Search standard reference materials, including online sources and the Internet, to answer patrons' reference questions.

“Search standard reference materials, including online sources and the Internet, to answer patrons' reference questions.” is a core task performed by Librarians and Media Collections Specialists. Among the occupation's 30 rated tasks, workers place it 26th by importance (#5 most important). About 87% of workers say it is relevant to their job.

This is a single occupation-specific task statement from O*NET. The figures below describe how central the task is to the job and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the task will be automated.

Work activities this task rolls up to

O*NET groups concrete tasks into broader work activities shared across many occupations.

• Gather information from physical or electronic sources. in Getting Information

AI exposure

The OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rates this task E2. Exposure with tools — software built on top of a language model (not the model alone) could cut the time by at least half.

Exposure measures whether a model could meaningfully speed the task up — it is an estimate of overlap with model capabilities, not a measure of whether the work will be done by software. The study's intermediate score (β) for this task is 0.50. Automation potential label: T3.

Other tasks in this occupation

• Check books in and out of the library. · importance 4.4
• Teach library patrons basic computer skills, such as searching computerized databases. · importance 4.4
• Review and evaluate materials, using book reviews, catalogs, faculty recommendations, and current holdings to select and order print, audio-visual, and electronic resources. · importance 4.2
• Keep up-to-date records of circulation and materials, maintain inventory, and correct cataloging errors. · importance 4.1
• Analyze patrons' requests to determine needed information and assist in furnishing or locating that information. · importance 4.1
• Supervise daily library operations, budgeting, planning, and personnel activities, such as hiring, training, scheduling, and performance evaluations. · importance 4.1
• Plan and teach classes on topics such as information literacy, library instruction, and technology use. · importance 4.0
• Confer with colleagues, faculty, and community members and organizations to conduct informational programs, make collection decisions, and determine library services to offer. · importance 4.0
• Code, classify, and catalog books, publications, films, audio-visual aids, and other library materials, based on subject matter or standard library classification systems. · importance 3.9
• Respond to customer complaints, taking action as necessary. · importance 3.9
• Explain use of library facilities, resources, equipment, and services, and provide information about library policies. · importance 3.9
• Plan and deliver client-centered programs and services, such as special services for corporate clients, storytelling for children, newsletters, or programs for special groups. · importance 3.9
• Locate unusual or unique information in response to specific requests. · importance 3.8
• Troubleshoot problems with audio-visual equipment. · importance 3.8

See all tasks on the Librarians and Media Collections Specialists page.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-task-22411,
  title  = {Search standard reference materials, including online sources and the Internet, to answer patrons' reference questions.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/tasks/task-22411}
}