[Web4lib] Skillset for new librarians

Mon Jan 3 20:50:31 EST 2011

There are a lot of interesting suggestions coming up on this board.

I just finished library school and I am not yet employed in a library
so maybe that says something about how much employers care about
whether new librarians learn these skills or not but....

At University of Sheffield, we took a class where we built a simple
content management system using PHP, CSS, SQL, and a little bit of
JavaScript.  I also took a course on creating a digital archive using
Grenstone that included entering metadata for each object and some
HTML and CSS manipulation (however, Greenstone's own code made some of
these edits more difficult then they had to be so I wouldn't recommend
this program).  We also played around with SecondLife, screencasting
software and distance learning software.

Of all of these, I felt the programming skills were the most useful.
However, I wish we had taken those skills one step farther and applied
them to more powerful programs like Drupal and some of the other more
library-specific programs mentioned already.  I feel that
screencasting and distance learning solutions are becoming more
intuitive all the time and can be learned with just a little bit of
time on one's own but programming and linking these skills to
particular library programs and problems is something that leans
itself more to the structured learning environment one would find at a
university.  In other words, many tech activities like blogging and
screencasting seem to be isolated and skills are not so clearly
transferable or able to be built upon but programing languages (like
all languages) allow you to start off easily and then continue on to
build more and more complex expressions.

In sum, I think a program that teaches how to build a CMS from scratch
like at Sheffield is a good start but then a complimentary course that
shows how you can use those skills to expand and enhance already
powerful open-source projects is equally critical.

This is a very interesting problem though.  I still feel in someways
that library schools have not caught up to real world needs in terms
of preparing students for the tech library jobs that are out there.
In other words, there are entry-level library jobs but for library
jobs on the systems side it seems they want you to come in with a
large skill set to start.

This brings us to the joke relpy earlier that students should enroll
in information systems and then take some librarianship classes.  I
don't think this is far off and in my recently completed dissertation
I found that a large number of the people adding a lot of value to
libraries by enhancing their websites had backgrounds in information
systems and not in librarianship.  So, does library school need to
change and attempt to cram all these new tech skills in amongst the
more traditional courses or do libraries need to hire more IS staff
and then just have the two specilaized groups work better together?
In my small piece of research it seems the latter, so far, is
producing better results.

Michael Pawlus

On Mon, Jan 3, 2011 at 4:39 PM, Jesse Ephraim <jephraim at roanoketexas.com> wrote:
> By the same token, library schools cannot hope to teach librarians all the tech skills they will ever need.  As I indicated in an earlier post, the students need to have the drive to educate themselves, typically on their own time (and without compensation).
>
> However, they should have to demonstrate a certain amount of technological proficiency before being awarded a Masters degree.
>
> Jesse Ephraim
>
> Director, Roanoke Public Library
> 308 S. Walnut
> Roanoke, Texas 76262
> (817) 491-2691
> jephraim at roanoketexas.com
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Brian Gray
> Sent: Monday, January 03, 2011 6:32 PM
> To: Roy Tennant
> Cc: web4lib at webjunction.org
> Subject: Re: [Web4lib] Skillset for new librarians
>
> Not everyone enters library school with a technology background. It is a
> late career choice for many people, which have had others careers or have
> been out of the workplace for years (maybe decades). We also use it as an
> opportunity to teach about open source choices such as Open Office or Google
> Docs.
>
> No every one comes to library school knowing how an OPAC works on the
> frontside or behind the scenes, the history of OPAC development, or the
> newer features that are being added. The same can be said with databases
> with the variety of possible interfaces. If librarians are assisting with
> and teaching e-resources, they must be experts themselves. Library schools
> cannot assume everyone comes into library school an expert in technologies,
> just because they already have some undergraduate degree.
>
> Brian Gray
> mindspiral at gmail.com
> bcg8 at case.edu
>
>
> On Mon, Jan 3, 2011 at 6:26 PM, Roy Tennant <tennantr at oclc.org> wrote:
>
>> Uh...does everyone realize this is 2011? If we're taking time to teach MS
>> Office to masters students, then we may as well just pack it in right now.
>> My kids aren't out of high school yet and they know as much Powerpoint,
>> Word, etc. as they would need to know to be a librarian. Probably more,
>> especially given Google Docs.
>>
>> What they _would_ need, in my opinion, is a firm grounding in some of the
>> other technologies mentioned. Things like XML and XSLT, HTML5 and CSS3,
>> basic programming (NOT programming in BASIC!), etc. As for teaching "OPACs"
>> and "databases," that sounds as almost as anachronistic as teaching MS
>> Office.
>>
>> I decided to go to library school in the early 80s. Even then it was
>> apparent to me that computers would be essential to librarianship, and that
>> therefore facility with computers would also be essential. I realize that
>> someone who spends their time putting together story times for kids may not
>> need to write software, but they still need to be proficient in various
>> technologies that may make him the best children's librarian around.
>> Roy
>>
>>
>> On 1/3/11 1/3/11 € 2:08 PM, "Brian Gray" <mindspiral at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> > I am one of several instructors for Kent State University School of
>> Library
>> > and Information Science course called: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR LIBRARY
>> > AND INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS. It is designed to make sure all new SLIS
>> > students have an overview of the technologies needed to complete their
>> > degree and work in libraries. After the course, they should understand
>> their
>> > personal weaknesses and be able to select other workshops and classes to
>> > fulfill their personal needs.
>> >
>> > It covers Blackboard, basic computer terminology, file management,
>> > networking issues, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, basic html, OPACs, databases,
>> > searching skills, web 2.0 tools, etc.
>> >
>> > Brian Gray
>> > mindspiral at gmail.com
>> > bcg8 at case.edu
>> >
>> >
>> > On Mon, Jan 3, 2011 at 12:36 PM, Elizabeth Beers <brixton at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> >> Hello Web4Lib!
>> >>
>> >> I'm preparing to teach a course entitled Introduction to Technology in
>> LIS,
>> >> and I'm looking for some input on what you consider critical tech skills
>> >> for
>> >> new librarians.  The course is intended to provide an overview of the
>> sorts
>> >> of tech systems and capabilities that librarians will be expected to
>> have
>> >> or
>> >> interact with once leaving library school.  Some of these students will
>> be
>> >> taking this class because they want to work with library systems or
>> >> electronic resources - others will be in much less techy roles but want
>> to
>> >> have some tech experience going into their jobs.
>> >>
>> >> I'm interested in hearing what YOU think are the essential skills for
>> new
>> >> librarians - taken as broadly or narrowly as you'd like.  I really
>> >> appreciate your opinions - and your time.
>> >>
>> >> Elizabeth Beers
>> >> Digital Services Assistant
>> >> Kresge Business Administration Library
>> >> Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan
>> >> _______________________________________________
>> >> Web4lib mailing list
>> >> Web4lib at webjunction.org
>> >> http://lists.webjunction.org/web4lib/
>> >>
>> >>
>> > _______________________________________________
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>> >
>>
>>
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