THE CHANGING ROLE OF THE

SYSTEMS LIBRARIAN

KRISTY EKLUND

OCTOBER 4, 2018

OVERVIEW

• Evolution of the Library

• Evolution of the "Systems Librarian"

• Current State and the Future

EVOLUTION OF THE LIBRARY

• Physical Collections, Services, and Spaces

• Electronic and Virtual Collections, Services, and Spaces

• As libraries evolve, so do systems librarians' educational

requirements, duties, and titles

ORIGINS IN THE 1960S

• Computers!

• 1967 – Ohio College Library Center (OCLC)

• Rise of MARC Standards

• Technology, Automation –Who will implement??

• 1968 – Northwestern Online Total Integrated System (NOTIS)

GROWTH IN THE 1970S

• Growth of technology librarians

• Microcomputers – improvements in storage, telecommunications

• 1975 - Forerunner of VTLS Classic developed and installed at Virginia Tech

• Separation of "Library" and "Systems Office"

RISE OF THE ONLINE CATALOG - 1980S

• Separate processes combined – ILS, OPACs

• VTLS Classic – 1980, Dynix – 1983 – terminals, telnet

• Not necessarily called "systems librarian"

• Instead "head of technical services" or "head of circulation"

performed systems librarian roles

• New technologies – PCs, word processing, databases, software, printers,

desktop client software

• "Gatekeepers of the System" – still didn't work much with public

BEGINNING OF THE SHIFT - 1990S

• World Wide Web

• Beginnings of library websites, digitization, online versions of

resources, online learning

• Shift from technical skills to planning, emerging technology integration,

managing technical staff

2000S

• IT Department – servers, networks, public computers

• New responsibilities for the systems librarian

• User needs – begin helping directly

• Communication!

IN THE ERA OF THE CLOUD - 2010S

• Eliminates need for software, and manual updates by staff – now updated by

the vendor

• Diversification of duties

• Library systems

• Web services

• Digital initiatives

• Communication! Collaboration! Teamwork!

TITLES IN 2010S AND BEYOND

• More specialized duties, new titles

• Digital Initiatives Librarian

• Emerging Technologies Librarian

• Information Technology Librarian

• Web Services Librarian

• Digital Services Librarian

• Metadata Strategist

• Digital Infrastructure Librarian

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?

• Importance of integration

• Keep up with issues

• Technology still evolving

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Breeding, M. (2017). Elevating tech skills for the cloud. Computers in Libraries, 37(8), p. 15-17. Retrieved

from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=llf&AN=125837221&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

• Fu, P. (2013). Migrating to Alma: the changing role of the systems librarian. [Presentation at ELUNA 2013, Athens, GA].

Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1022&context=libraryfac.

• Iglesias, E. (Ed). (2010). An overview of the changing role of the systems librarian: systemic shifts. Oxford: Chandos

Publishing. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/wayne/detail.action?docID=1579935.

• Lavagnino, M. B. (1997). Networking and the role of the academic systems librarian: an evolutionary perspective. College &

Research Libraries, 58(3), 217-231. Retrieved from https://crl.acrl.org/index.php/crl/article/view/15126/16572.

• Liu, W. & Cai, H. (2013). Embracing the shift to cloud computing: knowledge and skills for systems librarians. OCLC Systems

& Services, 29(1), p. 22-29. doi:10.1108/10650751311294528.

• MARC standards. Retrieved Sept. 30, 2018 from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MARC_standards.

• OCLC. Retrieved Sept. 30, 2018 from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCLC.

• Ratledge, D. & Sproles, C. (2017). An analysis of the changing role of systems librarians. Library Hi Tech, 35(2), p. 303-311.

Doi: 10.1108/LHT-08-2016-0092.