THE Journal

A 1998 book by Thomas C.Wilson, The Systems Librarian: Designing Roles, Defining Skills (American Library Association), identified the typical responsibilities of systems librarians:

• integrated library system management
• network design and management
• server and host administration
• desktop computing
• training, documentation, and support
• application development
• planning and budgeting
• specification and purchasing
• technology exploration and evaluation
• miscellaneous technology support
• technical risk management
• communication and coordination

Compare the above list to an updated list that spells out the same challenges. An article published in April by the Association of College and Research Libraries, "Top 10 Assumptions for the Future of Academic Libraries and Librarians: A Report from the ACRL Research Committee" (C&R L News), focuses on college libraries, but could just as easily have been detailing the circumstances faced by K-12 librarians:

• increased emphasis on digitizing collections, preserving archives, and improving methods of data storage and retrieval
• continuing evolvement of skill sets for librarians
• demand for faster and greater access to services
  increasingly common debates about intellectual property
• growing demand for technology-related services and additional funding
• focus on fund raising, maximizing revenue, reducing costs, and optimizing physical space
• students viewing themselves as customers and consumers, expecting high-quality facilities and services
• distance learning becoming a more common option
• growing free public access to information stemming from publicly funded research
• privacy continuing to be an important issue