Bridging the gaps: Python scripting around Alma's edges

Abstract

Want to learn to code but not sure where to start? In the 2015 report “Coding for Librarians: Learning by Example," Andromeda Yelton advised “learning how to make one language do a few useful things." Case studies of librarians who learned to code for a specific need abound. But how to identify your own coding use case? In this presentation, I will discuss how I made the leap to writing useful scripts for everyday work through projects involving extraction, transformation, and import of Alma metadata. Familiar tools provided most pieces of the puzzle; coding helped "bridge the gaps" by reducing/eliminating manual work. I will describe 4 simple projects: parsing a file of vendor-supplied MARC records; creating item records from spreadsheet input; creating a list of course-assigned ebook titles and URLS; and evaluating OCLC reclamation project unresolved records. Participants will leave this session with ideas for how to start small and progressively expand their coding skills.