Re: Professional development books and articles

From: Erica Findley (she/her) <ericaf_at_nyob>
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2025 16:24:57 -0700
To: CODE4LIB_at_LISTS.CLIR.ORG
That's a great addition Kevin, thanks for sharing!

*Erica Findley (she/her)*
*Systems & Metadata Specialist*
*x80591*
Multnomah County Library
Teleworking: M - F: 8 am - 5 pm
The Gallery <https://gallery.multcolib.org/>
My pronouns are she/her/hers


On Tue, Aug 12, 2025 at 1:08 PM Kevin French <kfrench_at_gmilcs.org> wrote:

> I’m late to the discussion but I appreciated reading through the compiled
> list and would like to offer that the LJA has recently put out a
> certificate program that I’ve just finished and found useful. https:
> //urldefense. com/v3/__https: //libraryjuiceacademy.
> com/certificate/systems/__;!!Mz3y04SuVKn4zVb91lY!gioqDnK1XZDhOJbiZ3OQw4tF2xEMT8y58ALn9adB0Us_2BRQc4BVlsNqccSnnhYm5uDY1nKv9YSVBvqXXA$
> ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerStart
> This Message Is From an External Sender
> External Sender - Be Suspicious of Attachments, Links, and Requests for
> Payment or Login Information.
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> I’m late to the discussion but I appreciated reading through the compiled list and would like to offer that the LJA has recently put out a certificate program that I’ve just finished and found useful.  https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://libraryjuiceacademy.com/certificate/systems/__;!!Mz3y04SuVKn4zVb91lY!gioqDnK1XZDhOJbiZ3OQw4tF2xEMT8y58ALn9adB0Us_2BRQc4BVlsNqccSnnhYm5uDY1nKv9YSVBvqXXA$
>
>
>
>
>
> [Image]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.linkedin.com/company/gmilcs-inc__;!!Mz3y04SuVKn4zVb91lY!gioqDnK1XZDhOJbiZ3OQw4tF2xEMT8y58ALn9adB0Us_2BRQc4BVlsNqccSnnhYm5uDY1nKv9YQnWNLTOA$.>
>
> Kevin French
>
> System Administrator
>
> GMILCS, Inc.
>
> 31 Mount Saint Mary's Way
>
> Hooksett, NH 03106-4400
>
>
>
>
>
> From: Code for Libraries <CODE4LIB_at_LISTS.CLIR.ORG> on behalf of Erica Findley (she/her) <ericaf_at_MULTCOLIB.ORG>
> Date: Monday, August 11, 2025 at 12:56 PM
> To: CODE4LIB_at_LISTS.CLIR.ORG <CODE4LIB_at_LISTS.CLIR.ORG>
> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Professional development books and articles
>
> Good morning everyone,
>
> Thanks again to everyone who provided articles, books, and other tips. I
> have a lot to consider!
>
> I also compiled a list of what I gathered and attached it to this message.
> My apologies that not all of the citations are the same style.
>
> Erica
>
> *Erica Findley (she/her)*
> *Systems & Metadata Specialist*
> *x80591*
> Multnomah County Library
> Teleworking: M - F: 8 am - 5 pm
> The Gallery <https://gallery.multcolib.org/ >
> My pronouns are she/her/hers
>
>
> On Wed, Aug 6, 2025 at 9:17 AM Erica Findley (she/her) <ericaf_at_multcolib.org>
> wrote:
>
> > Thanks Margaret, understood about taking them with a grain of salt. And
> > yeah, setting alerts is a great idea.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Erica
> >
> > *Erica Findley (she/her)*
> > *Systems & Metadata Specialist*
> > *x80591*
> > Multnomah County Library
> > Teleworking: M - F: 8 am - 5 pm
> > The Gallery <https://gallery.multcolib.org/ >
> > My pronouns are she/her/hers
> >
> >
> > On Mon, Aug 4, 2025 at 10:11 AM Margaret Alexander <malexan4_at_uoregon.edu>
> > wrote:
> >
> >> Hi Erica! I too scan job postings for new requirements and phrasing. You
> >> do have to take those with a grain of salt, since the hiring supervisor may
> >> not always have a full understanding of the job needs, however. I did a
> >> presentation at Computers
> >> ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerStart
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> >> External Sender - Be Suspicious of Attachments, Links, and Requests for
> >> Payment or Login Information.
