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Book shelver vs circulation technician

The differences between book shelvers and circulation 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 circulation technician. Additionally, a book shelver has an average salary of $43,471, which is higher than the $24,904 average annual salary of a circulation technician.

The top three skills for a book shelver include dewey decimal system, library materials and front desk. The most important skills for a circulation technician are customer service, student assistants, and front desk.

Book shelver vs circulation technician overview

Book ShelverCirculation Technician
Yearly salary$43,471$24,904
Hourly rate$20.90$11.97
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs1865,355
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 34%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age5050
Years of experience1212

Book shelver vs circulation technician salary

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

Book ShelverCirculation Technician
Average salary$43,471$24,904
Salary rangeBetween $21,000 And $88,000Between $19,000 And $32,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between book shelver and circulation technician education

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

Book ShelverCirculation Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 34%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorGeneral StudiesEnglish
Most common collegeWashington Adventist HospitalDuke University

Book shelver vs circulation technician demographics

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

Book ShelverCirculation Technician
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 44.4% Female, 55.6%Male, 46.2% Female, 53.8%
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, 9.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 4.8% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between book shelver and circulation 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.

Circulation technician example responsibilities.

  • Provide cataloging services, including indexing, assigning metadata, classification and subject heading application using the standard thesaurus of terms.
  • Develop library collection materials for young adults including award-winning non-fiction and fiction titles.

Book shelver vs circulation technician skills

Common book shelver skills
  • Dewey Decimal System, 37%
  • Library Materials, 35%
  • Front Desk, 28%
Common circulation technician skills
  • Customer Service, 58%
  • Student Assistants, 17%
  • Front Desk, 14%
  • Library Cards, 12%

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