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The differences between technical services librarians and service center technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a technical services librarian, becoming a service center technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a technical services librarian has an average salary of $50,657, which is higher than the $36,643 average annual salary of a service center technician.
The top three skills for a technical services librarian include library services, collection development and library resources. The most important skills for a service center technician are strong customer service, customer service, and troubleshoot.
| Technical Services Librarian | Service Center Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $50,657 | $36,643 |
| Hourly rate | $24.35 | $17.62 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 118,696 | 129,827 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 37% |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
A technical services librarian is responsible for overseeing the technical and circulation services at a library. Typical duties for this role include supervising the technical and circulation staff, working closely with other library services, and directing the activities on library automation. In addition, you will make technical decisions involving the use and management of bibliographic records based on accepted standards. As a technical services librarian, it is also your responsibility to assist in the preparation of the library's annual budget and contribute to collection and acquisition development initiatives.
A service center technician provides customer support on field visits. They manage installation, repair, and debugging on-site. They must listen to customers' concerns to identify problems. Typically, they work with a technician team.
Technical services librarians and service center technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Services Librarian | Service Center Technician | |
| Average salary | $50,657 | $36,643 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $69,000 | Between $27,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Charlottesville, VA | Dartmouth, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Yale University | Ernst & Young |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical services librarian and a service center technician in terms of educational background:
| Technical Services Librarian | Service Center Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 37% |
| Most common major | Library Science | Business |
| Most common college | New York University | - |
Here are the differences between technical services librarians' and service center technicians' demographics:
| Technical Services Librarian | Service Center Technician | |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.3% Female, 67.7% | Male, 71.9% Female, 28.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 76.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 1.7% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 1% |