> >>
> >> ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerEnd
> >>
> >> Hi Erica!
> >>
> >> I too scan job postings for new requirements and phrasing.  You do have to take those with a grain of salt, since the hiring supervisor may not always have a full understanding of the job needs, however.  I did a presentation at Computers in Libraries this year about hiring a Systems Librarian, hoping to help managers learn what needs to be considered, but it turned out it was mostly Systems Librarians attending!
> >> I also set news alerts to get new articles about systems librarianship.  I set this in Third Iron's Browzine.  I also have a saved search in Primo that sends me new items.
> >>
> >> Hope this helps!
> >> Margaret
> >>
> >> Margaret Alexander | Discovery Librarian (she/hers)
> >> University of Oregon | Libraries
> >> Knight Library | 1501 Kincaid St 97403-1299
> >> 541-346-1864 (vm)malexan4_at_uoregon.edu | uoregon.edu
> >> Please note:  I work M-F, 8-4:30 PST, several days from home
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Code for Libraries <CODE4LIB_at_LISTS.CLIR.ORG> On Behalf Of Erica Findley (she/her)
> >> Sent: Monday, August 4, 2025 9:55 AM
> >> To: CODE4LIB_at_LISTS.CLIR.ORG
> >> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Professional development books and articles
> >>
> >> Hi Mary,
> >>
> >> Thank you for this recommendation. This book looks really interesting!
> >>
> >> *Erica Findley (she/her)*
> >> *Systems & Metadata Specialist*
> >> *x80591*
> >> Multnomah County Library
> >> Teleworking: M - F: 8 am - 5 pm
> >> The Gallery <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://gallery.multcolib.org/__;!!C5qS4YX3!BIiFqkwCilOJxqE8Kcp6oNRtFQDznSq9s--v6hmtLhWMt_UhkOZkhGosbjP3GYcOnGYOJrP-lF_fVus44cmJfQ$>My pronouns are she/her/hers
> >>
> >>
> >> On Fri, Aug 1, 2025 at 5:55 AM Kidd, Mary < 0000020752f0116d-dmarc-request_at_lists.clir.org> wrote:
> >>
> >> > This is a great question - I really appreciate you asking it! Many
> >> > years ago I stumbled upon Max Eckard's Making Your Tools Work for You<https:
> >> > //urldefense. com/v3/__https: //mysaa. archivists.
> >> > org/productdetails?id=a1B5a00000heMFvEAM*: *:
> >> > text=Whether*20designing*20integration*20from*20the,and*20digital*20libraries*20for*20success__;I34lJSUlJSUlJQ!!Mz3y04SuVKn4zVb91lY!iIT1KNQ020ZOwdvtlVEJAh1-vh5wRoZn4kJqy_NbBYGhPgC7nRxoTEsFFnTndXDA6JmpU6t8Iw-YuXCVyg8wP1oDQA4iVzM$.
> >> > >
> >> > ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerStart
> >> > This Message Is From an External Sender External Sender - Be
> >> > Suspicious of Attachments, Links, and Requests for Payment or Login
> >> > Information.
> >> >
> >> > ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerEnd
> >> >
> >> > This is a great question - I really appreciate you asking it!
> >> >
> >> > Many years ago I stumbled upon Max Eckard's Making Your Tools Work for You<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://mysaa.archivists.org/productdetails?id=a1B5a00000heMFvEAM*:*:text=Whether*20designing*20integration*20from*20the,and*20digital*20libraries*20for*20success__;I34lJSUlJSUlJQ!!Mz3y04SuVKn4zVb91lY!iIT1KNQ020ZOwdvtlVEJAh1-vh5wRoZn4kJqy_NbBYGhPgC7nRxoTEsFFnTndXDA6JmpU6t8Iw-YuXCVyg8wP1oDQA4iVzM$.>publishedby the Society of American Archivists. It's not specific to systems librarianship per se but touches on a lot of activities that I imagine could be part of a systems librarian role. Its focus is on getting various disparate systems talk to one another, mainly through application programming interfaces (APIs). One of the first projects I worked on in a systems-adjacent role involved getting a custom system to "talk" to an ILS via an API and it kind of made a lot of other things I learned later on click into place.
