[WEB4LIB] Using students as programmers

[Stephen, Mathew]

	We had a student do a MyLibrary project for our library as part of
her Master Degree project.  I was hired when she was almost finished, so I
didn't get to give my input on the project.  She did a good job, but
unfortunately we will not be using her program (The program she wrote will
not work with the site I am redesigning).  The main problem we had is the
library staff who was on the MyLibrary committee didn't know how our website
really worked.   As a result, she wrote a program that runs on Unix, while
our library website is running under NT.  There were some other small
problems (if her MyLibrary program would be more work for the Patron than if
we didn't have one)
	On the positive side it was a good learning experience for her.  I
felt a little bad in that she spent so much time and effort on something
that will not be used.  I will be using some of her features in the
MyLibrary program I will write for our redesigned web site.
				Mathew :)


-----Original Message-----
From: Drew, Bill [mailto:drewwe at morrisville.EDU]
Sent: Wednesday, April 19, 2000 12:31 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: [WEB4LIB] Using students as programmers


I approached one of our computer programming instructors about having some
of his students help us develop a MyLibrary type of service.  It looks like
we will be doing it as a special projects credit for some of his better
students.  Have any of you ever been involved in such an effort using
students?  Was it successful and what should I watch out for?

-----
Wilfred (Bill) Drew
Associate Librarian, Systems and Reference
SUNY Morrisville College Library
drewwe at morrisville.edu
Home: http://www.morrisville.edu/~drewwe
Not Just Cows: http://www.morrisville.edu/~drewwe/njc/
Library: http://www.morrisville.edu/library/
Have Laptop -- Will Travel.

 "Show me a computer expert that gives a damn, and I'll show you a
librarian." Patricia Wilson Berger (Quoted in Chicago Tribune article, 29
June 1990, Tempo section, p. 1)
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