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Circulation worker vs assistant librarian

The differences between circulation workers and assistant librarians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an assistant librarian has an average salary of $53,764, which is higher than the $24,116 average annual salary of a circulation worker.

The top three skills for a circulation worker include library materials, library services and customer service. The most important skills for an assistant librarian are library materials, reference services, and library services.

Circulation worker vs assistant librarian overview

Circulation WorkerAssistant Librarian
Yearly salary$24,116$53,764
Hourly rate$11.59$25.85
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs19,3801,617
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 82%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4747
Years of experience--

Circulation worker vs assistant librarian salary

Circulation workers and assistant librarians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Circulation WorkerAssistant Librarian
Average salary$24,116$53,764
Salary rangeBetween $18,000 And $31,000Between $40,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City-Hayward, CA
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-Kent Daniels & Associates
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between circulation worker and assistant librarian education

There are a few differences between a circulation worker and an assistant librarian in terms of educational background:

Circulation WorkerAssistant Librarian
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 82%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorHistoryBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborNew York University

Circulation worker vs assistant librarian demographics

Here are the differences between circulation workers' and assistant librarians' demographics:

Circulation WorkerAssistant Librarian
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 37.6% Female, 62.4%Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 4.1% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between circulation worker and assistant librarian duties and responsibilities

Circulation worker example responsibilities.

  • Process internal and external inter-library loan requests for fiction and non-fiction titles and digital media.
  • Develop library collection materials for young adults including award-winning non-fiction and fiction titles.

Assistant librarian example responsibilities.

  • Manage yearly budget for DVDs.
  • Cataloge new book, reclassify, original updates using OCLC.
  • Help patrons with computers, word processing, and PowerPoint.
  • Provide customer service through assisting the patrons with their research topics and general questions through OCLC library information system.
  • Create PowerPoint presentations for orientation.
  • Provide opportunities for students to use the library for class-relate research, individual investigation, independent reading, and personal inquiry.
  • Show more

Circulation worker vs assistant librarian skills

Common circulation worker skills
  • Library Materials, 25%
  • Library Services, 20%
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Library System, 13%
  • Newspapers, 13%
  • Front Desk, 9%
Common assistant librarian skills
  • Library Materials, 11%
  • Reference Services, 6%
  • Library Services, 6%
  • Circulation Desk, 5%
  • Collection Development, 5%
  • Library Resources, 5%

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