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Serials assistant vs reference assistant

The differences between serials assistants and reference 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 $27,874 average annual salary of a reference assistant.

The top three skills for a serials assistant include OCLC, newspapers and library materials. The most important skills for a reference assistant are library materials, library patrons, and interlibrary loan.

Serials assistant vs reference assistant overview

Serials AssistantReference Assistant
Yearly salary$36,172$27,874
Hourly rate$17.39$13.40
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs543658
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age4747
Years of experience--

Serials assistant vs reference assistant salary

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

Serials AssistantReference Assistant
Average salary$36,172$27,874
Salary rangeBetween $20,000 And $63,000Between $21,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between serials assistant and reference assistant education

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

Serials AssistantReference Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common majorPsychologyEnglish
Most common collegeUniversity of Maryland - College ParkNew York University

Serials assistant vs reference assistant demographics

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

Serials AssistantReference Assistant
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 30.8% Female, 69.2%Male, 32.3% Female, 67.7%
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, 10.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between serials assistant and reference 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.

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.
  • Show more

Serials assistant vs reference assistant skills

Common serials assistant skills
  • OCLC, 30%
  • Newspapers, 19%
  • Library Materials, 16%
  • Cataloging, 12%
  • Marc, 11%
  • Library System, 10%
Common reference assistant skills
  • Library Materials, 8%
  • Library Patrons, 7%
  • Interlibrary Loan, 6%
  • Reference Desk, 6%
  • Reference Services, 6%
  • Library Resources, 5%

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