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Serials assistant vs circulation assistant

The differences between serials assistants and circulation assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a serials assistant has an average salary of $36,172, which is higher than the $28,632 average annual salary of a circulation assistant.

The top three skills for a serials assistant include OCLC, newspapers and library materials. The most important skills for a circulation assistant are patron accounts, customer service, and interlibrary loan materials.

Serials assistant vs circulation assistant overview

Serials AssistantCirculation Assistant
Yearly salary$36,172$28,632
Hourly rate$17.39$13.77
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs543738
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4747
Years of experience--

Serials assistant vs circulation assistant salary

Serials assistants and circulation assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Serials AssistantCirculation Assistant
Average salary$36,172$28,632
Salary rangeBetween $20,000 And $63,000Between $22,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between serials assistant and circulation assistant education

There are a few differences between a serials assistant and a circulation assistant in terms of educational background:

Serials AssistantCirculation Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorPsychologyEnglish
Most common collegeUniversity of Maryland - College ParkNorthwestern University

Serials assistant vs circulation assistant demographics

Here are the differences between serials assistants' and circulation assistants' demographics:

Serials AssistantCirculation Assistant
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 30.8% Female, 69.2%Male, 30.9% Female, 69.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 5.9% White, 64.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 6.2% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between serials assistant and circulation assistant duties and responsibilities

Serials assistant example responsibilities.

  • Edit MARC records for serials.
  • Process newspapers, magazines, and journals using SirsiDynix.
  • Shelve periodicals and newspapers in the periodical area and keep the area tidy.
  • Spearhead creation of a share document listing recurring names and terminology to facilitate consistent taxonomy across the cataloging team.
  • Assess and discard non-fiction collections as assigned.

Circulation assistant example responsibilities.

  • Assist patron's in locating materials using MLS database.
  • Perform check-in duties to shelve all tapes that are used the night before.
  • Locate library materials for patrons, including books, periodicals, DVDs, and other items.
  • Locate library materials for students and faculty, including books, periodicals, DVDs and online resources.
  • Receive requests from other libraries to lend MLS materials; check availability of materials, request materials via system reserve process.
  • Process internal and external inter-library loan requests for fiction and non-fiction titles and digital media.
  • Show more

Serials assistant vs circulation assistant skills

Common serials assistant skills
  • OCLC, 30%
  • Newspapers, 19%
  • Library Materials, 16%
  • Cataloging, 12%
  • Marc, 11%
  • Library System, 10%
Common circulation assistant skills
  • Patron Accounts, 15%
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Interlibrary Loan Materials, 8%
  • Check-In, 8%
  • Library Patrons, 6%
  • Front Desk, 5%

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