Vendorbrarians: Librarians Who Work for Vendors and the Value They Provide to Library Customers

A panel of librarians working for different kinds of library vendors discussed their unique and valuable roles inside their organizations. The session was moderated by an Electronic Resources Librarian with an interest in library/vendor relationships. Librarians can add value to their company’s relationships with library customers as they share the same basic skill set as their colleagues in libraries and have a better understanding of their needs, industry standards, and the day to day realities of their customers. Topics discussed included the kinds of roles librarians can have at vendors, how these positions compare and contrast with more traditional library work, their identities in the library profession, how library school did and did not prepare them for their jobs, and more. Background on Panel From the Moderator (Charlie Remy): I work a great deal with vendors in my role as an electronic resources librarian. Sometimes sales representatives know little about libraries’ needs, and this lack of knowledge can even extend to the products they are selling. Libraries have unique requirements compared to businesses or consumers, and time and effort must be spent to familiarize oneself with our organizational cultures and values. Several of my sales representatives or other vendor contacts have library degrees, and I have noticed that I need to explain much less about my library’s operations to them. They seem to already “get it.” These positive experiences caused me to wonder about the realities of being a vendorbrarian (a librarian working for a vendor). I am interested in the relationships between libraries and vendors. Traditionally, many librarians have relegated vendors to “the other side”—these interactions perhaps not being the most pleasant part of their job duties. I, however, see vendor relationships as productive partnerships whose end result is providing the user with high quality information that is easily accessible. It does not have to be a negative or adversarial relationship. Librarians could not exist without vendors and vice versa. I believe that librarians working for vendors have the potential to ameliorate what can sometimes be challenging relationships between very different kinds of organizations Library schools continue to graduate sizable numbers of librarians, yet the professional job market can be rather limited, especially when someone is unable to move far away. This can lead to underemployment (part‐time, paraprofessional level work) or unemployment where one might have to choose another profession because of the lack of opportunities. Library school graduates should be made aware that working for a vendor can be a viable and satisfying career option. Vendors can play a role in combating limited library employment opportunities by creating new positions that harness the knowledge and skill sets of librarians as well as hiring librarians for existing jobs. Discussions like this panel can educate vendors on the value that librarians bring to their organizations and the customers they serve. It is likely that vendors with many librarians on staff can generate goodwill among their customers, which could benefit their bottom lines in the long term. I deliberately chose a group of panelists working for a variety of companies (for‐profit/non‐profit, publishers/integrated library systems) so that the audience could see the different kinds of vendors that have librarians on staff. Despite their varying Copyright of this contribution remains in the name of the author(s). http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284316300 455 Charleston Conference Proceedings 2015 amounts of traditional library experience, all three panelists share a strong service ethic that is an integral part of librarianship. Introduction and Explanation of Individual Roles of Each Panelist. Number of Librarians Employed at Each Company. Bob Boissy: As the manager of account development and strategic alliances at Springer, Bob works with clients post‐sale on access, administrative issues, usage, etc. We have four librarians on staff in the US in account development and external policy roles, and others working in metadata jobs in Germany. Jalyn Kelley: Kelley is the client services manager at IEEE Xplore Digital Library, which is a team of 10 librarians around the world. Our primary goal is to raise awareness and knowledge of the digital library through training and promotional activities. We help our customers get the most out of their existing subscriptions and respond to any librarian‐to‐librarian questions that arise. Marliese Thomas: As a solutions architect with Ex Libris Group, I serve as a liaison between account managers, product developers, and clients. I offer technical demonstrations of Alma and Primo products, answer functional questions from librarians, and make recommendations to best suit the institution or consortium’s needs. How Did You Make the Decision to Work for a Vendor and Why? How Did You Get to Where You Are Now? Bob Boissy: I had two job offers after library school—one in an academic library and one in training/support for a vendor. The vendor position paid $5,000 more in annual salary and the opportunities for advancement were good, so the decision was made to work for the vendor. It was not clear at the time how hard it might be to return to library employment. Jalyn Kelley: I worked in a virtual corporate library for seven years and while I enjoyed working from home, I wanted more interaction. In this position I have the best of both worlds—travel 60% to 75% of the time and work from home the rest. Marliese Thomas: I had worked in university libraries for seven years and loved much of my work. However, I wanted something that would give me a wider perspective of how libraries worked, a more diverse skill set. The higher salary doesn’t hurt, but I feel I am a more effective librarian and advocate to our profession now, as well. Specific Examples of Panelists Bringing Value to Customer Experience and Their Vendors in General. Bob Boissy: I Identify issues with customer implementations early by looking at usage, discovery, catalog, set up, etc.; support local events and survey research; and convene topical meetings to brainstorm solutions to common problems with visibility and use of e‐resources. Jalyn Kelley: Client Services managers are the voices of the customers. We track customer requests for enhancements and help identify issues and trends early. For example, Client Services was able to help internal stakeholders understand the importance of discovery tools and identify issues with linking, which led to the creation of a dedicated Discovery Services Manager position. Marliese Thomas: I couldn’t do my job well if it weren’t for all of my previous experiences. Having been a Voyager cataloger and in‐the‐trenches instruction librarian, I can better empathize with current librarians’ pain points and reservations about moving to new systems. I understand why certain things are important and can advocate on their behalf with product managers and account managers. Challenges of Working for a Vendor Bob Boissy: I can’t respond to controversial issues/topics on listservs or other public venues, and I must adapt to travel demands.