What is a Library Technician
The terminology may vary from country to country, but in the UK the term "library technician" is usually taken to mean an employee who is responsible for looking after the equipment in a library, such as computers, scanners, copiers and printers, and assisting library patrons in their use.
Until 6 years ago I was a full-time professional librarian, and I now work for one evening a week at a local university library. I man one end of an information desk, and at the other end sits a library technician. Mind you, he spends very little time actually sitting at the desk, as he is in constant demand helping students out of their difficulties. I often find myself fielding queries of a technical nature, some of which I can handle myself but many of which I have to pass on to the technician, whose expertise in these areas is far greater than mine.
The university library has literally hundreds of desktop computers that are available for student use, and these are loaded with an impressive number of software applications to support a wide range of studies. For example, the university is very strong on fashion studies, and students need to be able to design garments on the computer and print off the results on anything up to A1 paper sizes. The process of making a print is quite complex, with all sorts of options such as matt, gloss and acetate, and so there is plenty to go wrong. The library technician is the guy who has all the answers!
There are also problems that can arise with saving and transferring computer files. Some of these questions can be answered by the professional library staff, but the technicians have access to software that can perform a range of magic tricks such as rescuing corrupted files when a data stick has been removed too quickly from a computer.
The students pay for their printing and copying by crediting an account via coin-in-the-slot machines. Students sometimes wonder why the printers refuse to play ball, despite their account being in credit, and there are occasions when a copier or printer becomes jammed and an account is debited without the copy being produced. The technician can sort out all these difficulties.
Another technician function is to help students to register their laptops with the university's wireless network, which is again something that is beyond the scope of other library staff.
When new software is introduced, the technicians must load it on to the network, make all the necessary adjustments to existing software (such as placing a new icon on the library's home page) and train other staff in how the new program works.
The library is open for 24 hours a day during term-time, but only staffed by security personnel during the night hours, so there are machines that enable students to issue and return their books and other items without needing to visit the issue counter. It is important that these machines function properly, so the technicians must look after them carefully. The same goes for all the display equipment in the seminar rooms.
However, the most important function they perform is to show students how to use all this technology to their best advantage, and how not to break it! Once a student feels confident about using a piece of kit, or a particular program, they will not need to be helped so frequently. That eases the burden on everyone and means that the library runs smoothly and efficiently. Library technicians are therefore of supreme importance to a modern university library.
