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The differences between digital librarians and reference librarians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a digital librarian and a reference librarian. Additionally, a digital librarian has an average salary of $57,957, which is higher than the $50,409 average annual salary of a reference librarian.
The top three skills for a digital librarian include metadata, digital collections and digital assets. The most important skills for a reference librarian are reference services, library patrons, and collection development.
| Digital Librarian | Reference Librarian | |
| Yearly salary | $57,957 | $50,409 |
| Hourly rate | $27.86 | $24.24 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 17,016 | 1,058 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Digital Librarians are professionals who are responsible for organizing and preserving a digital library so that it is accessible by the public through the internet. These librarians must maintain records of their digital collections by cataloging them accurately. They collaborate with other IT professionals to ensure that all information shared over the web is properly licensed, especially those donated or loaned to the library. Digital Librarians must also monitor the collection budgets and expenditures while maintaining relationships with all vendors associated with the digital library.
Being a reference librarian requires good people skills, knowledge in their respective fields, and good teaching ability to handle the varied responsibilities. Job duties include the interpretation, recommendation, evaluation, and use of information resources in order to assist library patrons with their respective information requirements. These are tasks that will just as often be conducted through phone chat and email as in person.
Digital librarians and reference librarians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Digital Librarian | Reference Librarian | |
| Average salary | $57,957 | $50,409 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $82,000 | Between $35,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Anchorage, AK |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Yale University | Yale University |
| Best paying industry | Media | Education |
There are a few differences between a digital librarian and a reference librarian in terms of educational background:
| Digital Librarian | Reference Librarian | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Library Science And Administration | Library Science |
| Most common college | New York University | New York University |
Here are the differences between digital librarians' and reference librarians' demographics:
| Digital Librarian | Reference Librarian | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.4% Female, 55.6% | Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 76.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 4.9% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |