Systems work in libraries presents a unique mix of frustrations, challenges, and triumphs. One guarantee: You’ll never be bored.
—Rachel Singer Gordon1
I first started in libraries as a web developer and was not originally looking to become a librarian. One of the first professional development titles I read while starting out was The Accidental Systems Librarian. While I was being thrown into a systems role among librarians at the time of the first edition of The Accidental Systems Librarian, so were many other librarians. Today, in the age of Facebook, Twitter, web-based integrated library systems, and separate discovery layers, it’s easier to plan to become a systems librarian, yet many still say they fell into the job “accidentally.”
The how behind falling into this new role is different for each of us. Sometimes accidental systems librarians offered to help on a technology project, sometimes their superiors assumed that they knew more about computers than their colleagues, and sometimes they were just in the right place at the right time. Given the variety of ways a person can become a systems librarian, we come to the role with different combinations of skill sets, knowledge, and comfort with technology. In many cases, this may mean we’ve had to learn on the job.
In late 2010 through early 2011, 192 systems librarians responded to an online survey about their experiences. (The survey questions are reproduced at the end of the book as Appendix A.) Their responses are quoted throughout the book to help provide insight into the lives of working systems personnel in libraries. Many of the survey respondents emphasize the “accidental” nature of their careers. Typical comments include:
• “I came into the field in the late ’90s when it was fairly new and technically-oriented people were desperately needed. My current employer recognized that I had a knack for it, so encouraged me to pursue it.”
• “I applied for a job as an adult service librarian with a technological focus, particularly Web 2.0 technology. As we became more interested in evaluating other forms of technology, whether it be ebooks and audiobooks, upgrading our library ILS system, or new website functionality, the administration realized that we need someone to take this role full time.”
• “I had a small technical background and interest from my help center jobs, took systems courses in library school, and then got a library manager position where a substantial chunk of my time is spent on the ILS and websites.”
• “I started as a parapro cataloger and loved making things fit. Since I work in community college, being a cataloger often means being the systems person as well.”
• “It was not at all what I envisioned myself doing but rather it happened more by default. I was more interested and more knowledgeable about library technology than anyone else in the library.”
• “In the right place at the right time: [I] was the only one in technical services with computer experience when we started delving into automation.”
• “I created our systems department. As computers and technology made further demands on the library and its staff, I stepped forward and solved problems. I was often ahead of the university computer center (e.g., use of and development of open source software, database-backed active web pages).”
• “Fell into it … the small public library where I worked needed one and no one else wanted to do it. I had been the backup systems administrator for the ILS because I was the technical services librarian. It was easy to slide into being the sys admin.”
• “It was accidental. My first job out of library school started getting more and more focused on computers and online systems, and there was no one who wanted or knew how to work on them. I stepped in, and it became my whole job.”
Another common theme among survey respondents was that formal training was not offered to them as part of their library school education. Until relatively recently, many MLS programs did not offer systems-related courses. When I tell people that I was required to take one systems class in my LIS program, they are often surprised. However, I found it to be one of the more interesting classes offered—a sign that I had chosen the right focus in libraries. While this systems class was not among my classmates’ favorites, it did a good job of showing librarians how systems are organized, a skill that all systems librarians need to foster.
The fact that so many librarians came into systems accidentally can probably be traced back to the fact that librarians love to solve problems. Many of us ended up in our current roles simply because we were on a committee working on a new technology project and volunteered to manage something or had a creative way to solve a problem. As Rachel noted in the first edition of this book, “[O]ne truism of library work is this: If you do something once, it becomes yours forever.”2
Even today, a decade after the first edition of this book was published, we find that literature on how to manage as a systems librarian is sparse. Search for professional development titles on how to catalog or conduct a reference interview, and you’ll have your pick of many titles, but general guides on the roles of systems librarians just aren’t written. What we do find are books on technology-related topics and books that will walk you through setting up a network or managing an integrated library system. While these titles are useful, they aren’t always written with systems librarians as the intended audience. It is for that reason that we offer you this updated edition of The Accidental Systems Librarian.
Throughout this book, you will find advice and information to help you manage and interact with computer technology in your institution, whatever your level of systems responsibility. Chapters 1 through 4 provide a background in systems librarianship and outline the skills you will most likely need on the job. Chapters 5 through 7 explain how to take what you learned in library school or in roles prior to becoming a systems librarian, such as research, communication, and organization of knowledge, and translate them into a successful career managing systems. Chapters 8 and 9 cover continuing education, both for yourself and for your colleagues, including teaching adults how to use new technologies and where to find training for yourself.
Chapter 10 addresses staff management and other administrative tasks, while Chapter 11 covers integrated library system migration. Chapter 12 provides insights on how to find a job in the field (if you are looking for a second career or are interested in becoming a systems librarian) and how to deal with the stresses that will inevitably come with your new role. The conclusion and appendices round out your whirlwind course of instruction, providing resources for further reading and study. While tips, suggestions, and descriptions of technologies are included throughout, this is not a “how-to” guide outlining every aspect of your library’s web presence or integrated library systems. Instead, the goal here is to start you off with a good foundation and give you a toolbox of resources to help you move forward.
As I stated earlier, I have worked as a systems librarian, although not completely accidentally, in a special library. Many of the recommendations in this book are based on my own experiences and those of Rachel Singer Gordon, as well as on conversations with colleagues in a variety of library environments. I hope that you find systems librarianship as exciting and dynamic a field as we have, and that these suggestions, resources, and stories prove helpful in your career. Please feel free to contact me with your comments and reactions.
Nicole C. Engard
nengard@gmail.com
tasl.web2learning.net
1. Rachel Singer Gordon. The Accidental Systems Librarian (Medford, NJ: Information Today, Inc., 2003), 219.
2. Ibid., 4.