Library director vs children's librarian

The differences between library directors and children's 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 a children's librarian. Additionally, a children's librarian has an average salary of $49,900, 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 a children's librarian are reference services, collection development, and youth services.

Library director vs children's librarian overview

	Library Director	Children's Librarian
Yearly salary	$44,750	$49,900
Hourly rate	$21.51	$23.99
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	5,428	9,834
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	2	2

Library director vs children's librarian salary

Library directors and children's librarians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Library Director	Children's Librarian
Average salary	$44,750	$49,900
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $69,000	Between $35,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Hoboken, NJ	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	-
Best paying industry	Education	-

Differences between library director and children's librarian education

There are a few differences between a library director and a children's librarian in terms of educational background:

	Library Director	Children's Librarian
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Library Science	Library Science
Most common college	New York University	University of Maryland - College Park

Library director vs children's librarian demographics

Here are the differences between library directors' and children's librarians' demographics:

	Library Director	Children's Librarian
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5%	Male, 10.6% Female, 89.4%
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, 6.3% 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 director and children's 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.

Children's librarian example responsibilities.

Achieve proficiency cataloging electronic materials (audio records, video recordings, and streaming video) and continuing resources/serials.
Provide opportunities for students to use the library for class-relate research, individual investigation, independent reading, and personal inquiry.
Open new patron accounts, provide customer support regarding account status and work with Polaris systems.

Library director vs children's 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 children's librarian skills

Reference Services, 12%
Collection Development, 12%
Youth Services, 9%
Library Services, 7%
Teen, 6%
Public Library, 5%

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Library Director vs Children's Librarian

Updated January 8, 2025

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