Hi Will,

As a Systems Librarian myself, *a lot* of what I do doesn't require an
MLIS. Web dev, dev ops, data munging, API integration between systems, etc.
The only thing that gives me pause is that you've stated the position will
work primarily with your ILS, which is one area where a library background
is really helpful. You are not going to find many folks without a degree
who know what MARC is, or are familiar with the intricacies of an ILS.
Maybe that isn't an issue, my honest answer to your question is "I don't
know", but it'd make me a little worried. People can, of course, pick up
this knowledge over time, so maybe a related question is how much of a
learning curve you're willing to accept.

Best,
Eric


On Thu, Feb 16, 2023 at 3:32 PM <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Two questions:
>
> 1. Are there benefits or advancement differences between a librarian and
> technical position at your institution?
>
> 2. Is the MLIS requirement strict or do you consider also equivalence such
> as experience plus technical degrees?
>
> Kate Deibel
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Code for Libraries <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Martin,
> Will
> Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2023 6:25 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [CODE4LIB] Systems - to librarian or not to librarian?
>
> All,
>
> We're considering taking our Systems Librarian position and removing the
> requirement for a library degree, making it a technician position instead.
> The job's primary focus is in working with Alma configuration and
> troubleshooting the perennial off-campus access issues.  The hope is that
> removing the library degree requirement will make recruiting easier. In
> past
> we've had difficulty getting candidates who had both the library degree and
> the requisite technical proficiency.
>
> I am curious to hear from other universities: do you require your systems
> person to hold a library degree?  Why or why not?  If you do require one,
> do
> you find you have to do extensive technical training with new hires?  If
> you
> don't, do you wind up having to train people on library-related stuff?
> Either way, how has your approach worked out?
>
> Will Martin
>
> Head of Digital Initiatives, Systems and Services Chester Fritz Library
> University of North Dakota he/his/him
>
> 701.777.4638
>