Librarians As Sales Pros (Yes, Really)

When most people hear the word “librarian,” they picture someone helping you find books or shushing noisy teens in a public library. But if you step into the world of academic or specialized libraries, you’ll find that many librarians are actually doing something a lot like sales. Seriously.

These librarians or former librarians aren’t just recommending a good read. They are product experts, marketing strategists, tech trainers, and yes, even sales reps.

Think about a librarian at a university or a medical research center. They aren’t just pointing to a database and walking away. They’re introducing professors or doctors to resources they may have never heard of. They explain what those tools can do, how they compare to others, how they save time or support grant writing, and why they are worth the investment. That sounds a whole lot like a product consultant, doesn’t it?

A lot of these librarians are even involved in the sales funnel, especially when it comes to vendor tools or digital products that the library subscribes to on behalf of a larger institution. Sometimes the librarian is the buyer, sometimes the influencer, and sometimes the one out there selling the value of a product internally, to department heads, faculty, or admin decision-makers. They’ve got to be persuasive. They’ve got to make the case.

And let’s not forget marketing. Specialized librarians often create flyers, videos, create campaigns, post on social, run workshops, or give presentations all to raise awareness and boost usage of tools the organization or company already pays for. If people don’t use them, they disappear.

In corporate settings, it can go even further. A librarian might work for a tech company or research firm and spend their time training clients, onboarding teams, answering product questions, and showcasing new features. They’re teaching people how to get the most out of a product the company makes. That’s education, but it’s also retention, satisfaction, and upselling — the stuff that keeps business flowing.

So while current librarians may not carry a sales quota or cold-call clients, make no mistake. Many of them are deep in the business of selling. They just happen to do it with a service-first mindset, a deep knowledge base, and a whole lot of finesse.

~ Natasa Hogue