Librarian vs circulation supervisor

The differences between librarians and circulation supervisors 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 circulation supervisor. Additionally, a librarian has an average salary of $53,096, which is higher than the $38,076 average annual salary of a circulation supervisor.

The top three skills for a librarian include library services, customer service and library materials. The most important skills for a circulation supervisor are library materials, library policies, and student assistants.

Librarian vs circulation supervisor overview

	Librarian	Circulation Supervisor
Yearly salary	$53,096	$38,076
Hourly rate	$25.53	$18.31
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	1,264	957
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	2	2

Librarian vs circulation supervisor salary

Librarians and circulation supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Librarian	Circulation Supervisor
Average salary	$53,096	$38,076
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $73,000	Between $23,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Meta	-
Best paying industry	Education	-

Differences between librarian and circulation supervisor education

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

	Librarian	Circulation Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Library Science	Business
Most common college	New York University	Stanford University

Librarian vs circulation supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between librarians' and circulation supervisors' demographics:

	Librarian	Circulation Supervisor
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 31.3% Female, 68.7%	Male, 38.6% Female, 61.4%
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, 6.6% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 5.0% White, 76.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between librarian and circulation supervisor 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.

Circulation supervisor example responsibilities.

Introduce and manage BPA audit procedures for independent distribution verification.
Full cataloging of texts, journals, articles, and media within faculty and student library.
Restructure TMC delivery from non-targete rural delivery to a target porch delivery with a considerable long term cost savings.
Record retention.SecurityDuties include enforcing the rules and regulations of TDCJ.

Librarian vs circulation supervisor skills

Common librarian skills

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

Common circulation supervisor skills

Library Materials, 12%
Library Policies, 11%
Student Assistants, 9%
Library Patrons, 9%
Circulation Services, 5%
Library Services, 5%

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Librarian vs Circulation Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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