librarian
Americannoun
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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:
When she was 18, she landed a job as an apprentice film librarian at the Sandler Film Library in Hollywood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
She attended Princeton on 90% financial aid and worked part-time jobs on campus such as librarian, tutor and bartender.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2026
Aware of growing censorship in Pennsylvania, DeMaria — who is the Hempfield School District’s library media program coordinator and a high school librarian — wanted to get ahead of the trend.
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026
There the novel was handed to librarian Jessica Berry who contacted the team in the UK, but no one yet knows how it ended up down under.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026
“No!” screamed Mrs. Lonni Gause, the frazzled holographic librarian, who popped into view behind the circulation desk.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
And what about support staff like teaching assistants, canteen staff and librarians?
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
And while parents appreciated the show’s help in getting children excited about reading, Duffield believes it was teachers and librarians who were the most enthusiastic about “Wishbone.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
“If we want to really have a thinking, thriving society, librarians are irreplaceable,” Kearney said.
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
“Kindly invite your network of crackerjack librarians all across this country to organize regional competitions.”
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
