Librarian vs cataloger

The differences between 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 librarian and a cataloger. Additionally, a librarian has an average salary of $53,096, which is higher than the $34,943 average annual salary of a cataloger.

The top three skills for a librarian include library services, customer service and library materials. The most important skills for a cataloger are library catalog, RDA, and cataloging.

Librarian vs cataloger overview

	Librarian	Cataloger
Yearly salary	$53,096	$34,943
Hourly rate	$25.53	$16.80
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	1,264	93
Job satisfaction	5	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	2	2

Librarian vs cataloger salary

Librarians and catalogers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Librarian	Cataloger
Average salary	$53,096	$34,943
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $73,000	Between $23,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	New Haven, CT
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Meta	Harvard University
Best paying industry	Education	Education

Differences between librarian and cataloger education

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

	Librarian	Cataloger
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Library Science	History
Most common college	New York University	University of Maryland - College Park

Librarian vs cataloger demographics

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

	Librarian	Cataloger
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 31.3% Female, 68.7%	Male, 37.9% Female, 62.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 4.9% White, 77.1% 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 Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between librarian and cataloger duties and responsibilities

Librarian example responsibilities.

Plan and manage weekly toddler programs and activities.
Recruit, train, and manage volunteers, teen ambassadors, book buddies, elderly volunteers, and teen tech assistants.
Manage adult non-fiction materials and coordinate staff.
Manage and maintain inventory of NAVAIR technical documentation.
Manage integrated library system including OPAC, serials control, cataloging and acquisitions.
Achieve proficiency cataloging electronic materials (audio records, video recordings, and streaming video) and continuing resources/serials.

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.

Librarian vs cataloger skills

Common librarian skills

Library Services, 11%
Customer Service, 10%
Library Materials, 8%
Collection Development, 7%
Library Resources, 6%
Reference Services, 5%

Common cataloger skills

Library Catalog, 13%
RDA, 11%
Cataloging, 11%
OCLC, 8%
Online Database, 8%
Lcsh, 6%

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Librarian vs Cataloger

Updated January 8, 2025

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