Medical librarian vs library director

The differences between medical librarians and library directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a medical librarian and a library director. Additionally, a medical librarian has an average salary of $54,614, which is higher than the $44,750 average annual salary of a library director.

The top three skills for a medical librarian include patient care, health system and library resources. The most important skills for a library director are library services, collection development, and professional development.

Medical librarian vs library director overview

	Medical Librarian	Library Director
Yearly salary	$54,614	$44,750
Hourly rate	$26.26	$21.51
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	45,262	5,428
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	2	2

Medical librarian vs library director salary

Medical librarians and library directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Librarian	Library Director
Average salary	$54,614	$44,750
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $78,000	Between $28,000 And $69,000
Highest paying City	-	Hoboken, NJ
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between medical librarian and library director education

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

	Medical Librarian	Library Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Library Science	Library Science
Most common college	New York University	New York University

Medical librarian vs library director demographics

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

	Medical Librarian	Library Director
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 19.6% Female, 80.4%	Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 4.9% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	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%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between medical librarian and library director duties and responsibilities

Medical librarian example responsibilities.

Manage document delivery via Docline and consortia memberships.
Evaluate and execute no-cost online library system for cataloging and circulating library materials.
Develop organization's first set of library policies and procedures for acquiring, cataloging and lending materials and program development.
Create and maintain the department SharePoint site.
Provide opportunities for students to use the library for class-relate research, individual investigation, independent reading, and personal inquiry.
Provide opportunities for students to use the library for class-relate research, individual investigation, independent reading, and personal inquiry.

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.

Medical librarian vs library director skills

Common medical librarian skills

Patient Care, 22%
Health System, 13%
Library Resources, 10%
Collection Development, 8%
Electronic Resources, 8%
Medical Literature, 5%

Common library director skills

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

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Medical Librarian vs Library Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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