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Acquisitions librarian vs cataloger

The differences between acquisitions librarians and catalogers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an acquisitions librarian and a cataloger. Additionally, an acquisitions librarian has an average salary of $50,271, which is higher than the $34,943 average annual salary of a cataloger.

The top three skills for an acquisitions librarian include collection development, interlibrary loan and library collection. The most important skills for a cataloger are library catalog, RDA, and cataloging.

Acquisitions librarian vs cataloger overview

Acquisitions LibrarianCataloger
Yearly salary$50,271$34,943
Hourly rate$24.17$16.80
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs1,63093
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age4848
Years of experience22

Acquisitions librarian vs cataloger salary

Acquisitions librarians and catalogers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Acquisitions LibrarianCataloger
Average salary$50,271$34,943
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $72,000Between $23,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City-New Haven, CT
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-Harvard University
Best paying industry-Education

Differences between acquisitions librarian and cataloger education

There are a few differences between an acquisitions librarian and a cataloger in terms of educational background:

Acquisitions LibrarianCataloger
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorLibrary ScienceHistory
Most common collegeNew York UniversityUniversity of Maryland - College Park

Acquisitions librarian vs cataloger demographics

Here are the differences between acquisitions librarians' and catalogers' demographics:

Acquisitions LibrarianCataloger
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 22.6% Female, 77.4%Male, 37.9% Female, 62.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 4.8% White, 77.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 4.9% White, 77.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage16%16%

Differences between acquisitions librarian and cataloger duties and responsibilities

Acquisitions librarian example responsibilities.

  • Recruit, train, and manage volunteers, teen ambassadors, book buddies, elderly volunteers, and teen tech assistants.
  • Provide original cataloging for Arabic and Hebrew language print and audiovisual materials.
  • Supervise several employees, overseeing receiving, documenting, and cataloging purchase items.
  • Provide opportunities for students to use the library for class-relate research, individual investigation, independent reading, and personal inquiry.
  • Design and implement campus-wide faculty review of serials collection.
  • Provide significant input on policy and procedural decisions affecting serials control.
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Cataloger example responsibilities.

  • Manage category of materials: including books, CDs, films and other documents.
  • Assign subject headings using LCSH.
  • Cataloge books and serials for all the school district libraries.
  • Master the use of cataloguing resources such as WorldCat and HomeBase.
  • Assist librarians in other EPA libraries with the conversion of their serials list.
  • Assign LCSH and LCC, as well as a local classification system for legal treatises.
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Acquisitions librarian vs cataloger skills

Common acquisitions librarian skills
  • Collection Development, 19%
  • Interlibrary Loan, 13%
  • Library Collection, 12%
  • Library System, 11%
  • Electronic Resources, 11%
  • Budget Management, 8%
Common cataloger skills
  • Library Catalog, 13%
  • RDA, 11%
  • Cataloging, 11%
  • OCLC, 8%
  • Online Database, 8%
  • Lcsh, 6%

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