Post job

Medical library assistant vs assistant librarian

The differences between medical library assistants and assistant librarians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an assistant librarian has an average salary of $53,764, which is higher than the $27,247 average annual salary of a medical library assistant.

The top three skills for a medical library assistant include medical library, interlibrary loan and literature searches. The most important skills for an assistant librarian are library materials, reference services, and library services.

Medical library assistant vs assistant librarian overview

Medical Library AssistantAssistant Librarian
Yearly salary$27,247$53,764
Hourly rate$13.10$25.85
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs74,7331,617
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4747
Years of experience--

Medical library assistant vs assistant librarian salary

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

Medical Library AssistantAssistant Librarian
Average salary$27,247$53,764
Salary rangeBetween $21,000 And $35,000Between $40,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City-Hayward, CA
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-Kent Daniels & Associates
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between medical library assistant and assistant librarian education

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

Medical Library AssistantAssistant Librarian
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorNursingBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillNew York University

Medical library assistant vs assistant librarian demographics

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

Medical Library AssistantAssistant Librarian
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 27.6% Female, 72.4%Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 6.1% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between medical library assistant and assistant librarian duties and responsibilities

Medical library assistant example responsibilities.

  • Conduct literature searches for patron using Internet resources including pubm, Medline, NLM, InfoTrac, and Docline.
  • Receive, verify, and enter article and book requests using computerize systems (Docline and JerseyCat).
  • Help troubleshoot technology relate issues.
  • Assess and discard non-fiction collections as assigned.

Assistant librarian example responsibilities.

  • Manage yearly budget for DVDs.
  • Cataloge new book, reclassify, original updates using OCLC.
  • Help patrons with computers, word processing, and PowerPoint.
  • Provide customer service through assisting the patrons with their research topics and general questions through OCLC library information system.
  • Create PowerPoint presentations for orientation.
  • Provide opportunities for students to use the library for class-relate research, individual investigation, independent reading, and personal inquiry.
  • Show more

Medical library assistant vs assistant librarian skills

Common medical library assistant skills
  • Medical Library, 26%
  • Interlibrary Loan, 21%
  • Literature Searches, 18%
  • Data Entry, 9%
  • Docline, 9%
  • Statistical Data, 6%
Common assistant librarian skills
  • Library Materials, 11%
  • Reference Services, 6%
  • Library Services, 6%
  • Circulation Desk, 5%
  • Collection Development, 5%
  • Library Resources, 5%

Browse office and administrative jobs