Library consultant vs research librarian

The differences between library consultants and research 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 research librarian. Additionally, a research librarian has an average salary of $51,263, 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 research librarian are research support, library services, and collection development.

Library consultant vs research librarian overview

	Library Consultant	Research Librarian
Yearly salary	$44,639	$51,263
Hourly rate	$21.46	$24.65
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	6,172	45,828
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	2	2

Library consultant vs research librarian salary

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

	Library Consultant	Research Librarian
Average salary	$44,639	$51,263
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $73,000	Between $35,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City	-	Philadelphia, PA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Harvard University
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between library consultant and research librarian education

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

	Library Consultant	Research Librarian
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Library Science	Library Science
Most common college	New York University	New York University

Library consultant vs research librarian demographics

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

	Library Consultant	Research Librarian
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 29.9% Female, 70.1%	Male, 35.7% Female, 64.3%
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, 6.3% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 4.8% White, 77.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between library consultant and research 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.

Research librarian example responsibilities.

Manage integrated library system including OPAC, serials control, cataloging and acquisitions.
Order materials and perform literature searches using OCLC.
Utilize Microsoft SharePoint to create and maintain the library intranet portal.
Advise clients using factual data in the Lexis Nexis computer system.
Train staff for ILS use.
Provide web content via LibGuides.

Library consultant vs research librarian skills

Common library consultant skills

Library Services, 64%
Collection Development, 36%

Common research librarian skills

Research Support, 13%
Library Services, 9%
Collection Development, 8%
Research Services, 6%
Library Resources, 6%
Research Projects, 6%

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Library Consultant vs Research Librarian

Updated January 8, 2025

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