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The differences between reference librarians and children's 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 reference librarian and a children's librarian. Additionally, a reference librarian has an average salary of $50,409, which is higher than the $49,900 average annual salary of a children's librarian.
The top three skills for a reference librarian include reference services, library patrons and collection development. The most important skills for a children's librarian are reference services, collection development, and youth services.
| Reference Librarian | Children's Librarian | |
| Yearly salary | $50,409 | $49,900 |
| Hourly rate | $24.24 | $23.99 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 1,058 | 9,834 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Being a reference librarian requires good people skills, knowledge in their respective fields, and good teaching ability to handle the varied responsibilities. Job duties include the interpretation, recommendation, evaluation, and use of information resources in order to assist library patrons with their respective information requirements. These are tasks that will just as often be conducted through phone chat and email as in person.
A Children's Librarian involves reading stories to young library users/patrons and returning books to their respective shelves. These librarians coordinate library references and services for caregivers and children. They choose age-appropriate and high-quality reading material, develop library initiatives, and conduct outreach programs. This position may be regarded as a stepping stone for a good career as the librarians may pursue graduate degrees. Librarians should have a sense of humor, the ability to accept failure, and be very flexible.
Reference librarians and children's librarians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Reference Librarian | Children's Librarian | |
| Average salary | $50,409 | $49,900 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $70,000 | Between $35,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anchorage, AK | - |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | - |
| Best paying company | Yale University | - |
| Best paying industry | Education | - |
There are a few differences between a reference librarian and a children's librarian in terms of educational background:
| Reference Librarian | Children's Librarian | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Library Science | Library Science |
| Most common college | New York University | University of Maryland - College Park |
Here are the differences between reference librarians' and children's librarians' demographics:
| Reference Librarian | Children's Librarian | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7% | Male, 10.6% Female, 89.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% 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, 77.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |