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Medical library assistant vs circulation desk assistant

The differences between medical library assistants and circulation desk assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a medical library assistant has an average salary of $27,247, which is higher than the $26,159 average annual salary of a circulation desk assistant.

The top three skills for a medical library assistant include medical library, interlibrary loan and literature searches. The most important skills for a circulation desk assistant are library materials, customer service, and library patrons.

Medical library assistant vs circulation desk assistant overview

Medical Library AssistantCirculation Desk Assistant
Yearly salary$27,247$26,159
Hourly rate$13.10$12.58
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs74,73325,638
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age4747
Years of experience--

Medical library assistant vs circulation desk assistant salary

Medical library assistants and circulation desk assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Medical Library AssistantCirculation Desk Assistant
Average salary$27,247$26,159
Salary rangeBetween $21,000 And $35,000Between $19,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between medical library assistant and circulation desk assistant education

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

Medical Library AssistantCirculation Desk Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common majorNursingPsychology
Most common collegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillNorthwestern University

Medical library assistant vs circulation desk assistant demographics

Here are the differences between medical library assistants' and circulation desk assistants' demographics:

Medical Library AssistantCirculation Desk Assistant
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 27.6% Female, 72.4%Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3%
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, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 63.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between medical library assistant and circulation desk assistant 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.

Circulation desk assistant example responsibilities.

  • Utilize computerized system for circulating books and DVDs.
  • Stack, sort, and insert ads into newspapers.
  • Assist in running equipment to bundle newspapers to be send out to carriers for delivery.
  • Assign and monitor computers to students; check books and DVDs in and out using a computerize system.
  • Perform regular cataloging of new acquisitions, maintaining accurate data building for microfilm, microfiche, periodicals, and academic collections.
  • Develop library collection materials for young adults including award-winning non-fiction and fiction titles.

Medical library assistant vs circulation desk assistant skills

Common medical library assistant skills
  • Medical Library, 26%
  • Interlibrary Loan, 21%
  • Literature Searches, 18%
  • Data Entry, 9%
  • Docline, 9%
  • Statistical Data, 6%
Common circulation desk assistant skills
  • Library Materials, 23%
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Library Patrons, 6%
  • Library Resources, 6%
  • Front Desk, 5%
  • DVDs, 3%

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