How To Become A Circulation Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a circulation assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a circulation assistant. For example, did you know that they make an average of $13.77 an hour? That's $28,632 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -4% and produce -6,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreCirculation AssistantUS Average

Salary

2.2

Avg. Salary $28,632

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.9

Growth rate -4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.76%

Asian 6.18%

Black or African American 10.67%

Hispanic or Latino 13.99%

Unknown 4.71%

White 63.69%

Gender

female 69.13%

male 30.87%

Age - 49

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49

Stress level

4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

3.7

Complexity level is basic

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a circulation assistant

Explore circulation assistant education requirements

Most common circulation assistant degrees

Bachelor's

67.4 %

Associate

12.0 %

High School Diploma

8.8 %

Start to develop specific circulation assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Patron Accounts	14.68%
Customer Service	13.43%
Interlibrary Loan Materials	8.38%
Check-In	8.07%
Library Patrons	5.78%

Complete relevant circulation assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New circulation assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a circulation assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real circulation assistant resumes.

Research circulation assistant duties and responsibilities

Assist patron's in locating materials using MLS database.
Perform check-in duties to shelve all tapes that are used the night before.
Locate library materials for patrons, including books, periodicals, DVDs, and other items.
Locate library materials for students and faculty, including books, periodicals, DVDs and online resources.

Prepare your circulation assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your circulation assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a circulation assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable circulation assistant resume templates

Build a professional circulation assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your circulation assistant resume.

Apply for circulation assistant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a circulation assistant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do circulation assistants rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

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1 star

Circulation assistant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2023

Pros

Learning the collection and using organizational skills. Efficiently applying the Dewey Decimal System to properly shelve materials.

Cons

Very repetitive. This doesn't negate the fact that the work is a great learning experience of how the library works and comes together to serve patrons.

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019