We have two web/database/software developer positions to fill at OCLC NJ.
OCLC New Jersey has its origins as a small startup (Openly Informatics) that
developed linking technology and has a future as part of a global library
cooperative (OCLC) with a mission to find and support innovative ways for
libraries to manage and integrate electronic resources.
The official job descriptions don't really do justice to the positions we
need to fill. We work closely with a development team in Germany, who are
also hiring for similar positions; In the NJ office we have people who can
communicate in English, Japanese, Chinese, Bulgarian, Russian, French, and
German. We value these abilities because we have more customers in
non-english speaking countries than in English speaking countries. Serving
our customers is what gets us out of bed in the morning (especially the
European customers) and keeps us up at night (the Japanese customers).
Staff at OCLC New Jersey are called on to fill various roles (note that
there are more roles than positions, as we can move existing staff around a
fair amount).
Library Support Specialists. Our customers are usually librarians that need
some help learning how to use the tools we build to help them manage
electronic information resources. We need staff that can help them
understand how internet technology works (and why problems sometimes occur!)
and can help a library modify their workflow to incorporate new
technologies. This requires good communication skills and an awareness of
how technology works. Our support staff helps libraries integrate our
linking application into their library website- experience with raw HTML, a
bit of javascript and a good web design aesthetic is invaluable for this.
Library Support Web Developers. The applications we have built are designed
in such a way that our support people can implement a solution to just about
any problem our customers throw at us. This means two things- 1. our support
team can be 10x more productive than typical at our competition and 2. our
support staff needs to be technologically fearless. Tweaking html or
javascript is a typical task. Communication with a customer is an essential
skill. Useful skills include Linux/unix administration, familiarity with
XML, html, java, javascript, SQL, and shell scripting.
Software Development. We build Java software designed to run in servlet
containers and are increasingly using the dependency-injection framework
Spring. We need to design and build new components that will collect,
register, distribute and connect the information and entities that libraries
need to manage and integrate their increasingly complex systems. OCLC has a
unique position in the industry as a trusted venue for library cooperation
and collaboration, and to continue to play this role, it is
becoming increasingly important for OCLC to provide open access to both
data, interfaces and software. I see the most important qualities of a
software developer in this area as being essentially aesthetic. The software
has to both work today (or yesterday if possible!) but must gracefully
accommodate growth.
Metadata process engineering. OCLC New Jersey operates metadata harvest
process that is truly unequalled in the world in terms of the level of
automation and process quality. My first job was at Intel making memory
chips- millions and millions of bits and they all had to work. This was
achieved by careful attention to process engineering. The library world by
contrast, has been used to building data records one at a time, so there's
general disbelief at what we have been able to accomplish, pushing out 2.5
million records a month with a team that is currently only 2.5 people.
Similarly we operate a grouping process that runs on 100 million records a
month. We are now being asked to apply these methodologies to more types of
data, in even greater volumes, and are looking for someone to join and
extend this team. Important attributes here are attention to detail and
meticulousness. If you love regular expressions, this is the job for you. If
you get a rush out of knowing about French Revolutionary month names, this
is a job for you. OCLC's metadata process makes use of Java, Perl, Python,
shell scripts, and a few more odds and ends
Integration. A lot of what we do involves connecting up different pieces of
functionality by designing data exchange formats, analyzing internal and
third party APIs (documentation? what's that?) and building linking
mechanisms. This can be challenging, frustrating, rewarding, and messy, but
it's basic problems solving. Sometimes the hardest part is analyzing a
customers problem and the actual solution is quite easy. Important
attributes for this role include good communications skills, ability to
learn fast, and a technical toolbox loaded with things like XSLT.
The products that are being produced and/or supported by the OCLC NJ team
include:
Worldcat Link Manager (used to be called 1Cate)
Worldcat Link Manager Knowledgebase (used by a number of other vendors)
xISBN
xISSN
OpenURL Referrer (a firefox add-on)
Link Evaluator (a firefox add-on)
We have just started work on a project to change the way that libraries
throughout the world organize what they do.
As a big non profit corporation, we have solid benefits and good insulation
from the coming recession. As a small location, we have flexible hours and
casual working environment. As a non-profit, OCLC doesn't pay like a bank or
other big businesses would; a corollary of that is that people who work here
actually want to work here. For me, the greatest thing about what we do
is that millions of people around the world benefit from the work we do.
We're located 10 miles west of Manhattan (GSP exit 148) 1 block from the
Bloomfield train station.
If you're interested in a position at OCLC NJ, feel free to write me an
e-mail ([log in to unmask]) telling me why you're a good match, and submit a
resume at
https://jobs-oclc.icims.com/oclc_jobs/jobs/candidate/jobs.jsp?ss=1&searchLoc
ation=US-NJ
so that you exist in the minds of HR.
Eric
Eric Hellman, Director OCLC New Jersey
[log in to unmask] 2 Broad St., Suite 208
tel 1-973-509-7800 fax 1-734-468-6216 Bloomfield, NJ 07003
http://nj.oclc.org/
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