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College librarian vs library assistant

The differences between college librarians and library assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a college librarian has an average salary of $52,999, which is higher than the $30,146 average annual salary of a library assistant.

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

College librarian vs library assistant overview

College LibrarianLibrary Assistant
Yearly salary$52,999$30,146
Hourly rate$25.48$14.49
Growth rate6%-4%
Number of jobs1,8861,122
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4847
Years of experience2-

College librarian vs library assistant salary

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

College LibrarianLibrary Assistant
Average salary$52,999$30,146
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $77,000Between $22,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City-Brookline, MA
Highest paying state-Massachusetts
Best paying company-Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between college librarian and library assistant education

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

College LibrarianLibrary Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorLibrary ScienceBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of Maryland - College ParkNorthwestern University

College librarian vs library assistant demographics

Here are the differences between college librarians' and library assistants' demographics:

College LibrarianLibrary Assistant
Average age4847
Gender ratioMale, 33.9% Female, 66.1%Male, 29.0% Female, 71.0%
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, 10.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage16%11%

Differences between college librarian and library assistant 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.

Library assistant example responsibilities.

  • Organize and check in newly arrive reference materials, magazines, newspapers, and journals.
  • Assist with processing acquisitions, collection maintenance and development, retro- cataloging, copy cataloging.
  • Process and track inter-library loans and donations.
  • Set up user accounts and user rights in windows.
  • Process magazines and annual reports for the circulation department.
  • Re-Serve, circulate, check-in / check-out and renew books.
  • Show more

College librarian vs library assistant skills

Common college librarian skills
  • Library Services, 29%
  • Library Resources, 24%
  • Reference Services, 16%
  • Cataloging, 7%
  • AV, 6%
  • Library Materials, 5%
Common library assistant skills
  • Customer Service, 16%
  • Library Materials, 15%
  • Circulation Desk, 7%
  • Library Patrons, 4%
  • Library Services, 4%
  • Library Resources, 3%

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