IL2007: How to Lose Your New Tech Librarians & Tech Training

IL2007: How to Lose Your New Tech Librarians & Tech Training
Presenters: Jenny Benevento, Michael Stephens, and Sarah Houghton-Jan (me!)

I really enjoyed presenting to this group! The presentation that Michael and I did, Building Your Techie Team: Tips for Training Staff, will soon be available here on this post. As soon as I get the file :) is available here: Building Your Techie Team .    Below is the write-up of Benevento's presentation on losing tech librarians.

Jenny started her presentation by discussing the problems of tech-savvy librarians leaving libraries.  Because of the librarian shortage (!!), libraries should be more careful about keeping tech-savvy people in our profession.  Some of the items she listed that contribute to negative environments for techies (please note, this is a NOT to do list):
Ignoring technology corporate culture: learning to respect both technology and library culture equally
Charge for everything--don't give anything away
Discourage Professional Excitement
Adopt technology just because of the buzzword aspect
Adopt a Kafka-esque system of bureaucracy
Hop on Internet trends two years after they happen and 18 months after your technology person suggested them
Include the workplace luddite on all technology projects
Put the techies in the basement with the archives
Just because you got to promoted, you are a great manager
And your MLS means you know more than anyone else without that degree
Treat non-MLS holders like students
Underpay your technology staff
When you hire them, tell them they will be able to work on tech even though you know they won't be able to
Demonize technically-advanced people in public
Don't fund projects
Tell techies that you want new technology, but reject all change that they suggest
Go out of your way to say that all technology is evil
Don't make an effort to understand even the bare minimum of tech work, but ask them to know parts of your job
Tell techies "That's not how we do it here; we've never done it that way."
Equate all technical knowledge--it's all interchangeable; all techies know everything.
Never train your techies, but have them train everyone else
Expect all tech requests to happen immediately
If you are in this situation yourself as a techie, it's best to get out.  Stick up for yourself, ask your administrators to reap the benefits of your passion.  Ask them to think about what they are losing out on by not letting you do the projects you are interested in.

IL2007