Systems Librarian

• Gather and interpret usage data. For example tabulate use of each page of website. Tabulate EZProxy logins based on user home location. Become expert with WMS analytics module.
• Keep track of major changes in software and update staff and/or students. Update configuration options. Work with Public Services Librarian concerning changes that affect students (e.g. the switch to new eBook reader apps for DRM protected eBooks on both ProQuest and EBSCO platforms).
• Work with IT to include custom fields in data loaded into WMS. Examples are degree program user home region and expected year of graduation. Work with OCLC so the custom fields are reportable.
• Develop a better way to send batch email to all various groups of students (e.g. new students).
• Work with staff to evaluate SpringShares LibGuides and deploy if approved. Evaluation requires cost benefit analysis and benefit analysis requires documenting how much LibGuides are actually used by students at peer institutions.
• Work with staff to evaluate 1) archival repository software (supports hierarchical organization of collections) and 2) institutional repository software (supports textual documents like books and dissertations) and 3) EZProxy Analytics and 4) Discovery Web Analytics. Base evaluation on cost benefit analysis as for LibGuides.
• With staff explore ways AI might be useful in the library and describe library AI products. Study how seminary students are using AI for searching researching and writing. Assess quality of AI translation from English into Chinese Spanish and Arabic. Investigate legal issues related to translation of copyrighted materials. Assess AI products made for pastors.

Completely replace website using WordPress. This will be the main special project for 2026. Here we provide specific detail about how the SL might work with other library staff to get the job done. Below steps 1-3 and 8-9 are collaborative. Steps 4-7 and 10-11 are done by the Systems Librarian.

1. Working with all library staff explore what information and links should be included in the new website. Review all content at the present website. For each information need consider format (mostly text versus video but consider converting some instructional pdfs to HTML). Describe what should be on the home page.
2. Working with Director and Public Services Librarian (D&PSL) generate a list of all pages to be included in the new website along with website organization and menu hierarchies. List a minimum number of pages to be translated and adapted for Chinese Spanish and Arabic language students.
3. Working with D&PSL specify overall page layout (columns rows header and footer minimum and maximum dimensions) for a typical page viewed on small medium and very large screens. Do the same for home page. Specify menu appearance and behavior. Specify colors and fonts.
4. Create template for typical page and home page. Make layout structure responsive to viewport width. Make dimensions of columns images and fonts responsive to viewport width. Use fluid layout techniques to minimize media queries and accommodate everything from phones to large monitors. Define and use sitewide styles as much as possible.
5. Using template create test page with subheadings rows columns images tables bullet lists etc. Using template create home page. Test test-page and home-page.
6. Train staff to use WordPress to create new pages with template and to edit pages with nearly all formatting achieved by preset styles.
7. Create placeholder stubs for every page on website with working menus and meaningful page titles and slugs. Supply images for most pages.
8. Working with trained staff add content to all pages.
9. Working with all staff test website.
10. Deploy new website.
11. Track use of website and suggest changes.

This consumes only a small portion of work-time but it is the most technical aspect of the job. Here are some examples.

• Write a script to dedup all the WMS Knowledge Base collections and report statistics. This involves reading a few million rows from a few hundred KBART collections to identify duplicates based on ISBN and OCLC number.
• Write a script which will 1) identify theses and books that have been digitized but are not listed in our Knowledge Base collections and 2) generate properly formatted KBART entries. This involves matching Linux filenames with URLs in KBART files and then generating KBART entries as needed.
• Identify long-expired user records in WMS that dont have a reason for retention. Create a deletion file for WMS.
• Write a script which will 1) validate incoming user data from Student Information System; 2) write output file and then securely copy it to OCLC to be imported into WMS. Schedule for automatic daily operation.
• Working with Public Services Librarian write a script to identify probable duplicates in the WMS user database. This involves matching email fields barcodes names phones etc.
• Use AI to compose abstracts for a few thousand theses and dissertations weve digitized. Working with Metadata Librarian develop a script/process to batch insert abstracts in MARC records if AI generates good results.
• Update EBSCOHOST databases with our holdings. This can be done without coding. It involves extracting ISSN and ISBN and links from WMS. This will tell EBSCO when and how to point to the open URL resolver for content we own/lease that is not hosted on the EBSCO platform.