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College librarian vs cataloger

The differences between college librarians and catalogers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a college librarian and a cataloger. Additionally, a college librarian has an average salary of $52,999, which is higher than the $34,943 average annual salary of a cataloger.

The top three skills for a college librarian include library services, library resources and reference services. The most important skills for a cataloger are library catalog, RDA, and cataloging.

College librarian vs cataloger overview

College LibrarianCataloger
Yearly salary$52,999$34,943
Hourly rate$25.48$16.80
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs1,88693
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age4848
Years of experience22

College librarian vs cataloger salary

College librarians and catalogers have different pay scales, as shown below.

College LibrarianCataloger
Average salary$52,999$34,943
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $77,000Between $23,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City-New Haven, CT
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-Harvard University
Best paying industry-Education

Differences between college librarian and cataloger education

There are a few differences between a college librarian and a cataloger in terms of educational background:

College LibrarianCataloger
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorLibrary ScienceHistory
Most common collegeUniversity of Maryland - College ParkUniversity of Maryland - College Park

College librarian vs cataloger demographics

Here are the differences between college librarians' and catalogers' demographics:

College LibrarianCataloger
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 33.9% Female, 66.1%Male, 37.9% Female, 62.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 4.8% White, 77.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 4.9% White, 77.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage16%16%

Differences between college librarian and cataloger duties and responsibilities

College librarian example responsibilities.

  • Achieve proficiency cataloging electronic materials (audio records, video recordings, and streaming video) and continuing resources/serials.
  • Provide opportunities for students to use the library for class-relate research, individual investigation, independent reading, and personal inquiry.
  • Redesign and repair periodical and CD-ROM/DVD center at no cost.

Cataloger example responsibilities.

  • Manage category of materials: including books, CDs, films and other documents.
  • Assign subject headings using LCSH.
  • Cataloge books and serials for all the school district libraries.
  • Master the use of cataloguing resources such as WorldCat and HomeBase.
  • Assist librarians in other EPA libraries with the conversion of their serials list.
  • Assign LCSH and LCC, as well as a local classification system for legal treatises.
  • Show more

College librarian vs cataloger skills

Common college librarian skills
  • Library Services, 29%
  • Library Resources, 24%
  • Reference Services, 16%
  • Cataloging, 7%
  • AV, 6%
  • Library Materials, 5%
Common cataloger skills
  • Library Catalog, 13%
  • RDA, 11%
  • Cataloging, 11%
  • OCLC, 8%
  • Online Database, 8%
  • Lcsh, 6%

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