Library director vs adult services librarian

The differences between library directors and adult services 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 director and an adult services librarian. Additionally, an adult services librarian has an average salary of $49,862, which is higher than the $44,750 average annual salary of a library director.

The top three skills for a library director include library services, collection development and professional development. The most important skills for an adult services librarian are adult services, collection development, and adult programs.

Library director vs adult services librarian overview

	Library Director	Adult Services Librarian
Yearly salary	$44,750	$49,862
Hourly rate	$21.51	$23.97
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	5,428	54,306
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	2	2

Library director vs adult services librarian salary

Library directors and adult services librarians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Library Director	Adult Services Librarian
Average salary	$44,750	$49,862
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $69,000	Between $35,000 And $69,000
Highest paying City	Hoboken, NJ	Anchorage, AK
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	City of Seattle
Best paying industry	Education	Government

Differences between library director and adult services librarian education

There are a few differences between a library director and an adult services librarian in terms of educational background:

	Library Director	Adult Services Librarian
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Library Science	Library Science
Most common college	New York University	New York University

Library director vs adult services librarian demographics

Here are the differences between library directors' and adult services librarians' demographics:

	Library Director	Adult Services Librarian
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5%	Male, 25.7% Female, 74.3%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between library director and adult services librarian duties and responsibilities

Library director example responsibilities.

Manage records of circulation and materials, maintain inventory, and correct cataloging errors.
Hire & supervise 26 staff , 16 FTE.
Supervise one FTE and six part time employees.
Investigate and troubleshoot protocols, procedures and reagents.
Work with vendors to develop licensing and to troubleshoot electronic access.
Provide oversight of the acquisitions process at all stages, including final approval.

Adult services librarian example responsibilities.

Manage integrated library system including OPAC, serials control, cataloging and acquisitions.
Assist with general collection management including materials in science fiction, fantasy, health/fitness and history.
Train new hire employees with new EMR system
Form the young adult (teen) serves department, collection, and programs.
Evaluate, select, weed and replace materials in the adult and teen collection.
Cataloge new books, find and correct cataloging errors; classify and re-cataloge older non-fiction.

Library director vs adult services librarian skills

Common library director skills

Library Services, 16%
Collection Development, 7%
Professional Development, 6%
Library Operations, 6%
Academic Library, 6%
Library Resources, 5%

Common adult services librarian skills

Adult Services, 14%
Collection Development, 10%
Adult Programs, 7%
Library Services, 7%
Reference Services, 5%
Library Patrons, 5%

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Library Director vs Adult Services Librarian

Updated January 8, 2025

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