I don't think it should be an either/or. I was a systems librarian way before such beasts were defined, much less recruited. I was trained as a bibliographic searcher supporting bibliographers ordering books (no longer do those folks exist, really) and transitioned to a cataloger some years later), so I always knew bib data really well. I started my technical learning, in charge of loading tapes into a NOTIS system and then supervising authorities work. I think some kind of library certification (maybe MLS or equivalent) plus experience in cataloging or acquisitions (or whatever they're called these days) should be sufficient. It's about the data, folks--the technical stuff is much easier to find in the wild and can effectively be teamed with a librarian that knows the data.
Diane Hillmann Librarian (retired, but still sentient) On Fri, Feb 17, 2023 at 9:41 AM Lynda Howell <lynda.how...@uvm.edu> wrote: > Our experience has been that Librarian payscales and expectations are > completely different from IT payscales/expectations. We had to convert a > position to a librarian position and drop a lot of the technical > requirements in order to get applicants willing to take the job. > > Lynda. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Code for Libraries <CODE4LIB@LISTS.CLIR.ORG> On Behalf Of Martin, > Will > Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2023 6:25 PM > To: CODE4LIB@LISTS.CLIR.ORG > 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 >
