Library consultant vs reference librarian

The differences between library consultants and reference 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 reference librarian. Additionally, a reference librarian has an average salary of $50,409, 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 reference librarian are reference services, library patrons, and collection development.

Library consultant vs reference librarian overview

	Library Consultant	Reference Librarian
Yearly salary	$44,639	$50,409
Hourly rate	$21.46	$24.24
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	6,172	1,058
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	2	2

Library consultant vs reference librarian salary

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

	Library Consultant	Reference Librarian
Average salary	$44,639	$50,409
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $73,000	Between $35,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	-	Anchorage, AK
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Yale University
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between library consultant and reference librarian education

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

	Library Consultant	Reference 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 reference librarian demographics

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

	Library Consultant	Reference Librarian
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 29.9% Female, 70.1%	Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7%
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, 6.5% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 4.9% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between library consultant and reference 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.

Reference librarian example responsibilities.

Achieve proficiency cataloging electronic materials (audio records, video recordings, and streaming video) and continuing resources/serials.
Coordinate inter-library loan service, using OCLC searches to loan and borrow books and periodicals.
Perform reference and readers' advisory for patrons and staff via telephone, IM, email, and in person.
Perform copy-cataloging operations using OCLC database and online databases.
Maintain responsibility for collection management of the adult non-fiction collection.
Instigate student-librarian relationships and increase library productivity by regularly mentoring students in legal research, writing, and study methods.

Library consultant vs reference librarian skills

Common library consultant skills

Library Services, 64%
Collection Development, 36%

Common reference librarian skills

Reference Services, 11%
Library Patrons, 9%
Collection Development, 9%
Library Services, 7%
Research Guides, 6%
Reference Desk, 4%

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Library Consultant vs Reference Librarian

Updated January 8, 2025

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