Archival collections librarian vs cataloger

The differences between archival collections 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 archival collections librarian and a cataloger. Additionally, an archival collections librarian has an average salary of $50,340, which is higher than the $34,943 average annual salary of a cataloger.

The top three skills for an archival collections librarian include cataloging, and . The most important skills for a cataloger are library catalog, RDA, and cataloging.

Archival collections librarian vs cataloger overview

	Archival Collections Librarian	Cataloger
Yearly salary	$50,340	$34,943
Hourly rate	$24.20	$16.80
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	3,938	93
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	2	2

Archival collections librarian vs cataloger salary

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

	Archival Collections Librarian	Cataloger
Average salary	$50,340	$34,943
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $73,000	Between $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 archival collections librarian and cataloger education

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

	Archival Collections Librarian	Cataloger
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Communication	History
Most common college	New York University	University of Maryland - College Park

Archival collections librarian vs cataloger demographics

Here are the differences between archival collections librarians' and catalogers' demographics:

	Archival Collections Librarian	Cataloger
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1%	Male, 37.9% Female, 62.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 6.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 81.8% 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 Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between archival collections librarian and cataloger duties and responsibilities

Archival collections librarian example responsibilities.

Manage the acquisition, cataloging, and storage of rare books.
Achieve proficiency cataloging electronic materials (audio records, video recordings, and streaming video) and continuing resources/serials.
Assist producers and editors by providing video footage need for editing sessions.
Provide opportunities for students to use the library for class-relate research, individual investigation, independent reading, and personal inquiry.
Establish working relationships with Producers/Editors for determining maximum product availability.
Provide opportunities for students to use the library for class-relate research, individual investigation, independent reading, and personal inquiry.

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.

Archival collections librarian vs cataloger skills

Common archival collections librarian skills

Cataloging, 100%

Common cataloger skills

Library Catalog, 13%
RDA, 11%
Cataloging, 11%
OCLC, 8%
Online Database, 8%
Lcsh, 6%

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Archival Collections Librarian
Archival Collections Librarian vs Cataloger

Updated January 8, 2025

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