During the recent Professional Development Day in the Library Software segment, a standout event was ‘A day in the life of a librarian’. We engaged with four customers* across two sessions. The purpose was simple yet crucial: to offer our developers a firsthand glimpse into the real-life scenarios of a typical librarian’s day. We aimed to shed light on the challenges they meet and demonstrate how our products can help in overcoming these challenges.
The session wasn’t just for our developers; it was also important for our customers. In addition to our ongoing collaboration with the community via forums such as Idea Exchange and NERS (New Enhancements Request System) we wanted to ensure that they know that our software development isn’t created in a vacuum; it’s grounded in the needs and experiences of those who use it daily, and that their input is valuable and important.
The feedback we received from our developers was overwhelmingly positive. Many of them took the time to express how their understanding of a librarian’s activities had broadened. They now have a clearer picture of the hurdles librarians encounter and how our products can help to alleviate these challenges.
These interactions are invaluable. ‘A day in the life of a librarian’ was more than just a session; it was a bridge connecting two worlds—software development and library services. It reminded us that behind every line of code, there’s a librarian striving to serve their community. Moving forward, we will continue to prioritize such interactions to ensure that our products remain relevant and beneficial to our customers.
* Leading the conversation:
- Etti Dekel Laor, Director Product Marketing Ex Libris
Participants 1st session:
- Sarah Beighton, Research and Systems librarian, Staffordshire University, UK
- Ian Haydock, Library Systems Manager, Keele University, UK
Participants 2nd session:
- Peggy Glatthaar, Head of Customer Services, Florida Gulf Coast University, USA
- Pascal Calaro, Systems and Scholarly Communications Librarian, University of Windsor, Canada
