Library director vs technical services librarian

The differences between library directors and technical services 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 technical services librarian. Additionally, a technical services librarian has an average salary of $50,657, 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 technical services librarian are library services, collection development, and library resources.

Library director vs technical services librarian overview

	Library Director	Technical Services Librarian
Yearly salary	$44,750	$50,657
Hourly rate	$21.51	$24.35
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	5,428	118,696
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	2	2

Library director vs technical services librarian salary

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

	Library Director	Technical Services Librarian
Average salary	$44,750	$50,657
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $69,000	Between $36,000 And $69,000
Highest paying City	Hoboken, NJ	Charlottesville, VA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Yale University
Best paying industry	Education	Professional

Differences between library director and technical services librarian education

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

	Library Director	Technical Services Librarian
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Library Science	Library Science
Most common college	New York University	New York University

Library director vs technical services librarian demographics

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

	Library Director	Technical Services Librarian
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5%	Male, 32.3% Female, 67.7%
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, 6.6% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 76.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between library director and technical services 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.

Technical services librarian example responsibilities.

Manage integrated library system including OPAC, serials control, cataloging and acquisitions.
Proofread and edit MARC records, perform database clean-up, and maintain records in online catalog.
Coordinate cataloging, classification and processing of books and audiovisual materials.
Identify and refer items that need attention of the cataloging or conservation department
Open new patron accounts, provide customer support regarding account status and work with Polaris systems.

Library director vs technical services 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 technical services librarian skills

Library Services, 9%
Collection Development, 7%
Library Resources, 5%
Technical Service, 5%
Library Materials, 4%
Emerging Technologies, 4%

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Library Director vs Technical Services Librarian

Updated January 8, 2025

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