Welcome!

[Libraries Learning Code]

Where should I start? The idea of Libraries Learning Code came up slowly and then all at once. Following on several events in Toronto and across the country - including Software Carpentry, Code4Lib, and TRY 2014 - there seems to be a desire to talk about learning code in a more collaborative, formal way. Hence this group!

Things we should think about:

- How are we going to facilitate learning?

- What should we facilitate learning?

- One idea: Libraries Learning Code Day

Okay! Let's start talking!

[Danielle Robichaud]

At TRY2014 I got a real sense that the technical side of digital projects and the associated open source software discussion was not only intimidating, but a little overwhelming for people.. especially in the absence of some degree of tech comfort. 

I'd really love if we could try and demystify some of the higher-level conversations that are taking place around tech-based projects and bring it down to a more approachable and inviting level. For example, maybe pulling together some kind of toolkit for the most useful and likely skills people should be familiar with if they're embarking on a digital adventure. 

There's a real divide between lib/archive techs and traditional librarians/archivists. My hope is that we can create a 'safe space' of sorts to ask questions and try out new skills. I think Sara and Sarah's talk at TRY was a good start. The audience was definitely more tentative in their tech knowledge but the presenters did a great job of encouraging questions and clarifications which was really encouraging. 

Not everyone is going to be a hardcore coder, but I think it's reasonable to aim for some basic fluency when it comes to the most frequently used skills, etc. 

Confession: I think my stripes may be showing. I'm into learning code, but I may be more into making the IDEA of learning code less scary. I guess time will tell..!

[Mari Vihuri]

I'm into learning code, but I may be more into making the IDEA of learning code less scary.

This! I feel there's still way too much of a divide between the "non-technical" person and the "expert" in libraryland. I find this problematic because a) we're many, many years past the point where technology was the realm of a small handful of specialists, b) so much of what we do as librarians is supported by technology or could be, and c) our interdependence on technical systems is only going to increase. If you're not working with technology directly, you're going to be working with a team who is, and developing a basic understanding of the main concepts and possibilities, and the language to discuss them seems to be a critical skillset that all librarians should work on improving to some extent.

Another problematic point I think would also be d) folks are scared to own the technical knowledge they already do have, instead of seeing it as existing on a spectrum or continuum. Librarians are pretty damn good at building systems that work, so let's recognize that and channel it productively.

[Sara Allain]

Folks are scared to own the technical knowledge they already do have, instead of seeing it as existing on a spectrum or continuum

Yes! No one is born a programmer/coder/developer, just as no one is born working in a library. Tech is, blessedly, an area where rapid development is possible. You just need to know where to look (that's the hard part).

One of the things that I've been thinking about a lot lately is the need to form communities of practice around yourself when you set out, as Danielle put it, on your digital adventure. There's a huge community out there, even just in libraries, of people and institutions who are doing amazing things. The problem for those at the beginning of the adventure is finding the mentorship; the problem for those who are more advanced is (maybe?) recognizing that they are a huge source of wisdom.

It's also worth noting that there are a lot of places/organizations that do tech training that is cheap and accessible (Software Carpentry and Ladies Learning Code come to mind, in the Toronto context; also Code4LibNorth). From my perspective - and please build on this - we need people from the library community to be liaising with these groups about ways to improve existing training options. For example, I really enjoyed Toronto Librarians' Software Carpentry in January but it was mostly focused on Python - there are other competencies that might (or might not) be more relevant/practical/fundamental. Software Carpentry has asked for feedback and I know we can give them some, but it will be both more effective and more constructive to the community if it comes from a whole bunch of us. This is where those of you who have been around libtech for a few years can be especially constructive.

So my goals for this group light look something like this:

• To get people at all levels of digital fluency talking to each other in a safe, non-judgmental environment and to foster organic mentorship opportunities
  
• To establish a community of practice that recommends, discusses, and problem-solves issues of digital literacy and education for library workers
  
• To capitalize on the training opportunities that already exist and to extend them so that all participants in our community have a chance to learn

What do you all think?

[Danielle Robichaud]

Personally, I think that's A+ great ;)

There's no shortage of resources for learning code, etc. but I think there are still strides to be made in terms of making the possibility of learning code less intimidating and connecting on-the-ground library staff with comfort- and knowledge-level specific resources. Anything we can do to facilitate that is a win in my books. 

[Thomas Guignard]

I can't seem to be able to organize my thoughts tonight to be of much help, but I just wanted to mention a few things.

I really liked the SW Carpentry approach, but I do get the fact that it might not be enough to make people realize what they can do with a few coding skills. The mindset needs to be explained, before we start dabbling into code. Maybe a sort of cookbook, with hints on how to start solving specific problems people might be having. For example how to aggregate Counter usage statistics over several years, compare different products and extract trends. Or how to compare title prices on a vendor quote with list prices. This kind of stuff.

Apropos combining different tools to make something, codeschool.com has "paths" - maybe something along that idea could work? There could be general modules on basic topics, not specific to a language, then increasingly more complex modules. Depending on their previous experience and comfort level, people can then decide to skip stuff they already know and stop where they feel they've learned enough for now and anything more is overwhelming.

Also, there's been a call for contributors to a book on software skills for librarians on the code4lib listserv a few weeks ago. I'm very interested by it and was able to participate in a few of the early discussions, and the idea of organizing the book around "recipes" was also considered. To be continued.