> >> >
> >> > Granted, the book is more than 10+ years old but the content hasn't felt outdated to me when I've revisited - many of the concepts still hold true!
> >> >
> >> > Mary
> >> >
> >> > Mary Kidd (she/her)
> >> > Technical Lead, Archival Systems
> >> > Yale Library IT – Client Services and IT Operations
> >> > ________________________________
> >> > From: Code for Libraries <CODE4LIB_at_LISTS.CLIR.ORG> on behalf of Erica
> >> > Findley (she/her) <ericaf_at_MULTCOLIB.ORG>
> >> > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2025 5:39 PM
> >> > To: CODE4LIB_at_LISTS.CLIR.ORG <CODE4LIB_at_LISTS.CLIR.ORG>
> >> > Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Professional development books and articles
> >> >
> >> > Thank you Snowden for this book reccomendation and for both of the tips.
> >> > Also, yes I can update this thread once I have gathered the replies. I
> >> > appreciate the encouragement.
> >> >
> >> > *Erica Findley (she/her)*
> >> > *Systems & Metadata Specialist*
> >> > *x80591*
> >> > Multnomah County Library
> >> > Teleworking: M - F: 8 am - 5 pm
> >> > The Gallery
> >> > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outloo
> >> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outloo%3E%3E>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outloo%3E>k.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Fgallery.multcolib.org*2F&data=05*7C02*7Cmary.
> >> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outloo%3E%3Ek.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Fgallery.multcolib.org*2F&data=05*7C02*7Cmary.%3E%3E>> kidd*40YALE.EDU*7C45a3ce9397eb4562f17a08ddd07adb4f*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b
> >> > 4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C638895948271328136*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8e
> >> > yJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWF
> >> > pbCIsIldUIjoyfQ*3D*3D*7C0*7C*7C*7C&sdata=JE*2FlLyq9kKTDBHybxrr7UnL94i8
> >> > Z1odIJIyXluSrJUQ*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!Mz3y0
> >> > 4SuVKn4zVb91lY!iIT1KNQ020ZOwdvtlVEJAh1-vh5wRoZn4kJqy_NbBYGhPgC7nRxoTEs
> >> > FFnTndXDA6JmpU6t8Iw-YuXCVyg8wP1oDaZ3hLJg$<https://urldefense.com/v3/__
> >> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__%3E%3E>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__%3E>https://gallery.multcolib.org/__;!!C5qS4YX3!BIiFqkwCilOJxqE8Kcp6oNRtFQ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__%3E%3Ehttps://gallery.multcolib.org/__;!!C5qS4YX3!BIiFqkwCilOJxqE8Kcp6oNRtFQ>
> >> > DznSq9s--v6hmtLhWMt_UhkOZkhGosbjP3GYcOnGYOJrP-lF_fVus44cmJfQ$  >> My
> >> > pronouns are she/her/hers
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > On Thu, Jul 31, 2025 at 11:06 AM Snowden Becker
> >> > <snowdenb_at_stanford.edu>
> >> > wrote:
> >> >
> >> > > Hi Erica! Brighid Gonzales's "Systems Librarianship: A Practical
> >> > > Guide for Librarians" (2020) is part of Bloomsbury's Practical
> >> > > Guides for Librarians series, and might be the best source for this
> >> > > info in one place--particularly the interviews,
> >> > > ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerStart This Message Is From an External Sender
> >> > > External Sender - Be Suspicious of Attachments, Links, and Requests
> >> > > for Payment or Login Information.
> >> > >
> >> > > ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerEnd
> >> > >
> >> > > Hi Erica!
> >> > >
> >> > > Brighid Gonzales's "Systems Librarianship: A Practical Guide for
> >> > > Librarians" (2020) is part of Bloomsbury's Practical Guides for
> >> > > Librarians series, and might be the best source for this info in one
> >> > > place--particularly the interviews, where people tend to share more
> >> > > about the kinds of soft and practical skills that they actually draw
> >> > > on daily:
> >> > > https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlo
> >> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlo%3E%3E>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlo%3E>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlo%3E%3E%3E>ok.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Furldefense.com*2Fv3*2F__https*3A*2F*2Fwww.
