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Chaplain vs librarian

The differences between chaplains and librarians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a chaplain, becoming a librarian takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a librarian has an average salary of $53,096, which is higher than the $46,392 average annual salary of a chaplain.

The top three skills for a chaplain include patients, social work and clinical pastoral. The most important skills for a librarian are library services, customer service, and library materials.

Chaplain vs librarian overview

ChaplainLibrarian
Yearly salary$46,392$53,096
Hourly rate$22.30$25.53
Growth rate-6%
Number of jobs2,6001,264
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age5148
Years of experience42

What does a chaplain do?

The word chaplain is originally referred to as representatives of the Christian faith. In tradition, a chaplain is a cleric or formal leader with an established religion or any non-ordained members of religious institutes. Chaplains now are diverse in terms of faith and often serve various constituencies. Chaplains are professionally trained and certified to provide spiritual guidance in a clinical setting to individuals who has issues with meaning, hope, and transcendence or any specific life circumstances it may be. They offer reflective listening and non-judgmental emotional and inner comfort in various settings, including the military, parishes, hospitals, prisons, universities, and schools.

What does a librarian do?

Librarians are trained in the field of information science so they can assist people in search of information. They direct and develop information systems and programs for the public. It is their job to make sure that the data is well-organized to meet every library user's needs. Their library work focuses on three main aspects, including user services, administrative services, and technical services. Typically, librarians work in schools, government, or local libraries.

Chaplain vs librarian salary

Chaplains and librarians have different pay scales, as shown below.

ChaplainLibrarian
Average salary$46,392$53,096
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $83,000Between $38,000 And $73,000
Highest paying CitySan Jose, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaAlaska
Best paying companyUofL HospitalMeta
Best paying industryHealth CareEducation

Differences between chaplain and librarian education

There are a few differences between a chaplain and a librarian in terms of educational background:

ChaplainLibrarian
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common majorTheologyLibrary Science
Most common collegeEmory UniversityNew York University

Chaplain vs librarian demographics

Here are the differences between chaplains' and librarians' demographics:

ChaplainLibrarian
Average age5148
Gender ratioMale, 68.3% Female, 31.7%Male, 31.3% Female, 68.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 6.6% White, 68.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 4.9% White, 77.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage16%16%

Differences between chaplain and librarian duties and responsibilities

Chaplain example responsibilities.

  • Provide full pastoral ministry, visitation and counseling to inmates and incarcerate patients.
  • Participate as members of a psychiatric or rehabilitation team in staff conferences concerning patients and inmates.
  • Perform functions in field and combat environments, combat lifesaver tasks and apply communication skills in crisis/potential suicide intervention.
  • Visit patients/families identify as appropriate for pastoral services and provide direct spiritual counseling, prayer, and ministry as appropriate.
  • Certify in ASIST (suicideprevention )
  • Participate in bi-weekly IDG meetings as part of IDG team.
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Librarian example responsibilities.

  • Plan and manage weekly toddler programs and activities.
  • Recruit, train, and manage volunteers, teen ambassadors, book buddies, elderly volunteers, and teen tech assistants.
  • Manage adult non-fiction materials and coordinate staff.
  • Manage and maintain inventory of NAVAIR technical documentation.
  • Manage integrated library system including OPAC, serials control, cataloging and acquisitions.
  • Achieve proficiency cataloging electronic materials (audio records, video recordings, and streaming video) and continuing resources/serials.
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Chaplain vs librarian skills

Common chaplain skills
  • Patients, 21%
  • Social Work, 11%
  • Clinical Pastoral, 10%
  • Spiritual Care, 8%
  • Pastoral Care, 7%
  • Patient Care, 5%
Common librarian skills
  • Library Services, 11%
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Library Materials, 8%
  • Collection Development, 7%
  • Library Resources, 6%
  • Reference Services, 5%

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