Reference library assistant vs library assistant

The differences between reference library assistants and library assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a library assistant has an average salary of $30,146, which is higher than the $27,791 average annual salary of a reference library assistant.

The top three skills for a reference library assistant include customer service, library materials and library patrons. The most important skills for a library assistant are customer service, library materials, and circulation desk.

Reference library assistant vs library assistant overview

	Reference Library Assistant	Library Assistant
Yearly salary	$27,791	$30,146
Hourly rate	$13.36	$14.49
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	1,130	1,122
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	-	-

Reference library assistant vs library assistant salary

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

	Reference Library Assistant	Library Assistant
Average salary	$27,791	$30,146
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $36,000	Between $22,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	-	Brookline, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between reference library assistant and library assistant education

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

	Reference Library Assistant	Library Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	English	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Northwestern University

Reference library assistant vs library assistant demographics

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

	Reference Library Assistant	Library Assistant
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 38.7% Female, 61.3%	Male, 29.0% Female, 71.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 63.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between reference library assistant and library assistant duties and responsibilities

Reference library assistant example responsibilities.

Construct and manage subject LibGuides.
Perform elementary descriptive cataloging using automate bibliographic database.
Perform elementary descriptive cataloging using automate bibliographic database.

Library assistant example responsibilities.

Organize and check in newly arrive reference materials, magazines, newspapers, and journals.
Assist with processing acquisitions, collection maintenance and development, retro- cataloging, copy cataloging.
Process and track inter-library loans and donations.
Set up user accounts and user rights in windows.
Process magazines and annual reports for the circulation department.
Re-Serve, circulate, check-in / check-out and renew books.

Reference library assistant vs library assistant skills

Common reference library assistant skills

Customer Service, 15%
Library Materials, 12%
Library Patrons, 8%
Research Assistance, 7%
Reference Services, 7%
Library Resources, 6%

Common library assistant skills

Customer Service, 16%
Library Materials, 15%
Circulation Desk, 7%
Library Patrons, 4%
Library Services, 4%
Library Resources, 3%

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Reference Library Assistant
Reference Library Assistant vs Library Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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