Comments on: A confession (more on Librarians and programming) http://nirak.net/2008/12/22/a-confession-more-on-librarians-and-programming/ Karin Dalziel Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:14:16 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Sherman Dorn http://nirak.net/2008/12/22/a-confession-more-on-librarians-and-programming/comment-page-1/#comment-114517 Sherman Dorn Sun, 28 Jun 2009 02:44:51 +0000 http://www.nirak.net/?p=387#comment-114517 Michael's voicing the view of the 1983 "A Nation at Risk" report, which proposed computer science (okay, 1983 version) as a "fifth basic" in HS. My university's computer-science department doesn't teach languages other than C+, not because they're useless but because they change so rapidly. That leads to a chicken-and-egg phenomenon: who's responsible for teaching the current "stuff"? Few places teach how to use Microsoft Word, but a computer language is a bit more complicated. I learned PASCAL in a summer course in college, but that was before object-oriented languages, and PASCAL was perfect for teaching structured programming in a procedural language. I'm not sure how it's done now... but I don't think library programs should ignore it. Michael’s voicing the view of the 1983 “A Nation at Risk” report, which proposed computer science (okay, 1983 version) as a “fifth basic” in HS. My university’s computer-science department doesn’t teach languages other than C+, not because they’re useless but because they change so rapidly. That leads to a chicken-and-egg phenomenon: who’s responsible for teaching the current “stuff”? Few places teach how to use Microsoft Word, but a computer language is a bit more complicated.

I learned PASCAL in a summer course in college, but that was before object-oriented languages, and PASCAL was perfect for teaching structured programming in a procedural language. I’m not sure how it’s done now… but I don’t think library programs should ignore it.

]]> By: Michael http://nirak.net/2008/12/22/a-confession-more-on-librarians-and-programming/comment-page-1/#comment-84693 Michael Thu, 25 Dec 2008 20:54:04 +0000 http://www.nirak.net/?p=387#comment-84693 I'm a programmer, not a librarian, and I'm about to expose my own biases: I don't think programming should be taught in library school. Instead, everyone should pass a rudimentary programming class as a requisite for getting a high school diploma. "Programming" is not about bending a computer to one's will, though that is a useful side-effect. "Programming" is about learning to think rigorously, and describe solutions to problems in a formal way. The late pioneer of computer science, Edsgar Dijkstra famously said, computer science is about computers they way astronomy is about telescopes. I think that's true - he was much smarter than I am, so who am I to argue? - and I think people in general would benefit from the skills gained in learning a little bit about "programming". I’m a programmer, not a librarian, and I’m about to expose my own biases: I don’t think programming should be taught in library school.

Instead, everyone should pass a rudimentary programming class as a requisite for getting a high school diploma.

“Programming” is not about bending a computer to one’s will, though that is a useful side-effect. “Programming” is about learning to think rigorously, and describe solutions to problems in a formal way.

The late pioneer of computer science, Edsgar Dijkstra famously said, computer science is about computers they way astronomy is about telescopes. I think that’s true – he was much smarter than I am, so who am I to argue? – and I think people in general would benefit from the skills gained in learning a little bit about “programming”.

]]> By: John Fink http://nirak.net/2008/12/22/a-confession-more-on-librarians-and-programming/comment-page-1/#comment-84102 John Fink Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:18:30 +0000 http://www.nirak.net/?p=387#comment-84102 As a librarian who's been using Linux since 1994, has tried to "learn programming" beyond simple bash scripts, and has had the most luck with Ruby, I'm mostly in agreement with you. It's hard work, but more annoyingly, it takes *time* -- time enough that I've considered off-and-on taking all my vacation for a year and locking myself in a small, featureless room with a single stripped down computer loaded only with vi and ruby. But yeah, there's *definitely* a need for more tech-centered library school programs. As it is now, the education is very basic; logically so, as library schools have to accept people of widely varying tech skills. But I can't help but think that people who think that their computer does everything they want it to do aren't really trying very hard, or thinking very broadly. As a librarian who’s been using Linux since 1994, has tried to “learn programming” beyond simple bash scripts, and has had the most luck with Ruby, I’m mostly in agreement with you. It’s hard work, but more annoyingly, it takes *time* — time enough that I’ve considered off-and-on taking all my vacation for a year and locking myself in a small, featureless room with a single stripped down computer loaded only with vi and ruby.

But yeah, there’s *definitely* a need for more tech-centered library school programs. As it is now, the education is very basic; logically so, as library schools have to accept people of widely varying tech skills. But I can’t help but think that people who think that their computer does everything they want it to do aren’t really trying very hard, or thinking very broadly.

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