Hi!

I am a MLIS student and this question is something that is very interesting
to me! I am currently researching how well we prepare current and future
librarians and library workers for data-intensive or techie roles and
responsibilities. It seems like much of the current research points to
difficulty in evaluating this question due to the lack of clear definition
of what these roles look like in libraries and other information centers.
In other words, it is challenging to determine how to prepare or evaluate
librarian preparedness because we don't have a good understanding of what
the actual competencies for these jobs are - which sounds like what you're
referencing here, Christina, that job postings tend to reflect this
"unicorn" candidate or kitchen sink of skill sets. Its really helpful for
me to learn about all of your experiences - so thank you so much for
sharing!

Admittedly, as an IT Data Analyst in an MLIS program, I have a bit of a
self-serving interest in understanding the overlap in these fields; I'm
fascinated by the application of LIS principles in other disciplines and
sectors. And Gem - I am perpetually trying to convince myself to apply for
jobs I'm exciting about whether or not I fit 100% of the requirements! I
agree!

Thanks everyone for providing so much color to these topics!

Christine



On Wed, Sep 26, 2018 at 6:02 PM Salazar, Christina <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I think a part of why I'm asking is it seems sometimes (oftentimes?) the
> folks who are doing the hiring or job postings don't really KNOW what all
> is involved in many of the techie type librarian positions and so I often
> see job postings that seem to throw in all kinds of stuff and it's hard to
> tell how much emphasis would be placed on say writing code or maintaining
> systems.
>
> - Christina
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Gem Stone-Logan
> Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2018 3:52 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Are you a coder/programmer or a systems analyst or?
>
> Hi,
>
> Long-time lurker appearing . . .
>
> This is an interesting question to me because I considered systems
> librarian to be its own thing.  My official job titles have been IT
> Application Engineer, Technology Librarian, and Systems Librarian but I
> always introduced myself in the library world as a systems librarian
> because it seemed to cover what I do more than anything else.
> Broadly, I consider a systems librarian anyone who is primarily
> responsible in a library for making library-related software work better
> (either at the application level or the code level).  Exactly how you do
> that depends on your organization's resources and focus.
>
> One of my favorite parts of the job is tracking down system quirks. I love
> a good mystery. Most of the coding I do is either to supplement things the
> ILS can't do or can't do efficiently.
>
> (As an aside, I vote for applying to any job you think looks interesting
> regardless of whether or not you fit the exact requirements. Sometimes it's
> hard to tell in job descriptions what the organization really needs.)
>
> Gem
> Systems Librarian (Actual job title at the moment ;) )
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Sep 26, 2018 at 2:23 PM Salazar, Christina <
> [log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >
> > Hey Everyone,
> >
> > I'm going to be so old skool about this and ask this question on the
> > mailing list, but I'm curious to know if you believe your work is more
> > coder/programmer or systems/applications analyst or project management
> > type work? I'm also curious about what types of job titles you have
> > that do/do not correlate to the work you do on a day to day. (I'm
> > painting with broad strokes I guess.)
> >
> > My job title has pretty much been systems librarian since 2001 and in
> that time have more closely identified with systems analyst type tasks. I
> can code but it's mostly in aid of fixing broken things, not creating new
> applications. I guess I also LIKE fixing broken things MORE than making new
> ones. I'm also sort of kind of a project manager since I've now assisted
> with implementation of perhaps a dozen or more library applications
> (including I think 4 ILSs).
> >
> > I'm trying NOT to reignite that whole "imposter syndrome" conversation
> > but focus more on our actual skills and experience (believe me, that
> > previous paragraph, while empirically true makes me feel all wormy
> > inside.) I'm contemplating all this in hopes of better marketing
> > myself for future and current job possibilities (as in, maybe I should
> > not apply for systems librarian jobs any more since I am not really a
> > full time coder but more of a "fixer.")
> >
> > Thoughts anyone?
> >
> > Christina Salazar
> > Librarian About Town
> > California State University, Channel Islands John Spoor Broome Library
> > 805-437-3198
>