> >> > > bloomsbury.com*2Fus*2Fsystems-librarianship-9781538107133*2F__*3B!!M
> >> > > z3y04SuVKn4zVb91lY!gfcSTuq4Hhej8ZR5jKDW03IM4drx5lhfNIWuo4Vbu1wOEXxFF
> >> > > xIPIl4dpgQ36Ybe9QuvJZgcxU5a1DZw6dAHEgc*24&data=05*7C02*7Cmary.kidd*4
> >> > > 0YALE.EDU*7C45a3ce9397eb4562f17a08ddd07adb4f*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114
> >> > > e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C638895948271354457*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJ
> >> > > FbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWF
> >> > > pbCIsIldUIjoyfQ*3D*3D*7C0*7C*7C*7C&sdata=2mW3EmxrFZPyy4xVdvKeF5LWK7l
> >> > > y64*2BoGNl1ffRmrxQ*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJ
> >> > > SUlJSUlJQ!!Mz3y04SuVKn4zVb91lY!iIT1KNQ020ZOwdvtlVEJAh1-vh5wRoZn4kJqy
> >> > > _NbBYGhPgC7nRxoTEsFFnTndXDA6JmpU6t8Iw-YuXCVyg8wP1oDCF8UO0Q$<https://
> >> > > urldefense.com/v3/__https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/systems-librarians__;!!Mz3y04SuVKn4zVb91lY!kysLpv32dE4Gdg3tMu2jLEHaq-fN6cSD9xiHMSFipQ2gGJpEkmvU5Wbx13_D0It62lUjWjAL0ST-oM_3Rg9DXg$
> >> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/systems-librarians__;!!Mz3y04SuVKn4zVb91lY!kysLpv32dE4Gdg3tMu2jLEHaq-fN6cSD9xiHMSFipQ2gGJpEkmvU5Wbx13_D0It62lUjWjAL0ST-oM_3Rg9DXg$%3E%3E>> > hip-9781538107133/__;!!Mz3y04SuVKn4zVb91lY!gfcSTuq4Hhej8ZR5jKDW03IM4
> >> > > drx5lhfNIWuo4Vbu1wOEXxFFxIPIl4dpgQ36Ybe9QuvJZgcxU5a1DZw6dAHEgc$>
> >> > >
> >> > > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/systems-librarianship-9781538107133/__;!!Mz3y04SuVKn4zVb91lY!gfcSTuq4Hhej8ZR5jKDW03IM4drx5lhfNIWuo4Vbu1wOEXxFFxIPIl4dpgQ36Ybe9QuvJZgcxU5a1DZw6dAHEgc$%3E%3E%3E>Speaking <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/systems-librarianship-9781538107133/__;!!Mz3y04SuVKn4zVb91lY!gfcSTuq4Hhej8ZR5jKDW03IM4drx5lhfNIWuo4Vbu1wOEXxFFxIPIl4dpgQ36Ybe9QuvJZgcxU5a1DZw6dAHEgc$%3E%3E%3E%3ESpeaking><https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/systems-librarianship-9781538107133/__;!!Mz3y04SuVKn4zVb91lY!gfcSTuq4Hhej8ZR5jKDW03IM4drx5lhfNIWuo4Vbu1wOEXxFFxIPIl4dpgQ36Ybe9QuvJZgcxU5a1DZw6dAHEgc$%3E%3E%3E%3ESpeaking>personally, <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/systems-librarianship-9781538107133/__;!!Mz3y04SuVKn4zVb91lY!gfcSTuq4Hhej8ZR5jKDW03IM4drx5lhfNIWuo4Vbu1wOEXxFFxIPIl4dpgQ36Ybe9QuvJZgcxU5a1DZw6dAHEgc$%3E%3E%3E%3ESpeaking%3Epersonally,>one of sources I rely on for professional development frameworks is just looking at current job listings and noting which skills are listed as nice to haves/need to haves, and what the marketplace seems to be prioritizing that I don't already have, or could stand to brush up on. That's definitely given me some direction for personal goal-setting, and on a couple of occasions has motivated me to finally take that "intro to ____" class so that I can add "familiarity with ____" to my qualifications...
