Medical librarian vs school librarian

The differences between medical librarians 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 medical librarian and a school librarian. Additionally, a medical librarian has an average salary of $54,614, which is higher than the $51,202 average annual salary of a school librarian.

The top three skills for a medical librarian include patient care, health system and library resources. The most important skills for a school librarian are library services, library resources, and library materials.

Medical librarian vs school librarian overview

	Medical Librarian	School Librarian
Yearly salary	$54,614	$51,202
Hourly rate	$26.26	$24.62
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	45,262	20,037
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	2	2

Medical librarian vs school librarian salary

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

	Medical Librarian	School Librarian
Average salary	$54,614	$51,202
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $78,000	Between $34,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	-	Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Poly Prep Country Day School
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between medical librarian and school librarian education

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

	Medical Librarian	School Librarian
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Library Science	Library Science
Most common college	New York University	University of Maryland - College Park

Medical librarian vs school librarian demographics

Here are the differences between medical librarians' and school librarians' demographics:

	Medical Librarian	School Librarian
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 19.6% Female, 80.4%	Male, 16.3% Female, 83.7%
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, 6.3% 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 medical librarian and school librarian 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.

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.

Medical librarian vs school librarian skills

Common medical librarian skills

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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