FW: [WEB4LIB] RE: outsourcing/consultants for library computer pr ogr

[Kevil, L H.]

Thanks, Jennifer. What conclusion do you draw from this experience? Many
years ago my library had a head of technical services who was neither
technical nor a librarian. She did not last long because of her horrible
management practices. 

The 'moral' seems to me to be that our goal should be a meeting of minds,
with technical people and librarians as equals instructing each other in
what the other knows little or nothing about and a willingness on both sides
to learn how to become effective managers. From my perspective there is
plenty enough wrong with the 'librarian' way of doing things that we should
be very open to bringing bright new minds into the profession.

Hunter

L. Hunter Kevil
Collection Development Librarian
176 Elmer Ellis Library
University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia, MO 65201

KevilL at missouri.edu
573-884-8760 voice
573-882-6034 facsimile

-----Original Message-----
From: Jennifer Heise [mailto:jahb at Lehigh.EDU]
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2001 8:03 AM
To: KevilL at missouri.edu
Subject: Re: [WEB4LIB] RE: outsourcing/consultants for library computer
progr


>Is there any reason a technical person with good
> library experience should never be considered to become Head of Technical
> Services or even to give bibliographic instruction?

6 months after we hired a 'technical person with good library
experience' as a 'systems analyst' to run our SIRSI catalog, I had to
explain to him what I meant when I spoke about MARC fields. (And believe
me he was making better money than me, but since our university tries to
maintain something slightly below market average that's not suprising,
since the market average for a systems analyst is a heck of a lot higher
than for 'librarian'.)
-- 
/   Jennifer Heise, Helpdesk/Librarian, Lehigh Univ. Information
Resources
\ \ Fairchild-Martindale Library, 8A Packer Ave, Bethlehem PA 18015 
  / Phone (610) 758-3072          Email: jahb at lehigh.edu

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