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Book shelver vs cataloging technician

The differences between book shelvers and cataloging technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a book shelver and a cataloging technician. Additionally, a book shelver has an average salary of $43,471, which is higher than the $39,447 average annual salary of a cataloging technician.

The top three skills for a book shelver include dewey decimal system, library materials and front desk. The most important skills for a cataloging technician are OCLC, cataloging, and library materials.

Book shelver vs cataloging technician overview

Book ShelverCataloging Technician
Yearly salary$43,471$39,447
Hourly rate$20.90$18.96
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs1865,310
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 34%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age5050
Years of experience1212

Book shelver vs cataloging technician salary

Book shelvers and cataloging technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Book ShelverCataloging Technician
Average salary$43,471$39,447
Salary rangeBetween $21,000 And $88,000Between $23,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between book shelver and cataloging technician education

There are a few differences between a book shelver and a cataloging technician in terms of educational background:

Book ShelverCataloging Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 34%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorGeneral StudiesBusiness
Most common collegeWashington Adventist HospitalNew York University

Book shelver vs cataloging technician demographics

Here are the differences between book shelvers' and cataloging technicians' demographics:

Book ShelverCataloging Technician
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 44.4% Female, 55.6%Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 7.9% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 4.7% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between book shelver and cataloging technician duties and responsibilities

Book shelver example responsibilities.

  • Repair books (binding, covers etc ...) before send out.
  • Provide cataloging services, including indexing, assigning metadata, classification and subject heading application using the standard thesaurus of terms.
  • Provide cataloging services, including indexing, assigning metadata, classification and subject heading application using the standard thesaurus of terms.

Cataloging technician example responsibilities.

  • Establish on-line order records using OCLC and CATME, international library database.
  • Populate the ILS database using NGA modify MARC 21 and AARC 2 standards.
  • Perform original and copy cataloging of new and donate items.
  • Organize and inventory art books and reference resources by cataloging materials into an update computerized system.
  • Customize MARC records and prepare labels per individual public library's bibliographic specifications and tracking systems.
  • Participate in a number of special projects pertaining to the maintenance of digital records and URLs.
  • Show more

Book shelver vs cataloging technician skills

Common book shelver skills
  • Dewey Decimal System, 37%
  • Library Materials, 35%
  • Front Desk, 28%
Common cataloging technician skills
  • OCLC, 25%
  • Cataloging, 22%
  • Library Materials, 18%
  • Library System, 13%
  • Collection Development, 9%
  • Marc, 7%

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