Library consultant vs librarian

The differences between library consultants and librarians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a library consultant and a librarian. Additionally, a librarian has an average salary of $53,096, which is higher than the $44,639 average annual salary of a library consultant.

The top three skills for a library consultant include library services, collection development and . The most important skills for a librarian are library services, customer service, and library materials.

Library consultant vs librarian overview

	Library Consultant	Librarian
Yearly salary	$44,639	$53,096
Hourly rate	$21.46	$25.53
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	6,172	1,264
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	2	2

Library consultant vs librarian salary

Library consultants and librarians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Library Consultant	Librarian
Average salary	$44,639	$53,096
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $73,000	Between $38,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between library consultant and librarian education

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

	Library Consultant	Librarian
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Library Science	Library Science
Most common college	New York University	New York University

Library consultant vs librarian demographics

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

	Library Consultant	Librarian
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 29.9% Female, 70.1%	Male, 31.3% Female, 68.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 4.8% White, 77.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	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%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between library consultant and librarian duties and responsibilities

Library consultant example responsibilities.

Manage various project phases on several B2B website builds for clients in the healthcare, e-commerce and manufacturing industries.
Provide cataloging services, including indexing, assigning metadata, classification and subject heading application using the standard thesaurus of terms.
Record retention.SecurityDuties include enforcing the rules and regulations of TDCJ.

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 consultant vs librarian skills

Common library consultant skills

Library Services, 64%
Collection Development, 36%

Common librarian skills

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

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Library Consultant vs Librarian

Updated January 8, 2025

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