How did we end up here?

1
How did we end up here?

• Gary L. Strawn
• Northwestern University Library
• mrsmith_at_northwestern.edu

2
Same thing, from a different direction

• Not How do we go about this?
• Rather How did this happen?
• Unfortunate biographical orientation

3
1970s Programming as it once was

• Library school class PL/I on punch cards, on
  mainframe
• First job PL/I (on my own)
• Basics of programming (variables, structure)

4
1980s Technological advances

• IBM PC with 2 5-1/4" floppy drives (MS-DOS
  program/data)
• Built-in BASIC (start computer with no DOS)

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IBM dual-floppy PC
Courtesy Ruben de Rijcke
6
Next library

• Mentioned programming in interview
• "We need to do something about acquisitions"
• Purchased a stand-alone PC, backup system (VHS
  tape!)
• New programming language dBase III
• A year later acquisitions system

7
IBM PC as OCLC terminal opportunity

• Save screen image as a file on floppy, then
  process
• First transfer bib data into acquisitions system
• Second convert authority records into authority
  and cross-reference cards
• Third create new MARC authority records, print
  more cards

8
Skills acquired

• Several programming languages
• Relational database structure
• Intimate understanding of MARC formats
• Processing of authority data

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Authority cards lead to next job

• Authorities librarian
• Collaborate with ISDO (NOTIS)
• Pulled into ISDO
• Eventually 1/2 and 1/2 (ISDO and authorities)

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ISDO Sink or swim

• Learn IBM 360 assembler
• First program Batch corrections
• Indexing improvements, etc.

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Post-ISDO

• Interact with NOTIS via terminal emulator
  programming interface
• Windows programming
• Learn another language (VB)
• Authority record creation
• Cataloger's toolkit

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Post-NOTIS

• Voyager
• Learn Oracle, SQL, PL/SQL
• Interact with Voyager via ODBC and (later)
  programming interface
• Spine labels, catalogers toolkit, loaders
  (including authority loader), etc., etc.

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Recent things

• Numerous XML flavors
• More languages .NET family Java

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Looking ahead

• Next system new ground rules
• Probably web clients, not local clients
• Interfaces rather than direct access ?
• New environments and languages
• Ruby, Hydra, etc.

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What are the themes?

• Change is constant, and accelerating
• Programming best done by people who know the
  material
• Grow in-house expertise

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What are the themes?

• Details can be learned
• Trade production for other valuable things
• Support staff in learning new stuff
• Formal training, self-instruction, consultants
  etc.

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What are the themes?

• Best project something that youre interested
  in doing anyway

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Questions?