What does a librarian do with information
technology, as in, does he/she do computer programming?

morganlandry-ga,

Information technology has had a major impact on the library
profession, but, to my knowledge, there are not too many librarians
doing programming. There are more and more software programs that
librarians use on the job. A sample list would be word, excel,sql,
dreamweaver (web page development), powerpoint, etc.

Of course, the relationship between IT and librarians depends on the
type of librarian you are. Reference librarians need to be familiar
with software such as word processing programs, because many patrons
have questions relating to usage. They also need to create
informational web pages using some type of web software like
dreamweaver. Excel spreadsheets need to be created to list book order
expenditures, etc. Reference librarians also need to be proficent at
searching web search engines and electronic indexes.

Other librarians, such as catalogers, perform tasks I would describe
as more data entry in nature. They use software programs to enter
bibliographic data about information materials (books, journals, etc.

Most libraries I've been in have a computer systems dept. In my
experience, the people who make up this unit are not librarians with
master's degrees, but techies who work in libraries. They will often
troubleshoot library computers and deal with networking issues.

I think that employers today are looking for librarians with computer
experience and a willingness to maintain awareness of new
technologies. You don't have to be a programmer or a graphics design
expert to receive an MLS and become gainfully employed in an academic,
or public library.

Below are two citations which might help define the relationship
between librarians and information technology. Please do not hesitate
to ask follow up questions or further clarification. You can do that
by submitting a clarification request. I'm sure there will be other
researchers adding comments as well.


The Two Cultures? Librarians and Technologists ,  By: Cain, Mark,
Journal of Academic Librarianship, 00991333, May2003, Vol. 29, Issue 3

Facing the challenge: Technology training in libraries. By: Marmion,
Dan. Information Technology & Libraries, Dec98, Vol. 17 Issue 4, p216,
3p

Thanks,

rapidreference-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by morganlandry-ga on 17 Dec 2003 19:03 PST

Thanks for answering my question so quickly. I'm just wondering,
though, if librarians don't need to know how to program, then what
types of skills should librarians have to be competent in their
fields?

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Clarification of Answer by rapidreference-ga on 18 Dec 2003 07:16 PST

Hello,

Thanks for your generosity. I will try to clarify my answer. Please
feel free to seek additional clarification if you are still unclear.

Computing skills:
- ability to search online sources of information such as online
catalogs, e-journals, electronic indexes, etc.
- ability to create effective informative web pages.

Communication skills: 
- ability to develop effective training/instructional classes for
library users (teaching users how to access library electronic
resources);
- ability to deliver effective training sessions (for groups or
individuals); must have effective communication skills and be able to
incorporate technology into the training (powerpoint or web).

Miscellaneous skills: 
- ability to work well with colleagues
- willingness to adapt to new technology and new methods of information access
- friendly and curteous disposition and a desire to help patrons find
what they need.

For additional information I urge you to consult the Dept of Labor's
Occupational Outlook Handbook. The url is below.

U.S. Dept. of Labor
Occupational Outlook Handbook
Section on Librarians
<http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos068.htm>


Google search - labor occupational outlook

Thanks again,

rapidreference-ga

Thanks for not answering just "yes" or "no"!