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Cataloger vs adult services librarian

The differences between catalogers and adult services librarians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a cataloger and an adult services librarian. Additionally, an adult services librarian has an average salary of $49,862, which is higher than the $34,943 average annual salary of a cataloger.

The top three skills for a cataloger include library catalog, RDA and cataloging. The most important skills for an adult services librarian are adult services, collection development, and adult programs.

Cataloger vs adult services librarian overview

CatalogerAdult Services Librarian
Yearly salary$34,943$49,862
Hourly rate$16.80$23.97
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs9354,306
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age4848
Years of experience22

Cataloger vs adult services librarian salary

Catalogers and adult services librarians have different pay scales, as shown below.

CatalogerAdult Services Librarian
Average salary$34,943$49,862
Salary rangeBetween $23,000 And $52,000Between $35,000 And $69,000
Highest paying CityNew Haven, CTAnchorage, AK
Highest paying stateAlaskaAlaska
Best paying companyHarvard UniversityCity of Seattle
Best paying industryEducationGovernment

Differences between cataloger and adult services librarian education

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

CatalogerAdult Services Librarian
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorHistoryLibrary Science
Most common collegeUniversity of Maryland - College ParkNew York University

Cataloger vs adult services librarian demographics

Here are the differences between catalogers' and adult services librarians' demographics:

CatalogerAdult Services Librarian
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 37.9% Female, 62.1%Male, 25.7% Female, 74.3%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage16%16%

Differences between cataloger and adult services librarian duties and responsibilities

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.
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Adult services librarian example responsibilities.

  • Manage integrated library system including OPAC, serials control, cataloging and acquisitions.
  • Assist with general collection management including materials in science fiction, fantasy, health/fitness and history.
  • Train new hire employees with new EMR system
  • Form the young adult (teen) serves department, collection, and programs.
  • Evaluate, select, weed and replace materials in the adult and teen collection.
  • Cataloge new books, find and correct cataloging errors; classify and re-cataloge older non-fiction.
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Cataloger vs adult services librarian skills

Common cataloger skills
  • Library Catalog, 13%
  • RDA, 11%
  • Cataloging, 11%
  • OCLC, 8%
  • Online Database, 8%
  • Lcsh, 6%
Common adult services librarian skills
  • Adult Services, 14%
  • Collection Development, 10%
  • Adult Programs, 7%
  • Library Services, 7%
  • Reference Services, 5%
  • Library Patrons, 5%

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