Library director vs research librarian

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

Library director vs research librarian overview

	Library Director	Research Librarian
Yearly salary	$44,750	$51,263
Hourly rate	$21.51	$24.65
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	5,428	45,828
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 research librarian salary

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

	Library Director	Research Librarian
Average salary	$44,750	$51,263
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $69,000	Between $35,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City	Hoboken, NJ	Philadelphia, PA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Harvard University
Best paying industry	Education	Professional

Differences between library director and research librarian education

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

	Library Director	Research 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	New York University

Library director vs research librarian demographics

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

	Library Director	Research Librarian
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5%	Male, 35.7% Female, 64.3%
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, 6.3% 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 research 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.

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 director vs research 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 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 Director vs Research Librarian

Updated January 8, 2025

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