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Assistant librarian vs circulation clerk

The differences between assistant librarians and circulation clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an assistant librarian has an average salary of $53,764, which is higher than the $24,325 average annual salary of a circulation clerk.

The top three skills for an assistant librarian include library materials, reference services and library services. The most important skills for a circulation clerk are customer service, patron accounts, and library materials.

Assistant librarian vs circulation clerk overview

Assistant LibrarianCirculation Clerk
Yearly salary$53,764$24,325
Hourly rate$25.85$11.69
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs1,61766,736
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age4747
Years of experience--

Assistant librarian vs circulation clerk salary

Assistant librarians and circulation clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

Assistant LibrarianCirculation Clerk
Average salary$53,764$24,325
Salary rangeBetween $40,000 And $71,000Between $19,000 And $30,000
Highest paying CityHayward, CA-
Highest paying stateAlaska-
Best paying companyKent Daniels & Associates-
Best paying industryHealth Care-

Differences between assistant librarian and circulation clerk education

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

Assistant LibrarianCirculation Clerk
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeNew York UniversityStanford University

Assistant librarian vs circulation clerk demographics

Here are the differences between assistant librarians' and circulation clerks' demographics:

Assistant LibrarianCirculation Clerk
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 31.5% Female, 68.5%Male, 23.0% Female, 77.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 5.2% White, 63.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between assistant librarian and circulation clerk duties and responsibilities

Assistant librarian example responsibilities.

  • Manage yearly budget for DVDs.
  • Cataloge new book, reclassify, original updates using OCLC.
  • Help patrons with computers, word processing, and PowerPoint.
  • Provide customer service through assisting the patrons with their research topics and general questions through OCLC library information system.
  • Create PowerPoint presentations for orientation.
  • Provide opportunities for students to use the library for class-relate research, individual investigation, independent reading, and personal inquiry.
  • Show more

Circulation clerk example responsibilities.

  • Create displays for checkout material (fiction, DVDs, children's section, etc . )
  • Process internal and external inter-library loan requests for fiction and non-fiction titles and digital media.
  • Issue library cards to customers and collect fines for books, CDs, and videos.
  • Catalogue and stack books, movies, CDs, records and periodicals.
  • Help troubleshoot technology relate issues.

Assistant librarian vs circulation clerk skills

Common assistant librarian skills
  • Library Materials, 11%
  • Reference Services, 6%
  • Library Services, 6%
  • Circulation Desk, 5%
  • Collection Development, 5%
  • Library Resources, 5%
Common circulation clerk skills
  • Customer Service, 18%
  • Patron Accounts, 18%
  • Library Materials, 15%
  • Circulation Desk, 6%
  • Library Patrons, 4%
  • Issue Library Cards, 3%

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