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Circulation desk assistant vs reference assistant

The differences between circulation desk assistants and reference assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a reference assistant has an average salary of $27,874, which is higher than the $26,159 average annual salary of a circulation desk assistant.

The top three skills for a circulation desk assistant include library materials, customer service and library patrons. The most important skills for a reference assistant are library materials, library patrons, and interlibrary loan.

Circulation desk assistant vs reference assistant overview

Circulation Desk AssistantReference Assistant
Yearly salary$26,159$27,874
Hourly rate$12.58$13.40
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs25,638658
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age4747
Years of experience--

Circulation desk assistant vs reference assistant salary

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

Circulation Desk AssistantReference Assistant
Average salary$26,159$27,874
Salary rangeBetween $19,000 And $34,000Between $21,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between circulation desk assistant and reference assistant education

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

Circulation Desk AssistantReference Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common majorPsychologyEnglish
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNew York University

Circulation desk assistant vs reference assistant demographics

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

Circulation Desk AssistantReference Assistant
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 33.7% Female, 66.3%Male, 32.3% Female, 67.7%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between circulation desk assistant and reference assistant duties and responsibilities

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.

Reference assistant example responsibilities.

  • Construct and manage subject LibGuides.
  • Manage yearly budget for DVDs.
  • Search for and retrieve cases from online databases such as Westlaw and Lexis-Nexis.
  • Prepare library libguides and bibliographies on various areas of law.
  • Train fellow staff members in inter-library loan procedures and online database, OCLC.
  • Process requests for journal articles and books from RapidILL, OCLC, and DOCLINE.
  • Show more

Circulation desk assistant vs reference assistant skills

Common circulation desk assistant skills
  • Library Materials, 23%
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Library Patrons, 6%
  • Library Resources, 6%
  • Front Desk, 5%
  • DVDs, 3%
Common reference assistant skills
  • Library Materials, 8%
  • Library Patrons, 7%
  • Interlibrary Loan, 6%
  • Reference Desk, 6%
  • Reference Services, 6%
  • Library Resources, 5%

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