Thank you for posting this. I recently graduated with my
MLIS and was wondering exactly what I needed to make me more
desireable for a systems librarian. Your posting confirmed
what I figured out the hard way yesterday by compiling
several recently posted systems librarian positions. It
also makes me feel better to know that all 'techies' take
part in continuing education in order to stay on top of the
latest and greatest things. If anyone else had suggestions,
I'd be thrilled to listen to them.
As a newbie to thr listserv, I have been grateful for the
tons of information posted here. Thanks to all.
Sincerely,
Vrena Patrick
McKinney Memorial Public Library
McKinney, TX 75069
vpatrick mckinneytexas.org
Message: 3
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 12:50:05 -0400
From: "David Kemper"
Subject: Re: [Web4lib] Qualifications for a Web
Designer/Developer
To: web4libwebjunction.org
Message-ID:
<279898a50709270950y24f33747n9a6998b493e8b1c6mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Thank you to all who provided some feedback and advice to
the question
I had regarding moving from informal web guy to formal web
professional. While having a MLS degree has helped me
become
recognized, I realize that possessing solid technical and
web skills
makes all the difference in landing a job.
In my spare time (yes, that huge chunk of time we all have
available),
I've managed to take courses in several software
applications
mentioned, including Photoshop and Dreamweaver and Flash,
and I've had
the chance to apply them in a real-world context, such as
creating web
graphics, simple movies, posters, and designing and managing
websites
and updating web content. The web design portion is
challenging but
seems to come naturally.
I've tended to stay away from the 'programming' languages,
relying on
colleagues or free scripts on the Web. But I see, judging
from the
responses, that I can no longer pass them by. Is it safe to
say that
having a good understanding of what these web programming
languages
can do is sufficient or should one become a proficient
programmer?
I am also very curious about new and emerging technologies
such as
RSS, wikis, blogs, podcasting, etc, and try my best to find
some
freebie software to test each of them out.
It's challenging; it requires on-going learning. But, above
all, it's exciting.
Feel free to add your comments on or off the list
(siansleepgmail.com)
Thank you,
David
On 9/20/07, Jesse Ephraim wrote:
> >What qualifications (i.e. key skills, must-have
experience) are
> >required to be recognized by employers as a
professional web designer
> >/ developer (be it in a library or non-library
environment)?
>
> I was a professional programmer/developer for almost
ten years, starting before the WWW portion of Internet was
around. The answer to you question can vary quite a bit,
depending on the type of industry, whether you are working
with a team or alone, and the type of website. Corporate,
library, small business, and university web developers
sometimes differ a lot in the specific skills they use on a
day-to-day basis.
>
> Web programmers (as opposed to interface/layout/design
folks) are often under pressure to write code very, very,
very quickly. Extensive formalized testing, rigorous
development methodologies, formal versioning, etc. are
excellent practices (and important ones to learn), but they
are not always practical when you are handed an assignment
to produce a brand new bit of code in two hours.
>
> There are several different types of web developer. The
four broadest classifications include programmers, system
administrators, artists, and layout/interface design
specialists. In the not-so-distant past developers were
expected to have all the skills from each of these
categories; nowadays, there is a tendency to have more
focused skills, and many more sub-specialties. Some
businesses have one or more people in each of those roles,
while in others one person is still expected to handle
everything (which is the case in most libraries).
>
> In day-to-day practice, a good set of basic skills to
have for a one-person-shop web developer would be:
>
> Coding/scripting/programming - PERL, PHP, ASP, ASP.NET,
JAVA, JavaScript, SQL, and experience playing with various
APIs (Google and Amazon, for example)
>
> Databases - MS SQL Server, MS Access, MySQL, Oracle
>
> Platforms - Windows environment, UNIX, and LINUX
>
> Graphics - ability to use PhotoShop fairly well
>
> Layout/Design - thorough understanding of CSS, XML,
JavaScript, effective interface design, effective layout
strategies, and (of course) HTML
>
>
> Web-based technology changes constantly, so
professional web developers of any type have to be fairly
rigorous about keeping up with new developments and learning
new skills. You generally will not have any time at work to
do that, so expect to do a lot of self-education in your
off-hours.
>
> One of the most important things you can do is develop
an online portfolio of your work. At least some of the
websites should be for real groups or companies. One of the
best ways for a new developer to get experience with these
is to offer to do free websites for non-profit
organizations.
>
> Good luck!
>
> Jesse Ephraim
>
> Youth Services Librarian
> Southlake Public Library
> 1400 Main Street, Suite 130
> Southlake, TX 76092
> (817) 748-8248
> jephraimci.southlake.tx.us
>
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