Although issues related to the role of librarians have long been discussed in the literature on academic librarianship, there has been little attempt to incorporate the extensive psychological theory and research on role-related issues. In the current article we review the empirical literature on the role of librarians, with a particular focus on the link between role-related issues and job stress, recruitment and selection, and training and development. We then discuss relevant psychological theory and research in these areas, and we conclude with a recommendation for more collaborative efforts between research psychologists and scholars in the field of librarianship.