Librarians and archivists may have individual job descriptions that set out in detail all the aspects of their job. If such descriptions exist, they should be clear and thorough, as specified in the Association of the Professors of University of Ottawa agreement:

22.3.2.1  There shall be a written job description for every Librarian position. A job description shall contain a clear, precise and complete statement of the tasks and responsibilities of the incumbent, as well as the administrative unit to which the position is normally attached.²⁸

There are many aspects to the work of a librarian or archivist that need to be reflected in the collective agreement.The University of Victoria Faculty Association agreement provides a useful outline:

Assignment of Duties: Librarians

12.21 The Professional Responsibilities of a Librarian include a combination of self-directed and assigned tasks in the areas of Professional Performance, Scholarly and Professional Achievement and Service, including organizing, managing and facilitating access to library resources; providing reference, consultative, instructional and research services; collaborative partnerships with faculty; developing, organizing, and maintaining the Libraries’ collections and information systems, including digital initiatives; developing and maintaining archival acquisition strategies and archival records management frameworks; managing human and financial resources and contributing to library administration. Because of variations in this work, it is understood that what constitutes a Normal Workload may vary from one library Unit to another.

12.22 The Professional Responsibilities of a Librarian specified in s. 12.21 will be assigned by the Librarian’s supervising Librarian or the person to whom the Librarian reports after consultation with the Librarian. The assignment will be based on:

a) the Service obligations of the University Libraries to the University;

b) the Standard for Librarians as determined under s. 13.15;

c) the Librarian’s type of appointment and position description;

d) the Librarian’s Workload balance as established by Normal  Workload or any Alternative or Reduced Workload arrangement;

e) the Librarian’s University Service;

f) other relevant factors, such as specialties or qualifications or the need to develop them, or projects of limited duration assigned by the supervising Librarian or University Librarian; and

g) the legal duty to accommodate²⁹

Language should protect against employers unilaterally changing job descriptions, as in the Brandon University Faculty Association collective agreement:

These job descriptions may be amended from time to time by the Employer after consultation with, and the approval of, the incumbent and the Union (such approval shall not be unreasonably withheld). Job descriptions for new positions shall be included in this Collective Agreement when they have been approved by the Employer and prior to candidate interviews.³⁰