Equal Footing
Posted by markwilliams on June 29th, 2009
Having done a number of FE events this month, I’ve got the impression that when all the to shib or not to shib deployment issues are unpacked, a reoccurring problem is the ability of LRC staff to make their case at the SMT level. It’s not that they can’t articulate it, they certainly can but too often (and by too often, I mean based on anecdotal and entirely unscientific evidence) it seems that if it isn’t part of the IT department agenda, it can be all but impossible for FE librarians to get it onto the SMT agenda. Somewhat ironic that just as the term Shibboleth can symbolize divide (in the biblical sense), it can also represent the sometimes divide between LRC and IT and even the divide between teaching / learning and supporting infrastructure.
I’m very happy to be told I’m wrong and if anyone is at an institution where they don’t have that divide, I would live to hear about how they have achieved that cultural change.