> >> > >
> >> > > Also, I don't know if you have the luxury of an engaged and supportive supervisor who includes professional development in your annual review process, but if you do--or if you have other people you can draw on as peer mentors--consider them a resource as well! Part of your supervisor's job should be to help you grow within your role and in the ways you need to in order to be effective and happy in your work. If you let them know you're looking to skill up or add competencies, but need some guidance, they may have some insights into what would be helpful in the broader context of your workplace. They might also be aware of programs or sources of available funding to support those professional development goals.
> >> > >
> >> > > I hope you'll come back and share with us what you find, and what ends up working for you--and big kudos for taking charge of your professional growth and advancement!
> >> > >
> >> > > Cheers,
> >> > > Snowden
> >> > >
> >> > > Snowden Becker (she/her)
> >> > > LOCKSS Program Community
> >> > > Managerhttps://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.lockss.org/__;!!Mz3y0
> >> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.lockss.org/__;!!Mz3y0%3E%3E>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.lockss.org/__;!!Mz3y0%3E>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.lockss.org/__;!!Mz3y0%3E%3E%3E>4SuVKn4zVb91lY!gfcSTuq4Hhej8ZR5jKDW03IM4drx5lhfNIWuo4Vbu1wOEXxFFxIPI
> >> > > l4dpgQ36Ybe9QuvJZgcxU5a1DZwy5B_Y3M$snowdenb_at_stanford.edu
> >> > > (323) 365-9263 m
> >> > >
> >> > > -----Original Message-----
> >> > > From: Code for Libraries <CODE4LIB_at_LISTS.CLIR.ORG> On Behalf Of
> >> > > Erica Findley (she/her)
> >> > > Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2025 10:17 AM
> >> > > To: CODE4LIB_at_LISTS.CLIR.ORG
> >> > > Subject: [CODE4LIB] Professional development books and articles
> >> > >
> >> > > All,
> >> > >
> >> > > I'm looking for any literature about competencies related to being a Systems Librarian. Something that would provide ideas for professional development in this area. Both soft skills and technical skills.
> >> > >
> >> > > My responsibilities are mostly ILS administration and batch updates.
> >> > >
> >> > > I have been doing this work for many years, but have not had a lot of formal training. So, I am trying to gather ideas for skills and areas that I can improve in.
> >> > >
> >> > > The literature I have found so far is mostly around improving the ILS, project management, or is more than 10 years old.
> >> > >
> >> > > I look forward to your recommendations,
> >> > >
> >> > > Erica
> >> > >
> >> > > *Erica Findley (she/her)*
> >> > > *Systems & Metadata Specialist*
> >> > > *x80591*
> >> > > Multnomah County Library
> >> > > Teleworking: M - F: 8 am - 5 pm
> >> > > The Gallery
> >> > > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outl
> >> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outl%3E%3E>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outl%3E>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outl%3E%3E%3E>ook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Fgallery.multcolib.org*2F&data=05*7C02*7Cm
> >> > > ary.kidd*40YALE.EDU*7C45a3ce9397eb4562f17a08ddd07adb4f*7Cdd8cbebb213
> >> > > 94df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C638895948271386660*7CUnknown*7CTWFpb
> >> > > GZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsI
> >> > > kFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ*3D*3D*7C0*7C*7C*7C&sdata=IljZ8wb66TZCB1U9x
> >> > > cPu6lEUl3y8PSly3d3BgXsNwBA*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJ
> >> > > SUl!!Mz3y04SuVKn4zVb91lY!iIT1KNQ020ZOwdvtlVEJAh1-vh5wRoZn4kJqy_NbBYG
> >> > > hPgC7nRxoTEsFFnTndXDA6JmpU6t8Iw-YuXCVyg8wP1oDx4_9r5o$ > My pronouns
> >> > > are she/her/hers
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >>
>
>
Received on Tue Aug 12 2025 - 19:23:13 EDT