Comments on: IT (and not that Stephen King creepy clown, either)

By: From where you’re standing « metamayhem

From where you’re standing « metamayhem — Thu, 19 May 2011 11:41:48 +0000

[...] “Reference is Dead” – have struck a nerve with current and future librarians. A few selected blogs reveal the discontent with Neiberger’s [...]

By: Post-NLUD State of the Reference Desk Address | drouhard.net

Post-NLUD State of the Reference Desk Address | drouhard.net — Sun, 08 May 2011 22:50:29 +0000

[...] Eli Neiburger to expound a little on the now-famous “reference is dead” statement quoted around the library world. Sadly, I missed the later, hour-long, official “Is Reference [...]

By: nmbrock

nmbrock — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 03:02:11 +0000

That’s really good to hear! I do pride myself on being a pretty quick study, and am mostly self-taught when it comes to technology. My tendency is to learn the technologies that will best help me solve problems and make life easier (for me, our customers, etc). Along the way, I’ve built up a pretty good knowledge base, but perhaps the best thing I have going is my willingness to learn and experiment. I’m 29, so while I’m not technically a digital native, I have no fear of technology. I really do think librarians will be better off if they know a little geek as a second language!

By: mrme

mrme — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 23:39:19 +0000

Just a word of encouragement – if you’re missing one of the tech skills that they want, apply anyway if you feel you can honestly say that you can teach yourself as you go. Technologies change, and people need to change with them. I’d rather hire someone who can learn today’s technology because they’ll be able to learn tomorrow’s, too. If you know today’s technology because you were formally taught, that will soon be yesterday’s technology, and paying for you to go back to school every time something new comes along doesn’t appeal.

Ok, that was more than a word, but you get the picture.

By: nmbrock

nmbrock — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 21:43:53 +0000

I am a December 2010 library school graduate (thought not the one Bonnie mentions), and though I have not been told this directly, I can see a bit of the either/or happening in the field. I currently work in a nonprofit organization’s special library, and I like to think I’m pretty well-rounded. In fact, one of the reasons I pursued librarianship in the first place is because I thought it would be a good way to combine my various interests and talents.

However, being a generalist is not always what it’s cracked up to be, either. Should I start looking for a new job, I suspect my tech savvy isn’t quite at the level of most “systems librarian” postings, and my reference savvy is not on-par with the demands of strictly “reference librarian” positions. I think I could handle either type of job fairly well, but would probably rather be in a position that combines a little of both, like the aforementioned “super librarian.”

By: Jennifer Parsons

Jennifer Parsons — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 19:59:19 +0000

Actually, I’ve found that reference librarians have great input when it comes to making things like OPACs and other technical interfaces usable and accessible. Having them “in the back” and available by appointment might free them up to work with tech services and geeks for a good integrative library service.

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:42:49 +0000

Excellent point! I was shocked when I spoke with a young, recent (December 2010) graduate of library school who has been told in no uncertain terms to choose either public services or technical services and plan a career accordingly. That’s just crazy talk, IMHO. While it’s true that the divide still exists that doesn’t mean it should, and it doesn’t mean that that particular distinction should still be important.

By: E

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:35:06 +0000

I visited an academic library recently where only student assistants sat at circulation and reference. The reference librarians stayed in their offices. However, they were reserved for one-on-one appointments available via the library homepage, which were very popular. I think as long as we still make librarians easily accessible, it might not be the end of the world if they aren’t sitting at the front desk(s).

By: Jennifer Parsons

Jennifer Parsons — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:29:36 +0000

Well, librarianship has been suffering from a false dichotomy for years: the “access services” vs. “technical services” divide has led to librarians being pigeonholed into one type of service or another. So we have librarians sticking to reference because “I’m not a computer person,” and librarians mouldering back in cataloging because “I like books, not people.”

By: librarianry

librarianry — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:09:20 +0000

Agree with Collin about the “super librarian.” While my IT skills are lacking to say the least, it is an area that I know I need to focus my education on. Is it too much to ask that librarians are walking fusions of reference and IT? Librarians need to have the IT know-how combined with the traditional reference problem solving mentality and the more modern customer service mentality.