Librarian vs library supervisor

The differences between librarians and library 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 library supervisor. Additionally, a library supervisor has an average salary of $53,615, which is higher than the $53,096 average annual salary of a librarian.

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

Librarian vs library supervisor overview

	Librarian	Library Supervisor
Yearly salary	$53,096	$53,615
Hourly rate	$25.53	$25.78
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	1,264	1,781
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	2	2

Librarian vs library supervisor salary

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

	Librarian	Library Supervisor
Average salary	$53,096	$53,615
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $73,000	Between $37,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Meta	-
Best paying industry	Education	-

Differences between librarian and library supervisor education

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

	Librarian	Library Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Library Science	Business
Most common college	New York University	New York University

Librarian vs library supervisor demographics

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

	Librarian	Library Supervisor
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 31.3% Female, 68.7%	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%
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, 6.3% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 4.8% White, 77.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between librarian and library 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.

Library supervisor example responsibilities.

Provide safety and security oversight of the library, training and updating evacuation/plot plans and extinguishment methods.
Trouble shoot and replace lap tops, rent out dvds.
Learned to repair library material such as books, DVDs and CDs.
Record retention.SecurityDuties include enforcing the rules and regulations of TDCJ.

Librarian vs library supervisor skills

Common librarian skills

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

Common library supervisor skills

Library Materials, 13%
Library Patrons, 10%
Library Services, 9%
Library Operations, 9%
Library Policies, 7%
Student Assistants, 6%

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Librarian vs Library Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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