Librarians on The Carpentries

Coding for Librarians

Fri, 22 May 2015 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

Andromeda Yelton (who has featured in this blog before) has written a set of six articles for Library Technology Reports titled Coding for Librarians: Learning by Example. From the introduction:

[This] draws from more than fifty interviews with librarians who have written code in the course of their work. Its goal is to help novice and intermediate programmers understand how programs work, how they can be useful in libraries, and how to learn more.

Three chapters discuss use cases for code in libraries. These include data import, export, and cleanup; expanded reporting capability; and patron-facing services such as improvements to catalog and LibGuide usability. Most of the programs discussed are short&mash;under a hundred lines—so that implementing or modifying them is within the reach of relatively novice programmers. Where possible, links to the code itself are provided. Several scripts are explained in depth.

Additional chapters focus on nontechnical aspects of library code. One chapter outlines political situations that have been faced by librarians who code and the solutions they have employed. Another chapter shares interviewees' advice on specific resources and strategies for learning to code.

British Library Courses

Mon, 27 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

I had a chance to catch up with James Baker at the British Library on Friday, and discovered that they're running an amazing series of short classes on digital skills for librarians. With his permission, I've posted their outline below, along with a few excerpts from their FAQ. Some of it is site-specific, but I think a lot would be relevant elsewhere. (Programming in Libraries was developed alongside writing these lessons for the Programming Historian and tweaked for the library audience; interested readers should also check out the practical elements of Managing Personal Digital Research Information work through this public wiki.) If you'd like more information, please mail digitalresearch@bl.uk.

Teaching Librarians in Montreal

Wed, 28 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

Preston Holmes, Jessica Hamrick, Luke Lee, and I helped deliver a Software Carpentry bootcamp during the PyCon sprints in Montreal in April 2014. The audience consisted of roughly 35 librarians coming mostly from the Montreal area.