My Work and Professional Activities

In the past, the role of Circulation Librarian was assigned to another librarian until his retirement in 2000, after which his position was redefined. It is not an exageration to say that these days, I have the workload of at least two positions.

I am a tenured member of the college's academic support faculty, and I hold the rank of Associate Professor. Being a faculty member has a significant impact on my working conditions and duties.

As the Systems Librarian, I'm responsible for the library's use of the Hawaii Voyager library automation system, which handles our circulation, cataloging, and online catalog functions. I deal with hardware, software, and networking issues; train staff; serve on committees that influence the operation of the system, and contribute to decisions about the library's use of the system by sharing my knowledge of how it works, its capabilities, and its limitations. I also provide similar support to the UH - West Oahu Library. University of Hawaii - West Oahu is an upper division school (i.e., 3rd and 4th year of undergraduate studies) that shares the LCC campus, and their library is located within the LCC Library building.

I directly manage much of the computer equipment in the library, and I work with other people on campus who take care of the equipment I don't manage. I perform minor repairs and maintenance. I teach library staff members how to use computer equipment and applications. I also take care of the technical aspects of the online research databases we subscribe to. My job involves a lot of troubleshooting, record keeping, and teaching myself new things very quickly.

I'm also called upon to provide assistance with other forms of technology. I gather information, assess needs, and provide advice on technological matters. I deal with audio-visual equipment. I extract stuck coins from the copier machine. Basically, if it uses electricity or has more than two moving parts, there's a good chance I'll end up dealing with it somehow.

What is it like to be a systems librarian? It can be very interesting, and a lot of fun. It can also be quite challenging at times.

As the Circulation Librarian, I oversee the operation of the circulation department, which handles checking library materials in and out, keeps the bookshelves in order, and provides a wide variety of other services to library patrons. I supervise the department's civil service staff. I'm also responsible for providing library services to "distance education" students who take online or televised courses.

Like systems work, circulation work can be rather unpredictable, as situations can arise at any time that require immediate attention. This can make time management really challenging.

I'm also a reference librarian, typically spending several hours a day at the reference desk. Reference work involves helping students with their research; teaching students how to use the library, and how to use computerized research tools (an experience that has convinced me that the need for human librarians will never disappear); and helping faculty, staff and administrators with their information needs. I find the experience valuable for doing systems work because it keeps me in touch with how real patrons seek information and use computer systems.

I participate in library instruction activities. My activities include developing and conducting workshops and class presentations that teach students, faculty, and staff how to use effectively conduct research and choose and use various information resources. I support the Instruction Librarian in maintaining and updating the library's formal instruction program, and assist other librarians with using presentation technology like video projection equipment.

I participate in collective efforts to manage library services and resources. I sometimes have a role in personnel recruitment and equipment procurement activities. I contribute to the development of the library's collection by assessing needs and suggesting books and other material to acquire.

I also do things like serve on college and university committees, including personnel committees, and over the years, various campus computer committees. I spent three years serving on the Faculty Senate. I'm currently on two university-wide committees: the Circulation Committee, which I chair, which deals with our use of the Voyager circulation management system and other issues related to our efforts to provide circulation services seamlessly throughout the system; and the WebVoyáge Committee, which deals with the web-based public-access interface of the online library catalog.

Other college service activities include managing various web sites and mailing lists, and participating in campus events.

I designed the library's web site until July 2004, which you can read about on the web projects page. I continue to participate in efforts to maintain the current site.

I am a legally recognized expert in the field of library automation.

I am a member of:

• The American Library Association (life member)
• The Library and Information Technology Association (A division of the American Library Association.)
• The Hawaii Library Association
• Beta Phi Mu -- Xi Chapter (The UH-SLIS chapter of the library science honor society)

I attend ALA conferences from time to time. For my impressions of the experience, check out my electronic postcards from the road.

For other organizations of which I am a member, go to my list of other memberships and activities.

My advice to aspiring systems librarians:

• Become familiar with the old technology. It'll be around for longer than you think, and that kind of basic knowledge will be endlessly useful.
• Learn a little DOS. Okay, this is old advice from the mid-1990's, which I actually dropped from this list for a while, because it seemed so impractical in this day and age. But time and time again, I find that knowing some DOS commands, being able to write a simple batch file, being able to execute utility programs from a command prompt, being able to take advantage of command line switches, and being able to do things outside of Windows, can be very useful when trying to simplify a task, troubleshoot a PC, or tweak its operation.
• Make sure that the people who evaluate your work performance and/or make your work assignments know how complicated and time-consuming your job is. I realize that many find it hard to toot their own horn, and no one wants to be seen as a complainer, but if you perform a procedure that can be summarized by a short phrase, but it takes 20 steps, involves five decisions, and goes differently depending on which sub-version of Windows you're working with, then they should know that.
• Invest in a good Swiss Army pocket knife (such as one from the Victorinox line) and a folding multi-tool (like the Leatherman Mini Tool) that can be used as a pair of long-nosed pliers.
• When discarding obsolete equipment, salvage those little plastic jumper clips often used to set configuration settings -- they're kind of hard to find, and are outrageously expensive.
• Get your hands on a Black Box catalog.
• Always seek assistance, when moving a large laser printer.

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