Library director vs school librarian

The differences between library directors and school 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 school librarian. Additionally, a school librarian has an average salary of $51,202, 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 school librarian are library services, library resources, and library materials.

Library director vs school librarian overview

	Library Director	School Librarian
Yearly salary	$44,750	$51,202
Hourly rate	$21.51	$24.62
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	5,428	20,037
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	2	2

Library director vs school librarian salary

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

	Library Director	School Librarian
Average salary	$44,750	$51,202
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $69,000	Between $34,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	Hoboken, NJ	Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Poly Prep Country Day School
Best paying industry	Education	Education

Differences between library director and school librarian education

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

	Library Director	School Librarian
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Library Science	Library Science
Most common college	New York University	University of Maryland - College Park

Library director vs school librarian demographics

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

	Library Director	School Librarian
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5%	Male, 16.3% Female, 83.7%
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 school 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.

School librarian example responsibilities.

Manage and supervise a full-time media assistant, technology technicians and parent and student volunteers.
Volunteer to host events at annual school carnival and other PTA and school events.
Guide them in researching through a non fiction books, encyclopedia entry, and the elibrary BigChalk database.
Institute the use of computers in the library for cataloging, online searching, reference, bibliographies, and administrative functions.
Direct and train library staff in duties, such as receiving, shelving, researching, cataloging, and equipment use.
Manage and supervise a full-time media assistant, technology technicians and parent and student volunteers.

Library director vs school 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 school librarian skills

Library Services, 11%
Library Resources, 9%
Library Materials, 9%
Library Programs, 7%
Collection Development, 6%
Library Collection, 5%

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Library Director vs School Librarian

Updated January 8, 2025

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