarians:
- Helping to develop informational resources, programs, and policies for the library
- Participating in the development, acquisition, and processing of print resources and electronic databases
- Developing, acquiring, and enhancing library patrons’ access to print and digital publications and collections and audio-visual materials
- Consulting with library personnel about information services, public relations, the acquisitions of library material, library programs and services, and evaluation of services
- Identifying and analyzing research databases
- Making sure library staff and patrons conform to Indiana State Library Collection Development Policy and federal and state standards for specialized library services and cooperative programs
- Assisting management in short- and long-term planning for library services
- Presenting programs to groups and organizations
- Developing and teaching workshops and classes
Indiana Librarian Education
Indiana librarians need a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) or a Master of Library Science (MLS) degree from an institution with American Library Association (ALA) accreditation. Indiana houses the following accredited programs:
- Indiana University Bloomington: Master of Library Science and Master of Information Science
- Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis: Master of Library and Information Science- online program with the following specializations available:
- Academic librarianship
- Archives management
- Digital curation
- Facilitated learning
- Generalist with no specialization
- Public librarianship/adult services
- School librarianship
- Technical services
- Youth services
Indiana Librarian Certification
Any staff who work at Indiana public libraries that spend at least 75 percent of their work time on professional library work must be certified. Certification requirements are leveled and depend upon the population of the library district:
- A library district with 40,000 or more population must have a director who has an MLS and 10 years of professional library experience, and a department head with a bachelor’s degree and 15 hours of library science credit. Professional assistants must have 60 hours of college credit and nine hours of library science credit.
- A library district with 10,000 to 39,999 population must have a director who has an MLS and three years of professional library experience, and a department head with 60 hours of college credit and nine hours of library science credit. Professional assistants must have a high school diploma/GED and three years of library experience or 9 hours of library science credit.
- A library district with 3,001 to 10,000 population must have a director who has a bachelor’s degree and 15 hours of library science credit, and a department head with a high school diploma/GED and three years of library experience or 9 hours of library science credit. Professional assistants must also have a high school diploma/GED and three years of library experience or 9 hours of library science credit.
- A library district of 3000 or less population must have a director with a high school diploma/GED and three years of library experience, plus 10 hours of training for library administrators must be completed within the first three years of employment.
School librarians in Indiana must have a teacher’s license and pass a state examination for library media specialist endorsement.
Jobs for Librarians in Indiana
Jobs for Indiana librarians are regularly advertised at the Indiana State Library Jobs site, the ALA’s JobLIST, SchoolSpring’s Education Jobs portal, and the School Personnel Job Bank of the Indiana Department of Education.
Librarian Salary in Indiana
Librarians in Indiana make an hourly mean wage of $24.02 and an annual mean wage of $49,960, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2021). Librarians working in various parts of the state may make higher, or lower, wages than these, as you can see below:
| Area | Hourly | Annual |
| Bloomington | $33.85 | $70,400 |
| South Bend/Mishawaka IN/MI | $28.57 | $59,430 |
| Terre Haute | $25.36 | $52,740 |
| Indianapolis/Carmel/Anderson | $25.36 | $52,740 |
| Evansville IN/KY | $23.95 | $49,810 |
| Fort Wayne | $23.92 | $49,750 |
| Lafayette/West Lafayette | $23.87 | $49,650 |
| Kokomo | $23.58 | $49,040 |
| Muncie | $23.05 | $47,950 |
| Elkhart/Goshen | $19.94 | $41,480 |
| Northern nonmetro area | $19.29 | $40,120 |
| Central nonmetro area | $19.28 | $40,100 |
| Michigan City/La Porte | $19.10 | $39,730 |
| Southern nonmetro area | $18.01 | $37,460 |
Job Prospects for Indiana Librarians
The sites named above advertise jobs for Indiana librarians when they are open. As of March 2023, the following jobs had been posted for Indiana librarians:
- Adult Services Librarian- New Albany-Floyd County Public Library, New Albany, IN
- Salary: $45,760 yearly
- MLS or MLIS preferred
- Bachelor’s degree and 15 hours of library science credit required
- State library certification required
- Two years of library experience preferred
- Librarian – State of Indiana, Lafayette, IN
- Salary: $38,700 to $49,000 yearly
- MLS or MLIS required
- State library certification required
- One year of full-time librarian experience required
- Information Services and Instruction Librarian/Assistant Librarian – Purdue University, Fort Wayne, IN
- Salary: $41,500 to $52,500 yearly
- MLS or MLIS required
- Experience in academic library preferred
- Project Archivist, University Archives – Marian University, Indianapolis, IN
- Salary: $36,900 to $46,700 yearly
- MLS or MLIS preferred
- Bachelor’s degree and experience may be substituted for MLS or MLIS
- One year of experience in archiving required
- School Librarian – Avon Middle School North, Avon, IN
- Salary: $40,000 to $92,000 yearly
- Bachelor’s degree and teaching license with major in library science or educational media required
- MLS or MLIS preferred
- Indiana teacher certification with endorsement in school media services required
- Classroom teaching experience and school library experience preferred
