+1 to TH5! I’m also very new to the environment.. And I’m really liking what I see. Fifteen years of multi-billion dollar tech industry work makes what I’m seeing around library tech and the processes/services involved seem like a piece of cake. OTOH, I’m coming from a corporation which was under a huge amount of change (painful at times) for almost the entire 15 years I was there… I’m certain that someday the twitches that happen when I hear the word “reinvent” will stop. :) Seriously though, the technology in the library is fascinating to me.. I thought we just had banks of card catalogs and microfiche! #seeyouinphilly Josh On 3/2/16, 6:30 AM, "Code for Libraries on behalf of Tom Hutchinson" <[log in to unmask] on behalf of [log in to unmask]> wrote: >I just wanted to say thank you for this thread. I recently jumped ship from industry and am still orienting myself. The non-technical aspects are a much bigger change than I anticipated; they are also precisely why I switched. > >To be honest I feel like I still don’t even really know what libraries / librarians are yet. > >Tom >(th5) > >> On Mar 2, 2016, at 5:52 AM, Keith Gilbertson <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >> >> I also agree very much with what Deborah wrote. I'd come from an >> IT/software development background, and even after a couple of years in >> libraries, I hadn't adjusted to library culture. I was frustrated enough to >> write a paper about it and present at ACRL: >> >> http://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/23885 >> Mutant Superheroes, Contained Chaos, and Smelly Pets: Library Innovation >> through Imaginary Anarchy >> >> Reading my paper now, I recognize that I was completely wrong about a few >> things (meetings aren't always terrible), and the tone seems entitled to me >> today. But two of the things that I noticed that are considered good about >> library culture were very stressful to me as a library newbie, and match >> what Deborah has pointed out: >> >> - Emphasis on collaboration and consensus >> - Expectation to work on multiple, simultaneous projects >> >> By the way, I've adjusted my attitude somewhat, and we've gotten better at >> doing IT and software in the library and in our group, so I'm happy in >> libraries now. >> >> >> On Tue, Mar 1, 2016 at 9:39 PM, Fitchett, Deborah < >> [log in to unmask]> wrote: >> >>> I actually feel that the tech side of library things may be less >>> bewildering to a non-tech person than the *culture*. Things like: >>> >>> * the way any progress happens in University Time >>> * the way we're dependent on vendors in ways that mean that yes, often our >>> systems SUCK but we just have to play the hand we're dealt >>> * the sometimes-fraught relationship between Library IT and University IT >>> * the customer-focus of the library - including colleagues as customers >>> * and relatedly, the collaborative nature of so much library work >>> * depending on where they've come from and how well you're staffed, the >>> very "bitsy" nature of Library IT, not just in having to know about lots of >>> things but having to jump from one thing to another at a moment's notice to >>> troubleshoot instead of being able to get stuck into a project >>>