Library director vs library manager

The differences between library directors and library managers 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 library manager. Additionally, a library manager has an average salary of $58,586, 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 library manager are library services, library policies, and collection development.

Library director vs library manager overview

	Library Director	Library Manager
Yearly salary	$44,750	$58,586
Hourly rate	$21.51	$28.17
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	5,428	1,739
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	2	2

Library director vs library manager salary

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

	Library Director	Library Manager
Average salary	$44,750	$58,586
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $69,000	Between $41,000 And $82,000
Highest paying City	Hoboken, NJ	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	California
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Amd
Best paying industry	Education	Health Care

Differences between library director and library manager education

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

	Library Director	Library Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Library Science	Business
Most common college	New York University	New York University

Library director vs library manager demographics

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

	Library Director	Library Manager
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5%	Male, 38.1% Female, 61.9%
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, 77.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between library director and library manager 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.

Library manager example responsibilities.

Provide continuous cataloging training for library staff.
Operate library cataloging system efficiently by providing unique identification code to the newly purchase books.
Provide safety and security oversight of the library, training and updating evacuation/plot plans and extinguishment methods.
Research using LEXIS-NEXIS and WestLaw databases for legal, business, and newspaper research.
Utilize Lexis and Westlaw extensively to locate articles and case law relate to the topic.
Record retention.SecurityDuties include enforcing the rules and regulations of TDCJ.

Library director vs library manager skills

Common library director skills

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

Common library manager skills

Library Services, 18%
Library Policies, 11%
Collection Development, 9%
Local Community, 8%
Electronic Resources, 7%
Library Materials, 4%

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Library Director vs Library Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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