Comments on: Why my job is so hard http://www.librarywebchic.net/wordpress/2007/07/09/why-my-job-is-so-hard/ Resources for librarians who are interested in the application of web design and technologies in libraries Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:43:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Claire http://www.librarywebchic.net/wordpress/2007/07/09/why-my-job-is-so-hard/#comment-63008 Claire Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:22:19 +0000 http://www.librarywebchic.net/wordpress/2007/07/09/why-my-job-is-so-hard/#comment-63008 We as systems personnel work to analyze the requirements, the system and how it works, what we can do with it, and how to best setup the functionality so that the staff can use it in the best manner. The work that goes into this can be quite complex at times, and given no other systems personnel are in the library... My systems colleagues are on listservs and webpages. We as systems personnel work to analyze the requirements, the system and how it works, what we can do with it, and how to best setup the functionality so that the staff can use it in the best manner. The work that goes into this can be quite complex at times, and given no other systems personnel are in the library… My systems colleagues are on listservs and webpages.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.librarywebchic.net/wordpress/2007/07/09/why-my-job-is-so-hard/#comment-27524 Anonymous Thu, 12 Jul 2007 23:14:45 +0000 http://www.librarywebchic.net/wordpress/2007/07/09/why-my-job-is-so-hard/#comment-27524 I have always tried to explain it this way: it is very complicated to make things simple. There is a zero sum game to complexity, and in order to make things simple for the users, what we are doing is absorbing the complexity ourselves. Not only are products not designed to be integrated, sometimes it's as if vendors imaginge theirs is the only product in the world, and actively discurage their product "touching" their competetors product! "What you would want to link to an article that isn't published by us?!" I have always tried to explain it this way: it is very complicated to make things simple. There is a zero sum game to complexity, and in order to make things simple for the users, what we are doing is absorbing the complexity ourselves.
Not only are products not designed to be integrated, sometimes it’s as if vendors imaginge theirs is the only product in the world, and actively discurage their product “touching” their competetors product! “What you would want to link to an article that isn’t published by us?!”

]]> By: val http://www.librarywebchic.net/wordpress/2007/07/09/why-my-job-is-so-hard/#comment-27435 val Tue, 10 Jul 2007 19:15:27 +0000 http://www.librarywebchic.net/wordpress/2007/07/09/why-my-job-is-so-hard/#comment-27435 omg it's like you read my mind! i keep trying to explain to the administration that it is not as simple as doing a website "redesign", we have to seamlessly integrate all our online services (and get the rest of our services online to begin with!) they just don't seem to get it. i even talked about what i wish our "virtual branch" could be like in a blog <a href="http://theinfobabe.blogspot.com/2007/05/i-dreamed-dream.html" rel="nofollow">post</a> (http://theinfobabe.blogspot.com/2007/05/i-dreamed-dream.html)... unfortunately i don't have your technical background, so it's hard for me to know how much of what i want is even possible... omg it’s like you read my mind! i keep trying to explain to the administration that it is not as simple as doing a website “redesign”, we have to seamlessly integrate all our online services (and get the rest of our services online to begin with!) they just don’t seem to get it. i even talked about what i wish our “virtual branch” could be like in a blog post (http://theinfobabe.blogspot.com/2007/05/i-dreamed-dream.html)… unfortunately i don’t have your technical background, so it’s hard for me to know how much of what i want is even possible…

]]> By: Rebekka http://www.librarywebchic.net/wordpress/2007/07/09/why-my-job-is-so-hard/#comment-27420 Rebekka Tue, 10 Jul 2007 09:51:32 +0000 http://www.librarywebchic.net/wordpress/2007/07/09/why-my-job-is-so-hard/#comment-27420 One of the things that in my opinion further complicates matters is that our systems, apart from not being made for the web, are very often not made with the end user in mind. The catalogue is one of our main tools - that does not make it a good system for everyone else. But I agree - the lack of a truly unified interface is a huge problem. And one that it is difficult to solve as long as there are multiple commercial players involved. One of the things that in my opinion further complicates matters is that our systems, apart from not being made for the web, are very often not made with the end user in mind. The catalogue is one of our main tools - that does not make it a good system for everyone else.

But I agree - the lack of a truly unified interface is a huge problem. And one that it is difficult to solve as long as there are multiple commercial players involved.

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