On Fri, Dec 8, 2017 at 11:33 AM, Cowing, Jared <jared.cow...@woodbury.edu> wrote:
> ... > I've noticed that the fields of Data Engineering & Data Architecture are > really coming into their own recently, following the big Data Science > explosion. I've even seen library positions using these terms (though not > for librarians). This seems like an area that libraries could really > contribute more to (and an area that some library folk could be poised to > move into). Does anyone see that data trend in the private sector affecting > this discussion about librarian developers? > I think there is a lot of short term data action, but I don't see this lasting in its current form long term. When you get right down to it, saying you work with "data" is like saying you work with "computers" or "electronics" (to borrow magic buzzwords from decades past that would get money thrown at you just for saying them). The term is broad to the point of being meaningless, and people who actually work with it say much more specifically what kind of data and for what purpose as the tools and expertise required are totally different. At least the private sector jobs I've seen require specific expertise which makes sense. You wouldn't hire a BI person to work with genomic, geophysical, medical imaging, or any other kind of data they don't understand. As is the case with the person in my BI example, our abilities to structure, analyze, search, etc data are limited. That's not a deficiency with the profession. Rather it simply reflects that doing anything useful with any kind of data requires requires bona fide expertise that takes many years to acquire and a solid grip on how it is used. Having said that, I still believe we bring something to the table. Even if we lack specific domain expertise, we can still help people develop processes that serve their needs better. You'd be amazed (or maybe you wouldn't) by some of the nutty things researchers do. At the same time, I'd be leery of diverting away from the core area we have actual expertise in -- namely connecting people with resources they need. Making it easy to find open and purchased resources provided over a myriad of platforms and by many entities is is getting more rather than less challenging. And when if we really do it well, people don't even realize they're using us. But that's a separate problem... kyle
