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Library clerical assistant vs assistant librarian

The differences between library clerical assistants and assistant librarians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an assistant librarian has an average salary of $53,764, which is higher than the $35,093 average annual salary of a library clerical assistant.

The top three skills for a library clerical assistant include front desk, professional assistance and routine inquiries. The most important skills for an assistant librarian are library materials, reference services, and library services.

Library clerical assistant vs assistant librarian overview

Library Clerical AssistantAssistant Librarian
Yearly salary$35,093$53,764
Hourly rate$16.87$25.85
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs2,4371,617
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4747
Years of experience--

Library clerical assistant vs assistant librarian salary

Library clerical assistants and assistant librarians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Library Clerical AssistantAssistant Librarian
Average salary$35,093$53,764
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $46,000Between $40,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City-Hayward, CA
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-Kent Daniels & Associates
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between library clerical assistant and assistant librarian education

There are a few differences between a library clerical assistant and an assistant librarian in terms of educational background:

Library Clerical AssistantAssistant Librarian
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorPsychologyBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityNew York University

Library clerical assistant vs assistant librarian demographics

Here are the differences between library clerical assistants' and assistant librarians' demographics:

Library Clerical AssistantAssistant Librarian
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 28.3% Female, 71.7%Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 5.9% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between library clerical assistant and assistant librarian duties and responsibilities

Library clerical assistant example responsibilities.

  • Help troubleshoot technology relate issues.
  • Retrieve and copy medical information for staff and patrons for medical books and CD-ROM system.
  • Assess and discard non-fiction collections as assigned.

Assistant librarian example responsibilities.

  • Manage yearly budget for DVDs.
  • Cataloge new book, reclassify, original updates using OCLC.
  • Help patrons with computers, word processing, and PowerPoint.
  • Provide customer service through assisting the patrons with their research topics and general questions through OCLC library information system.
  • Create PowerPoint presentations for orientation.
  • Provide opportunities for students to use the library for class-relate research, individual investigation, independent reading, and personal inquiry.
  • Show more

Library clerical assistant vs assistant librarian skills

Common library clerical assistant skills
  • Front Desk, 16%
  • Professional Assistance, 12%
  • Routine Inquiries, 10%
  • Library Equipment, 9%
  • AV, 9%
  • Word Processing, 8%
Common assistant librarian skills
  • Library Materials, 11%
  • Reference Services, 6%
  • Library Services, 6%
  • Circulation Desk, 5%
  • Collection Development, 5%
  • Library Resources, 5%

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