Library aide vs circulation assistant

The differences between library aides and circulation assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a circulation assistant has an average salary of $28,632, which is higher than the $28,197 average annual salary of a library aide.

The top three skills for a library aide include library materials, customer service and circulation desk. The most important skills for a circulation assistant are patron accounts, customer service, and interlibrary loan materials.

Library aide vs circulation assistant overview

	Library Aide	Circulation Assistant
Yearly salary	$28,197	$28,632
Hourly rate	$13.56	$13.77
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	40,987	738
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	-	-

Library aide vs circulation assistant salary

Library aides and circulation assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Library Aide	Circulation Assistant
Average salary	$28,197	$28,632
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $36,000	Between $22,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Daly City, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Dublin City Schools	-
Best paying industry	Education	-

Differences between library aide and circulation assistant education

There are a few differences between a library aide and a circulation assistant in terms of educational background:

	Library Aide	Circulation Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	English
Most common college	Northwestern University	Northwestern University

Library aide vs circulation assistant demographics

Here are the differences between library aides' and circulation assistants' demographics:

	Library Aide	Circulation Assistant
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4%	Male, 30.9% Female, 69.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 6.0% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 6.2% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between library aide and circulation assistant duties and responsibilities

Library aide example responsibilities.

Assist library patrons at the front desk, checking in/out, use of an ILS.
Label new books, label dvds and organize inventory.
Shelve DVDs and books, clean doors and windows.
Demonstrate initiative by volunteering to undergo cross training on inter-library loan policies and procedures.
Process internal and external inter-library loan requests for fiction and non-fiction titles and digital media.
Perform elementary descriptive cataloging using automate bibliographic database.

Circulation assistant example responsibilities.

Assist patron's in locating materials using MLS database.
Perform check-in duties to shelve all tapes that are used the night before.
Locate library materials for patrons, including books, periodicals, DVDs, and other items.
Locate library materials for students and faculty, including books, periodicals, DVDs and online resources.
Receive requests from other libraries to lend MLS materials; check availability of materials, request materials via system reserve process.
Process internal and external inter-library loan requests for fiction and non-fiction titles and digital media.

Library aide vs circulation assistant skills

Common library aide skills

Library Materials, 18%
Customer Service, 11%
Circulation Desk, 6%
Library Patrons, 4%
Library Services, 3%
Reference Materials, 3%

Common circulation assistant skills

Patron Accounts, 15%
Customer Service, 13%
Interlibrary Loan Materials, 8%
Check-In, 8%
Library Patrons, 6%
Front Desk, 5%

Library Aide vs. similar jobs

Library Aide related careers

Library Aide related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Library Aide
Library Aide vs Circulation Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs