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Library clerical assistant vs circulation assistant

The differences between library clerical assistants and circulation assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a library clerical assistant has an average salary of $35,093, which is higher than the $28,632 average annual salary of a circulation assistant.

The top three skills for a library clerical assistant include front desk, professional assistance and routine inquiries. The most important skills for a circulation assistant are patron accounts, customer service, and interlibrary loan materials.

Library clerical assistant vs circulation assistant overview

Library Clerical AssistantCirculation Assistant
Yearly salary$35,093$28,632
Hourly rate$16.87$13.77
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs2,437738
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4747
Years of experience--

Library clerical assistant vs circulation assistant salary

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

Library Clerical AssistantCirculation Assistant
Average salary$35,093$28,632
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $46,000Between $22,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between library clerical assistant and circulation assistant education

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

Library Clerical AssistantCirculation Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorPsychologyEnglish
Most common collegeStanford UniversityNorthwestern University

Library clerical assistant vs circulation assistant demographics

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

Library Clerical AssistantCirculation Assistant
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 28.3% Female, 71.7%Male, 30.9% Female, 69.1%
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, 10.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 6.2% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between library clerical assistant and circulation assistant 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.

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.
  • Show more

Library clerical assistant vs circulation assistant skills

Common library clerical assistant skills
  • Front Desk, 16%
  • Professional Assistance, 12%
  • Routine Inquiries, 10%
  • Library Equipment, 9%
  • AV, 9%
  • Word Processing, 8%
Common circulation assistant skills
  • Patron Accounts, 15%
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Interlibrary Loan Materials, 8%
  • Check-In, 8%
  • Library Patrons, 6%
  • Front Desk, 5%

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