I found this enlightening as I had never considered all the steps involved in developing (or simply purchasing!) software. Also interesting to me was the difference between the traditional system development life cycle and the one adapted for information services purposes. They're basically the same, but some of the steps have been modified or renamed (Cohen, Dori, & Haan, 2010, p. 21). The traditional model is thus:
(P. 21) My interpretation of this is that an entity (in this case, a company, but it could be an individual or other stakeholder) decides that they need something, figures out what that its, plans it, creates it, tests it, installs it, and finally uses it. The model adapted for IS is similar:
(P. 21) As far as I can tell, this boils down to the same steps, with a few differences; instead of design & construction, the new model has steps for finding a vendor (RFP, Vendor Evaluation and Choosing, & Contract negotiations).
The passage notes that "no significant attempt has been made to extend the SDLC model to other situations encountered by many software vendors and software developing entrepreneurs." (P. 21) I would think that this process applies to any purchasing situation: the person/entity decides that they need something, figures out the specifics, gets it, and uses it.
Cohen, et al further describe a proposed system called Lead Driven Development (LDD), which seems to me to be the same concept as the SDLC model, but from the vendor's point of view instead of the end-user's. Instead of a company deciding that they have a need & fulfilling it, a vendor develops a product to fill a need (that they hope exists or that they have been approached for) and gets it to the user. This is the mirror of the SDLC model; the vendor seeks out users rather than vice versa. The biggest difference, as far as I can see, is that the cycle is longer; instead of 7-8 steps, there are 12.
They finish by explaining that the LDD model "accounts for market and organizational factors and
the way they are woven into the traditional phases of software development. It offers the basis for
the unified, comprehensive multi-tier SDLC framework and methodology that contributes to improved stakeholders’ communication and collaboration through the use of a common reference model for all stakeholders." (Cohen, Haan & Dori, 2010. P. 37) As I mentioned above, I think that this applies to any selling-purchasing interaction, not just software.
Week 3's focus is on Information Retrieval Systems (IR) and System/Digital Librarianship. I'm quite interested in digital librarianship not only because it is the trend of future info services professions, but also because I'm fascinated by the possibilities presented by DL. In "Technical Skills for New Digital Librarians (Tzoc and Millard, 2011), we learned about the skills that librarian positions (specifically digital librarian positions, but I feel that these may eventually apply to other facets of LIS) require, how library schools address those skills (if, in fact, they do), and how to bridge the gap where school doesn't prepare us. What the article highlights is that most librarian job announcements require digital skills such as database management, digital collection management, digital conversion, digital preservation, network administration, web design, and more. I hadn't realized how broad a range of digital skills libraries are looking for; this helped prepare me for the breadth and depth of knowledge I'm missing & therefore need to learn.
Also interesting was that "generally, skills taught in LIS courses closely matched those being
sought in position announcements with some notable exceptions" (Tzoc and Millard, 2011. P. 13). However, "A certain amount of disparity in results can be expected due to the differing missions between hirin institutions and LIS programs" (P. 13). CUA's program appears (to me, at least) to be comprehensive in the digital library courses offered. The Digital Libraries course of studies offers 10 courses (including one core course required for all courses of study). In my opinion, this will prepare students in this concentration quite well for a career in DL.
I was glad that the conclusion offered resources for furthering our knowledge and skills in the digital arena; many of us don't have the resources (money, time, or both) to take extra classes once we're on the job. Of particular interest to me are W3schools and Lynda.com, both of which I have used (albeit non-extensively) to learn some basic software and web design skills. I would add Youtube tutorials and how-to sites like wisegeek.com, udemy.com, and wikihow.com for basic free skill-building. I was also happy to learn about a resource I had never heard of in Code4Lib.
Jane Monson's "What to Expect When You're Digitizing" (2011) was a good reality check for me. I tend to over-estimate how much I can take on, and Monson reminded me that, especially if I'm solo, I just can't do everything or learn everything I want to. Time, money, and other resources will restrict how much I'll be able to accomplish. I need to keep this in mind as I go forward so I don't set my expectations to high and end up being disappointed in myself!
