Are you mystified by the idea of coding? Do you wonder whether coding would even help you in your work? Are you just looking for somewhere to start?

If so, this program is for you! Coding is within your reach and we will help you get started! In this program, librarians who have learned to code on the job will share their experiences with coding. You will learn to identify tasks or problems that could be accomplished or solved through coding, how to pick a coding language to best accomplish your goals, and where to find resources to learn to write code.

The presenters will offer concrete examples of problems they solved by automating workflows using code. They will discuss how they learned to code and how the time spent learning was more than offset by the resulting time savings of automation. They will explain the common uses and pros and cons of the most common tools used by coding librarians, such as Python, PHP, and APIs.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

Librarians from all institution type— academic, firm, government—who collect data, work with data, or are interested in communicating data between different systems and platforms.

TAKEAWAYS:

1. Participants will identify a library task, project, or workflow in their own library that would be improved by coding.
2. Participants will be able to justify to stakeholders the time spent learning to code and implement more efficient workflows.
3. Participants will be able to list three resources and strategies for learning programming skills to solve specific problems in their libraries.

SPEAKERS:

• Aaron Retteen, Texas A&M University School of Law
• John R. Beatty, University of Buffalo Law Library

COORDINATOR:

• Pamela C. Brannon, Georgia State University College of Law Library

MODERATOR:

• Benjamin Carlson, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School Biddle Law Library

AALL BODY OF KNOWLEDGE DOMAINS: Research + Analysis, Information Management

CANCELLATION AND OTHER POLICIES:

No refunds will be given for any purchased AALL conference recording. This applies to non-AALL members only as the recordings are free for AALL members.

The opinions shared during this program represent the views of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL). Recording, capturing, or using AI tools to duplicate, transcribe, or otherwise reproduce an AALL program in any form is strictly prohibited without prior written consent from AALL. This includes, but is not limited to audio, video, or any other content shared. By accessing an AALL recording, you agree to adhere to this policy.