Library director vs cataloger

The differences between library directors and catalogers 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 a cataloger. Additionally, a library director has an average salary of $44,750, which is higher than the $34,943 average annual salary of a cataloger.

The top three skills for a library director include library services, collection development and professional development. The most important skills for a cataloger are library catalog, RDA, and cataloging.

Library director vs cataloger overview

	Library Director	Cataloger
Yearly salary	$44,750	$34,943
Hourly rate	$21.51	$16.80
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	5,428	93
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	2	2

Library director vs cataloger salary

Library directors and catalogers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Library Director	Cataloger
Average salary	$44,750	$34,943
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $69,000	Between $23,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City	Hoboken, NJ	New Haven, CT
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Harvard University
Best paying industry	Education	Education

Differences between library director and cataloger education

There are a few differences between a library director and a cataloger in terms of educational background:

	Library Director	Cataloger
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Library Science	History
Most common college	New York University	University of Maryland - College Park

Library director vs cataloger demographics

Here are the differences between library directors' and catalogers' demographics:

	Library Director	Cataloger
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5%	Male, 37.9% Female, 62.1%
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, 6.4% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 4.9% White, 77.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between library director and cataloger 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.

Cataloger example responsibilities.

Manage category of materials: including books, CDs, films and other documents.
Assign subject headings using LCSH.
Cataloge books and serials for all the school district libraries.
Master the use of cataloguing resources such as WorldCat and HomeBase.
Assist librarians in other EPA libraries with the conversion of their serials list.
Assign LCSH and LCC, as well as a local classification system for legal treatises.

Library director vs cataloger skills

Common library director skills

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

Common cataloger skills

Library Catalog, 13%
RDA, 11%
Cataloging, 11%
OCLC, 8%
Online Database, 8%
Lcsh, 6%

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Library Director vs Cataloger

Updated January 8, 2025

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