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Circulation clerk vs circulation desk assistant

The differences between circulation clerks and circulation desk assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a circulation desk assistant has an average salary of $26,159, which is higher than the $24,325 average annual salary of a circulation clerk.

The top three skills for a circulation clerk include customer service, patron accounts and library materials. The most important skills for a circulation desk assistant are library materials, customer service, and library patrons.

Circulation clerk vs circulation desk assistant overview

Circulation ClerkCirculation Desk Assistant
Yearly salary$24,325$26,159
Hourly rate$11.69$12.58
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs66,73625,638
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age4747
Years of experience--

Circulation clerk vs circulation desk assistant salary

Circulation clerks and circulation desk assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Circulation ClerkCirculation Desk Assistant
Average salary$24,325$26,159
Salary rangeBetween $19,000 And $30,000Between $19,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between circulation clerk and circulation desk assistant education

There are a few differences between a circulation clerk and a circulation desk assistant in terms of educational background:

Circulation ClerkCirculation Desk Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common majorBusinessPsychology
Most common collegeStanford UniversityNorthwestern University

Circulation clerk vs circulation desk assistant demographics

Here are the differences between circulation clerks' and circulation desk assistants' demographics:

Circulation ClerkCirculation Desk Assistant
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 23.0% Female, 77.0%Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 5.2% White, 63.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 63.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between circulation clerk and circulation desk assistant duties and responsibilities

Circulation clerk example responsibilities.

  • Create displays for checkout material (fiction, DVDs, children's section, etc . )
  • Process internal and external inter-library loan requests for fiction and non-fiction titles and digital media.
  • Issue library cards to customers and collect fines for books, CDs, and videos.
  • Catalogue and stack books, movies, CDs, records and periodicals.
  • Help troubleshoot technology relate issues.

Circulation desk assistant example responsibilities.

  • Utilize computerized system for circulating books and DVDs.
  • Stack, sort, and insert ads into newspapers.
  • Assist in running equipment to bundle newspapers to be send out to carriers for delivery.
  • Assign and monitor computers to students; check books and DVDs in and out using a computerize system.
  • Perform regular cataloging of new acquisitions, maintaining accurate data building for microfilm, microfiche, periodicals, and academic collections.
  • Develop library collection materials for young adults including award-winning non-fiction and fiction titles.

Circulation clerk vs circulation desk assistant skills

Common circulation clerk skills
  • Customer Service, 18%
  • Patron Accounts, 18%
  • Library Materials, 15%
  • Circulation Desk, 6%
  • Library Patrons, 4%
  • Issue Library Cards, 3%
Common circulation desk assistant skills
  • Library Materials, 23%
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Library Patrons, 6%
  • Library Resources, 6%
  • Front Desk, 5%
  • DVDs, 3%

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