New Adventures in Data
Source: Photo by Carolina Roepers from Pexels, CC0
It’s been an interesting few months for me. I have been close to securing some academic librarian jobs, but can’t quite make it over the hump. Although the aggregate job market is currently very short on labor, that hasn’t seemed to filter into libraries. I think last year they went into downsize / hiring freeze mode and might not ever swing back the other way. I’ve also been headhunted by some firms, and chuckled when they apologized that the salary would only be double what I made as a librarian.
What I’m working on now is expanding my horizons past metadata. I recently looked into data analytics, mostly because I knew data science (I taught the basics!) was compelling, but ultimately too rigorous a profession for me. I began the Google Data Analytics Certification, and was pleasantly surprised that the tools and methods I had been applying to metadata work were the basis of data analytics. Spreadsheets, S(PAR)QL, and data visualization were the tools I was using almost every day in my job. I think taking this certification, along with Tableau certification and some kind of SQL proof of expertise (there don’t seem to be any) will make me a pretty well-rounded data expert. I would basically only need data engineering to be a… “full stack” data expert? That doesn’t exist… maybe it should?
Although, I am a bit torn. I always want to be a public servant, but after my experience as an academic librarian and the perhaps unfounded feeling of being locked out of the profession, I don’t believe I have much choice but to explore the private world. I still think libraries might take a chance on me, but now they know I won’t just sit there and catalog. I insist on bringing data science and analytics into metadata, and dragging it kicking and screaming into this decade. A lot of libraries don’t want that attitude. I get it now. It’s you, libraries, not me.
I should clarify that I am only speaking about academic libraries. So, the other thing I am doing is throwing myself into the pool of public librarians here in Syracuse. I have my Public Librarian Certification (yay!), which feels strange to have after graduating almost a decade ago, but also felt transformative. If data analytics doesn’t pan out, I would have no problem once again being a public servant for this wonderful community.