Reference assistant vs assistant

The differences between reference assistants and assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an assistant has an average salary of $37,363, which is higher than the $27,874 average annual salary of a reference assistant.

The top three skills for a reference assistant include library materials, library patrons and interlibrary loan. The most important skills for an assistant are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Reference assistant vs assistant overview

	Reference Assistant	Assistant
Yearly salary	$27,874	$37,363
Hourly rate	$13.40	$17.96
Growth rate	-4%	-8%
Number of jobs	658	557,900
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	47	50
Years of experience	-	2

Reference assistant vs assistant salary

Reference assistants and assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Reference Assistant	Assistant
Average salary	$27,874	$37,363
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $36,000	Between $16,000 And $82,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Latham & Watkins
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between reference assistant and assistant education

There are a few differences between a reference assistant and an assistant in terms of educational background:

	Reference Assistant	Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	English	Business
Most common college	New York University	Western Carolina University

Reference assistant vs assistant demographics

Here are the differences between reference assistants' and assistants' demographics:

	Reference Assistant	Assistant
Average age	47	50
Gender ratio	Male, 32.3% Female, 67.7%	Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	11%	6%

Differences between reference assistant and assistant duties and responsibilities

Reference assistant example responsibilities.

Construct and manage subject LibGuides.
Manage yearly budget for DVDs.
Search for and retrieve cases from online databases such as Westlaw and Lexis-Nexis.
Prepare library libguides and bibliographies on various areas of law.
Train fellow staff members in inter-library loan procedures and online database, OCLC.
Process requests for journal articles and books from RapidILL, OCLC, and DOCLINE.

Assistant example responsibilities.

Manage circulations, including educational textbooks and DVDS, video technology and supplies.
Manage branches providing information technology support, logistics, training and operational support.
Manage company's twitter account and communicate with multiple physical therapy providers around the country
Optimize productivity in prioritizing and managing special projects, PowerPoint presentations for classes, and proctore exams for undergraduate classes.
Assist in jewelry design and assembly, manage company Facebook page, participate in wholesale buying, and manage retail inventory
Manage and update company Facebook page with daily updates, finding/sharing relevant and interesting information, and encouraging fan engagement.

Reference assistant vs assistant skills

Common reference assistant skills

Library Materials, 8%
Library Patrons, 7%
Interlibrary Loan, 6%
Reference Desk, 6%
Reference Services, 6%
Library Resources, 5%

Common assistant skills

Patients, 27%
Customer Service, 13%
Patient Care, 8%
CPR, 5%
Sales Floor, 5%
Scheduling Appointments, 3%