Are Cataloging and Metadata Departments Adequately Staffed?

Most cataloging and metadata departments report staffing below the level they consider adequate, even as the work grows more technically specialized. In Primary Research Group's survey, more than 70% of respondents rated staffing below adequate. Departments had experienced little net staffing growth over the previous two years, and 44% described recruitment as difficult. The challenge is therefore not simply obtaining authorization for a position; it is finding candidates whose skills match a changing portfolio of work.

The roles institutions expect to need show where that portfolio is heading. Forty-four percent anticipated demand for metadata specialists, 40% for linked-data or BIBFRAME expertise, 28% for digital catalogers and 26% for AI experts. Traditional bibliographic knowledge remains essential, but it is increasingly combined with data transformation, systems work, digital collections and automation oversight.

Outsourcing has not displaced the internal department. About two-thirds of cataloging and metadata work remained in-house, and outsourcing levels were generally stable. That makes internal capacity especially important: vendors may handle defined projects or record supply, but local staff still manage policy, quality, exceptions, distinctive collections and coordination with discovery systems.

For library leaders, across-the-board vacancy counts may hide the real risk. A department can appear numerically stable while losing the particular expertise needed for authority work, remediation, linked data or digital collections. Workforce planning should therefore map skills as well as positions, identify single points of failure and distinguish recurring work from project backlogs.

The strongest hiring strategy may combine selective recruitment with deliberate development of current staff. Practical training, protected project time and clearer career paths can help libraries build scarce capabilities they may not be able to buy quickly in the labor market. The survey's message is not only that departments need more people; many need a different and more resilient mix of expertise.