[Web4lib] Code4lib 2008 Minority Scholarship

[Amy Drayer]

Dear Karen and Web4Libbers:

I was one who said nothing yesterday, but will today. :-) I found the
discussion amusing, but I won't be attending Code4Lib mostly because I
can't use open source tools. It's fantastic two scholarships are even
offered! No matter if you are a tech dude or dudette, you'll be
surrounded by dude or dudette non-techie librarians that want things
that we can't begin to explain isn't possible without an army of
developers. :-p There's just always going to be someone who feels
shortchanged, but someone else gets an opportunity that would
otherwise not be available.

Reading Caveat Lector's post, I can't say I have had any more
adversity about being a techie female librarian than any other
newcomer earning trust with colleagues. I'll be starting a new job as
a Web and Systems Librarian in a few weeks, and I so far feel no
opposition in respect to my age (I'm fairly young), my skin color, or
my sex. Maybe I am just lucky with the libraries I've worked at? It's
not all bad, once you get passed the code stare (sometimes worse than
road stare) and bad/expensive vendor products. :-p

> As a woman who has worked in one male-dominated profession and faced the
> legion challenges of being a woman in technology (which is a male-dominated
> subfield in librarianship), I will never apologize for being a feminist, or
> for supporting affirmative action with respect to women in technology.

> Yesterday's thread, like so many threads of its ilk, was started, managed,
> and concluded by men. In this case, it's probably not because women are
> unable to defend their positions, but more likely because the majority of
> the women have by and large left the room. The wonder is not that only two
> women actually participated in yesterday's discussion, but that we even
> bothered. Q.V. Caveat Lector:
>
> http://cavlec.yarinareth.net/archives/2007/12/19/my-shoes-walk-in-them/

-- 
In peace,

Amy M. Drayer
Web Interface Designer
amostrom at gmail.com
http://www.puzumaki.com