While not a librarian position (faculty, MLS required), my job is a repurposed 
library technician position (staff, no MLS required).

I have a background in IT, with a Comp Sci degree, and my internship was 
running the library's ILS.  When I started working here full time as staff, I 
ended up in a cataloging technician position.  Gradually, more and more systems 
work got put into my position until it's nearly all systems and maintaining the 
new ILS.  There were and still are issues with HR and the union about what my 
position fully entails and what the job description can and can't include.  The 
extra programming and database work I had to do during migration was done via 
out of class pay, but that is limited in duration so the future of my position 
is currently unknown. 

-----Original Message-----
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Samson, 
Bob
Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2017 7:10 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [CODE4LIB] Systems Librarian / software developer

I have a question regarding staff development and I am hoping someone can 
provide some advice.  I have two vacant librarian positions in my Library 
Systems department.  I need to fill those vacancies with software/systems 
developers in order to move our initiatives forward.  We have encountered 
reluctance on the part of our human resources to repurpose those librarian 
positions into developer positions.

Has anyone had success in posting Systems Librarian positions using education 
and experience requirements consistent with software developers?  We have 
sufficient flexibility in hiring librarians, but the skill sets differ 
significantly between librarians and developers.  Ideally, we would want 
someone with backgrounds in computer science rather than library science, for 
example.  I'm curious to know if anyone has tried this and been successful.

Bob Samson
Head of Library Systems & Technology
University of Texas at Arlington

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