Librarians are word people. When you send your librarian cover letter in response to a job posting, you need to be thoughtful about your words. They need to convey your skills, experience, and passion for literature, knowledge, and working with people. A well-written cover letter is the key to your goal of receiving an interview invitation.

The best way to demonstrate your skills and experience as a librarian is by citing brief anecdotes that state what you did, why you did it, and the result. For example, you could discuss how you initiated and managed a project to increase teenagers’ library use. Write about how teen attendance had dropped. Then briefly outline the program you instituted to increase teen engagement at the library. Cap it off with the resulting increase in teen visits.

A second tip is to proofread. Even a librarian can make mistakes, keyboards can autocorrect (darn it), and it can be challenging to read your cover letter one more time after you’ve been working on it for quite a while. Put it away and proofread it with fresh eyes a little later, or give it to a trusted friend to read.

Librarian Cover Letter

Conrad Reeds

Minneapolis, MN | (555) 555-5555 | conrad@email.com

Month XX, 20XX

Ms. Tasha Banks
Director of Human Resources
School District One
55 Apple St.
Minneapolis, MN 55555

Dear Ms. Banks:

Your middle school librarian opening is an excellent match for my qualifications.

For the past five years, I have worked as a children’s librarian for St. Paul Public Library. I have made it my mission to empower children, adolescents, and teens to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skilled researchers, and ethical researchers and users of information. In this role, I have earned a reputation as a “trailblazer” in launching new and expanding existing programs, services, and resources. Examples include:

  • Collections Development: My recent efforts focused on broadening the diversity of the library’s youth fiction titles to emphasize the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. I expanded works by African American, Latin American, Asian American, and Muslim American authors, which resulted in the library winning the prestigious “American Library Association Diversity Award” and an accompanying $5,000 grant for further collections development.
  • Digital Technologies: I helped create and launch the library’s new mobile app for smartphone devices, allowing fast and easy lending renewal. I was also instrumental in developing the library’s new digital collection, enabling users to instantly download hundreds of book and movie titles to their e-readers (Nook or Kindle) during the 2-week borrowing period.
  • Literacy Program: I introduced a bilingual literacy program for children and families that has tripled in attendance since its launch three years ago to 350 enrolled participants.

I’m dedicated to continuing my professional development. My credentials include the following:

  • A Master of Library Science (MLS).
  • A Bachelor of Arts in education.
  • A state-certified Library Media Specialist licensure.

I am passionate about instilling a love of reading and learning in all library patrons. If you agree that my background suits your needs, please get in touch with me at (555) 555-5555 or email conrad@email.com to schedule a meeting.

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Conrad Reeds

You can read about more tips for cover letters in the Monster library for more ideas. Once you’ve gotten your first interview invitation, we have some librarian interview questions and answers for you as well.

According to Monster’s research, the median income for a librarian is $58,886. To find the estimated librarian salary in your area, use Monster’s Salary Tool.

Some areas of the country have a higher demand for librarians. The top five librarian job locations are:

You can also take a look at all librarian jobs on Monster for job postings across the country.

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