Job description for web people

[KAREN SCHNEIDER]

We've put up a draft (I repeat, draft) job description for a
"manager of networked information" on our library website.  This
description is the is the outcome of several discussions, wishful
thinking and ruminations of our web design team.  You can see it
at:

http://www.epa.gov/Region2/library/web.htm

On my way in today I mulled over other descriptions
I had read,  and an analogy from traditional librarianship
occurred to me.  Many of these descriptions are similar to
collection development librarians (with a strong dash of
reference thrown in)--people who have a good nose for new
resources, understand the procurement process, identify with the
need for compatibility and syncronicity (?) of all purchases, have
a feel for special collections, understand where each new
resource fits in the Big Picture and the Mission, etc.  But what
these position descriptions lack are competencies or job
requirements to identify and resolve the overarching issue of
information organization and retrieval (a point I believe was
brought up yesterday on WEB4LIB in another context), and
from both local and global perspectives, with an eye to the value
of standards... a Jetson cataloger.  

Up front, I will admit  I am not terribly certain that
cataloging resources into OCLC and exporting them into our
(MARC-compatible)  web database is the right thing to do. I really
don't know if this approach is prescient, cracked, outmoded, or
just plain dumb.  But I know that from the standpoint of traditional
librarianship I have come to believe in the powers of shared
cataloging, database standards, and marching to the same
bibliographic drummer.  Whether this ports to the networked
environment is another question. Thoughtful commentary more
than welcome.  

Mulling in the Big Apple,

K. Schneider/contractor, GCI/Director, EPA Region 2 Library
opinions mine alone/ but others welcome
schneider.karen at epamail.epa.gov