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Student library assistant vs reference assistant

The differences between student library assistants and reference assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a reference assistant has an average salary of $27,874, which is higher than the $25,083 average annual salary of a student library assistant.

The top three skills for a student library assistant include library materials, circulation desk and front desk. The most important skills for a reference assistant are library materials, library patrons, and interlibrary loan.

Student library assistant vs reference assistant overview

Student Library AssistantReference Assistant
Yearly salary$25,083$27,874
Hourly rate$12.06$13.40
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs11,257658
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age4747
Years of experience--

Student library assistant vs reference assistant salary

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

Student Library AssistantReference Assistant
Average salary$25,083$27,874
Salary rangeBetween $18,000 And $33,000Between $21,000 And $36,000
Highest paying CityPalo Alto, CA-
Highest paying stateMassachusetts-
Best paying companyPalo Alto University-
Best paying industryEducation-

Differences between student library assistant and reference assistant education

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

Student Library AssistantReference Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common majorPsychologyEnglish
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNew York University

Student library assistant vs reference assistant demographics

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

Student Library AssistantReference Assistant
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 31.9% Female, 68.1%Male, 32.3% Female, 67.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 63.6% 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 student library assistant and reference assistant duties and responsibilities

Student library assistant example responsibilities.

  • Process, sort and organize books and DVDs.
  • Copy and original cataloging of auction catalogues; maintenance of auction catalogue shelves.
  • Organize books, DVDs, and CDs for organizational purpose to help other employees and patrons.
  • Assist in the cataloging and inventory of books, to restock or reorder popular or pertinent publications.
  • Process internal and external inter-library loan requests for fiction and non-fiction titles and digital media.
  • 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

Student library assistant vs reference assistant skills

Common student library assistant skills
  • Library Materials, 20%
  • Circulation Desk, 12%
  • Front Desk, 9%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • Library Patrons, 7%
  • Library Resources, 4%
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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