librarian
Americannoun
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librarians
plural
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a person trained in library science and engaged in library service.
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a person in charge of a library, especially the chief administrative officer of a library.
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a person who is in charge of any specialized body of literature, as a collection of musical scores.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of librarian
Explanation
A librarian is someone who works in a library maintaining books and information and lending them to patrons. If you have a research project ahead of you, make friends with the librarian. There are many different types of librarians, from archivists who care for, organize, and lend very old or valuable documents; to school librarians who organize book-related projects and buy books and electronic resources that are appropriate for the students they serve. To become a librarian, you might want to get an advanced degree in library science. The Latin root of librarian is liber, "book." In the 17th century, a librarian was known as a "library-keeper."
Vocabulary lists containing librarian
ESL Library Vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
She attended Princeton on 90% financial aid while working part-time jobs on campus like librarian, tutor and bartender.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
For viral librarian and “Reading Rainbow” host Mychal Threets, his mental health recovery is an ongoing process.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Hundreds of young Russians gathered outside a Moscow courthouse where Yabloko’s bespectacled chairman, Nikolai Rybakov, who has a mop of brown hair and looks like a small-town librarian, spent hours appealing the ruling in vain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Threets shared his experiences with therapy and medication in 2024, as he also spoke about the more difficult times he has faced as a librarian.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
"I'm afraid he doesn't have a pet," Mrs. Krupnik said to the librarian in a sad voice.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
The East SOS Foundation, a Ukrainian humanitarian and human-rights organization, has gathered testimony from librarians and teachers who saw books destroyed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
And what about support staff like teaching assistants, canteen staff and librarians?
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Any librarians who commit to inclusion may find themselves targeted.
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026
Until the 1990s, Apple had a team of corporate librarians who guarded the company’s archival treasures like they were trade secrets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
“Hey, I should know,” Nazario said, “I practically grew up inside that building. My adopted family were librarians and books.”
From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
