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Circulation worker vs circulation assistant

The differences between circulation workers and circulation assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a circulation assistant has an average salary of $28,632, 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 a circulation assistant are patron accounts, customer service, and interlibrary loan materials.

Circulation worker vs circulation assistant overview

Circulation WorkerCirculation Assistant
Yearly salary$24,116$28,632
Hourly rate$11.59$13.77
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs19,380738
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 82%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4747
Years of experience--

Circulation worker vs circulation assistant salary

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

Circulation WorkerCirculation Assistant
Average salary$24,116$28,632
Salary rangeBetween $18,000 And $31,000Between $22,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between circulation worker and circulation assistant education

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

Circulation WorkerCirculation Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 82%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorHistoryEnglish
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborNorthwestern University

Circulation worker vs circulation assistant demographics

Here are the differences between circulation workers' and circulation assistants' demographics:

Circulation WorkerCirculation Assistant
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 37.6% Female, 62.4%Male, 30.9% Female, 69.1%
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, 10.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 6.2% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between circulation worker and circulation assistant 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.

Circulation assistant example 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.
  • Receive requests from other libraries to lend MLS materials; check availability of materials, request materials via system reserve process.
  • Process internal and external inter-library loan requests for fiction and non-fiction titles and digital media.
  • Show more

Circulation worker vs circulation assistant skills

Common circulation worker skills
  • Library Materials, 25%
  • Library Services, 20%
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Library System, 13%
  • Newspapers, 13%
  • Front Desk, 9%
Common circulation assistant skills
  • Patron Accounts, 15%
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Interlibrary Loan Materials, 8%
  • Check-In, 8%
  • Library Patrons, 6%
  • Front Desk, 5%

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