Administrative librarian vs library assistant

The differences between administrative librarians and library assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an administrative librarian has an average salary of $53,527, which is higher than the $30,146 average annual salary of a library assistant.

The top three skills for an administrative librarian include PLM, library services and collection development. The most important skills for a library assistant are customer service, library materials, and circulation desk.

Administrative librarian vs library assistant overview

	Administrative Librarian	Library Assistant
Yearly salary	$53,527	$30,146
Hourly rate	$25.73	$14.49
Growth rate	6%	-4%
Number of jobs	34,496	1,122
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	48	47
Years of experience	2	-

Administrative librarian vs library assistant salary

Administrative librarians and library assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Administrative Librarian	Library Assistant
Average salary	$53,527	$30,146
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $78,000	Between $22,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	-	Brookline, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between administrative librarian and library assistant education

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

	Administrative Librarian	Library Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Library Science	Business
Most common college	New York University	Northwestern University

Administrative librarian vs library assistant demographics

Here are the differences between administrative librarians' and library assistants' demographics:

	Administrative Librarian	Library Assistant
Average age	48	47
Gender ratio	Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0%	Male, 29.0% Female, 71.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 5.0% White, 76.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	16%	11%

Differences between administrative librarian and library assistant duties and responsibilities

Administrative librarian example responsibilities.

Manage document delivery via Docline and consortia memberships.
Maintain accurate records of circulation and materials, inventory, and correct cataloging errors.
Provide opportunities for students to use the library for class-relate research, individual investigation, independent reading, and personal inquiry.
Evaluate and select integrated library system for OPAC and serials management.

Library assistant example responsibilities.

Organize and check in newly arrive reference materials, magazines, newspapers, and journals.
Assist with processing acquisitions, collection maintenance and development, retro- cataloging, copy cataloging.
Process and track inter-library loans and donations.
Set up user accounts and user rights in windows.
Process magazines and annual reports for the circulation department.
Re-Serve, circulate, check-in / check-out and renew books.

Administrative librarian vs library assistant skills

Common administrative librarian skills

PLM, 32%
Library Services, 21%
Collection Development, 15%
Professional Development, 13%
Library System, 8%
Library Operations, 6%

Common library assistant skills

Customer Service, 16%
Library Materials, 15%
Circulation Desk, 7%
Library Patrons, 4%
Library Services, 4%
Library Resources, 3%

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Administrative Librarian vs Library Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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