[WEB4LIB] RE: Problem with XiY.net

[Andrew Mutch]

Raymond,

In all fairness to all the librarians out there who rely on these
services, I don't think this is always a case of taking the "easy" route
versus learning how to do it ourselves. I've seen enough horror stories
here and elsewhere about trying to work with IS and IT departments and
the politics and hassle involved. Many times, they don't have the luxury
of even having access to the web server or being able to make
configuration changes. This problem seems to extend to libraries of all
types and sizes as it has been reported here. Even in my situation,
where I'm the tech guy (not a librarian), and I do have access to
servers locally, I still can't just make changes without having to
coordinate with our network administrator. He's usually pretty good to
work with but my changes are not always the first priority and we have a
really good working relationship. I can imagine how much hassle it must
be at libraries where communication is lacking, the library has to work
with other departments for IS/IT support, etc. Plus, we haven't even
discussed the time necessary for teaching the skills to ourselves. I
don't know how many of the people who are also librarians juggle the
responsibilities. I have a hard time keeping up myself and it's a
full-time job for me.

Just my 2 cents from a sympathetic techie.

Andrew Mutch
Library Systems Technician
Waterford Township Public Library
Waterford, MI


> Bill is right about this.  This is a web server configuration
> issue (and a simple one at that).
>
> Is it just me, or do librarians in general seem to prefer to
> flock to these various 'web services', instead of just learning
> enough about any given technology to do the job better in-house?
>
> One has to wonder at the wisdom of continuing to rely on others'
> services, instead of steadily learning how to use various
> technologies intelligently ourselves...
>
> Cheers,
> Raymond