Will AI replace Library Assistants, Clerical?
Work in Library Assistants, Clerical sits in the in-between: AI reaches some of it (~53% in theory) but is only measured doing about 10% today — part human, part machine.
O*NET-SOC 43-4121
How your 25 core tasks split
Top = what GPT-4 judged AI could speed up. Bottom = how much AI was actually used for these tasks (Anthropic's March 2026 report, usage from Aug & Nov 2025). The gap is the real story.
Back in 2023, GPT-4 judged AI could, in theory, assist with a moderate share of this job's tasks (~53%). By late 2025, real-world AI use had reached about 10% of its task activity (growing but still limited). The gap between that 2023 forecast and today is the real story.
Where this job sits among 738 jobs
Each dot is one of 738 U.S. jobs. Right = AI can do more of it. Up = AI is actually used more.
Read this as a range, not a verdict
The signals here partly disagree — AI's theoretical reach (~53%) and its real-world use (~10%) tell different stories. AI-risk scores also shift a lot by which model does the rating (2.7%–51.5% in one 2026 study), so this is a direction of travel, not a fixed answer.
See all 25 tasks, ratedBased on real task-level AI scores — click to collapse
- Enter and update patrons' records on computers.
- Maintain records of items received, stored, issued, and returned and file catalog cards according to system used.
- Perform clerical activities, such as answering phones, sorting mail, filing, typing, word processing, and photocopying and mailing out material.
- Review records, such as microfilm and issue cards, to identify titles of overdue materials and delinquent borrowers.
- Send out notices and accept fine payments for lost or overdue books.
- Prepare, store, and retrieve classification and catalog information, lecture notes, or other information related to stored documents, using computers.
- Select substitute titles when requested materials are unavailable, following criteria such as age, education, and interests.
- Prepare library statistics reports.
- Locate library materials for patrons, including books, periodicals, tape cassettes, Braille volumes, and pictures.
- Answer routine inquiries and refer patrons in need of professional assistance to librarians.
- Manage reserve materials by placing items on reserve for library patrons, checking items in and out of library, and removing out-of-date items.
- Lend, reserve, and collect books, periodicals, videotapes, and other materials at circulation desks and process materials for inter-library loans.
- Instruct patrons on how to use reference sources, card catalogs, and automated information systems.
- Inspect returned books for condition and due-date status and compute any applicable fines.
- Register new patrons and issue borrower identification cards that permit patrons to borrow books and other materials.
- Process new materials including books, audio-visual materials, and computer software.
- Provide assistance to librarians in the maintenance of collections of books, periodicals, magazines, newspapers, and audio-visual and other materials.
- Schedule, supervise, and train clerical workers, volunteers, student assistants, and other library employees.
- Assist in the preparation of book displays.
- Sort books, publications, and other items according to established procedure and return them to shelves, files, or other designated storage areas.
- Open and close library during specified hours and secure library equipment, such as computers and audio-visual equipment.
- Maintain library equipment, such as photocopiers, scanners, and computers, and instruct patrons in proper use of such equipment.
- Repair books using mending tape, paste, and brushes or prepare books to be sent to a bindery for repair.
- Take action to deal with disruptive or problem patrons.
- Deliver and retrieve items to and from departments by hand or using push carts.
How we measured this — and how fresh it is
AI's theoretical reach data: 2023
From GPTs-are-GPTs (Eloundou et al.), where GPT-4 rated how much of each task an AI tool could meaningfully speed up. This is the most recent open, commercially-usable occupation-level potential dataset — it dates to 2023. Newer multi-model re-runs exist but swing wildly (one 2026 study saw "high-risk" jobs range 2.7%–51.5% by model) and aren't openly licensed, so we show the stable 2023 baseline and pair it with newer real-world data.
Real-world AI use 2026 report
From the Anthropic Economic Index, which observes how real Claude conversations map onto each occupation's tasks. Published in Anthropic's March 2026 labor-market report, based on usage measured in Aug & Nov 2025 (Sonnet 4 / 4.5).
Task list & ratings O*NET 30.3
Tasks come from O*NET 30.3. Each task's "AI can do / speeds up / still on you" tier uses the real task-level exposure scores from GPTs-are-GPTs (E1 / E2 / E0) — not a guess from keywords.
Sources: O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0) · GPTs-are-GPTs (MIT, 2023) · Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY, Aug & Nov 2025). Page compiled June 2026. "O*NET" is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor.
This page is for general informational purposes only and is not career, financial, or employment advice. AI exposure reflects research estimates of task overlap, not predictions about any individual's job, employer, or future employment.