Comments on: The New IT Librarian Application http://librarygarden.net/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/ An ongoing conversation among librarians with differing perspectives (public, academic, school, consortial, youth) but one shared goal: ensuring the health and relevance of libraries. [insert your own gardening metaphor here] Sat, 25 May 2013 10:47:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Anonymous http://librarygarden.net/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2608 Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:07:00 +0000 http://librarygarden.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2608 Advice to all: 1.
1.Work as a Team for the best service you can offer with all your skills
2. Share your knowledge and have mercy on those who need to “catch up” or are technophobic but are trying :)
3. Create a leadership environment where most folks are excited to be working and learning… maybe that’s a fantasy?

]]> By: Grant (Systems Librarian) http://librarygarden.net/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2501 Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:58:00 +0000 http://librarygarden.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2501 Agreed. This is nonsense. Resume and references all the way for a post like this. Tests indeed.

Grant

]]> By: Marc http://librarygarden.net/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2498 Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:14:00 +0000 http://librarygarden.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2498 Great candidates take it upon themselves to tell their story and demonstrate their skills–they don’t wait for an assigned test to do so.

Last year, I had all applicants give a brief presentation on Web 2.0. This alone worked well enough for me to discern top candidates, mostly because those candidates also made it a point exhibit their skills in one way or another. One sent a link to their resume online as well as in an attachment; another created several websites for the presentation rather than just using Powerpoint. Both candidates demonstrated that they go beyond what’s required, and web design skills.

]]> By: Anonymous http://librarygarden.net/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2497 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:03:00 +0000 http://librarygarden.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2497 You find about their IT skills by talking to their references.

]]> By: Sharon http://librarygarden.net/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2496 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:01:00 +0000 http://librarygarden.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2496 I’m the tech support person for my library, and before that I was a software engineer for 20+ years. I agree with most of the proposed “tests.” My only gripe is the texting test. I have a cell phone, and it is even text-enabled. But it’s an expensive toy for a part-time graduate student living on a part-time librarian’s salary. I don’t consider cell phones essential equipment for anyone except people who already have a job that requires them to be on call 24/7.

]]> By: Keri http://librarygarden.net/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2495 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:59:00 +0000 http://librarygarden.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2495 I’m sort of an IT Librarian. It is part of my job but so much of our IT is outsourced to our consortium that I basically just restart the wireless router when the connection drops, put new ink in the printers, update the website and teach internet classes to the patrons. Frankly most of my patrons are in the “I don’t know how to click the mouse” phase of technology rather than the “I want to contribute to the library’s wiki” phase so the buzzword technology stuff doesn’t really apply here in any practical way.

I would be a bit wary of a library asking me to interview by text message (I won’t have an unlimited plan until I buy an IPhone in November – mostly for the internet – so text make me grumpy) and checking to see if I was competent in computer by having an IM interview. Seriously? Every person who uses my library between the ages of 10 and 30 and a good portion of those older than that can IM and use MySpace, text messages, etc. (In most other communities that second group would be larger but no so in mine unfortunately.)

A basic practical test like you suggest should be given to all librarian candidates but I don’t know if those would be the questions I’d ask. In my opinion, all librarians should know how to fix a broken computer, printer, internet connection, and do basic IM, email, web searching, database search, downloadable audio etc. The IT person needs to be the person who can fix the problems when no one else can (networking, changing hardware, extreme software glitches, reformats, software installation and security, etc.) – which are a bit harder to replicate for a test.

]]> By: Gary McGath http://librarygarden.net/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2494 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:01:00 +0000 http://librarygarden.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2494 Yes, there’s a flaw in your method. It’s that it tests for trendiness, not familiarity with technology.

I have never used text messaging, other than discarding spam. I occasionally remember to turn my cell phone on. I prefer not to put my resume on public display, especially if I don’t want my current employer to know I’m job hunting. I don’t use instant messaging.

In spite of my lack of qualifications, I’m somehow a software developer for one of the largest libraries in the world.

]]> By: Dorothea http://librarygarden.net/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2491 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:05:00 +0000 http://librarygarden.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2491 Whoa. Interesting. I automatically ride the failboat because I don’t have a cell phone.

]]> By: Sarah Houghton-Jan http://librarygarden.net/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2490 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:53:00 +0000 http://librarygarden.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2490 I think that these are skills that most librarians should have, period. IT Specialists should have specific IT skills–networking experience, web design skills, etc. Testing those is a lot harder, but can be done with essay questions and problem-solving “tests.” It’s important to assess someone’s actual skills and experience and not, as you point out Tyler, just hire them because they know the buzzwords.

]]> By: John Miedema http://librarygarden.net/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2473 Wed, 21 May 2008 11:53:00 +0000 http://librarygarden.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/the-new-it-librarian-application/#comment-2473 Interesting post, but I don’t think any of those skills qualifies a person for the position of an IT Specialist. In corporate IT, none of those methods are used for hiring. Look to the person’s resume and references. Does he/she have IT experience on the job? What successes can they report? Do their references collaborate. That’s the ticket.

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