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Library specialist vs circulation technician

The differences between library specialists and circulation technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a library specialist has an average salary of $32,884, which is higher than the $24,904 average annual salary of a circulation technician.

The top three skills for a library specialist include library materials, library services and library resources. The most important skills for a circulation technician are customer service, student assistants, and front desk.

Library specialist vs circulation technician overview

Library SpecialistCirculation Technician
Yearly salary$32,884$24,904
Hourly rate$15.81$11.97
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs19,9845,355
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4750
Years of experience-12

Library specialist vs circulation technician salary

Library specialists and circulation technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Library SpecialistCirculation Technician
Average salary$32,884$24,904
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $43,000Between $19,000 And $32,000
Highest paying CityBerkeley, CA-
Highest paying stateWashington-
Best paying companyBrown University-
Best paying industryEducation-

Differences between library specialist and circulation technician education

There are a few differences between a library specialist and a circulation technician in terms of educational background:

Library SpecialistCirculation Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorEnglishEnglish
Most common collegeNew York UniversityDuke University

Library specialist vs circulation technician demographics

Here are the differences between library specialists' and circulation technicians' demographics:

Library SpecialistCirculation Technician
Average age4750
Gender ratioMale, 31.6% Female, 68.4%Male, 46.2% Female, 53.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.8% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 4.8% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between library specialist and circulation technician duties and responsibilities

Library specialist example responsibilities.

  • Search, edit, and incorporate new OCLC catalog records into OPAC.
  • Access and search OCLC for bibliographic records to copy catalog and process new materials.
  • Derive original cataloging and edit existing cataloging records following local and national standards.
  • Participate in group tasks as needed, including original and copy cataloging, inventory and staff development workshops
  • Convert documents to HTML for submission to the on line library.
  • Correct HTML, CSS, and Javascript relate programming errors on student websites.
  • Show more

Circulation technician example responsibilities.

  • Provide cataloging services, including indexing, assigning metadata, classification and subject heading application using the standard thesaurus of terms.
  • Develop library collection materials for young adults including award-winning non-fiction and fiction titles.

Library specialist vs circulation technician skills

Common library specialist skills
  • Library Materials, 12%
  • Library Services, 9%
  • Library Resources, 5%
  • Library Policies, 5%
  • University Libraries, 5%
  • Electronic Resources, 4%
Common circulation technician skills
  • Customer Service, 58%
  • Student Assistants, 17%
  • Front Desk, 14%
  • Library Cards, 12%

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