Acquisitions librarian vs library director

The differences between acquisitions librarians and library directors 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 library director. Additionally, an acquisitions librarian has an average salary of $50,271, which is higher than the $44,750 average annual salary of a library director.

The top three skills for an acquisitions librarian include collection development, interlibrary loan and library collection. The most important skills for a library director are library services, collection development, and professional development.

Acquisitions librarian vs library director overview

	Acquisitions Librarian	Library Director
Yearly salary	$50,271	$44,750
Hourly rate	$24.17	$21.51
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	1,630	5,428
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	2	2

Acquisitions librarian vs library director salary

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

	Acquisitions Librarian	Library Director
Average salary	$50,271	$44,750
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $72,000	Between $28,000 And $69,000
Highest paying City	-	Hoboken, NJ
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between acquisitions librarian and library director education

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

	Acquisitions Librarian	Library Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Library Science	Library Science
Most common college	New York University	New York University

Acquisitions librarian vs library director demographics

Here are the differences between acquisitions librarians' and library directors' demographics:

	Acquisitions Librarian	Library Director
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 22.6% Female, 77.4%	Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5%
Race ratio	Black 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, 7.7% Asian, 4.9% White, 77.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between acquisitions librarian and library director 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.

Library director example responsibilities.

Manage records of circulation and materials, maintain inventory, and correct cataloging errors.
Hire & supervise 26 staff , 16 FTE.
Supervise one FTE and six part time employees.
Investigate and troubleshoot protocols, procedures and reagents.
Work with vendors to develop licensing and to troubleshoot electronic access.
Provide oversight of the acquisitions process at all stages, including final approval.

Acquisitions librarian vs library director skills

Common acquisitions librarian skills

Collection Development, 19%
Interlibrary Loan, 13%
Library Collection, 12%
Library System, 11%
Electronic Resources, 11%
Budget Management, 8%

Common library director skills

Library Services, 16%
Collection Development, 7%
Professional Development, 6%
Library Operations, 6%
Academic Library, 6%
Library Resources, 5%

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Acquisitions Librarian
Acquisitions Librarian vs Library Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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