Andrew K. Pace Technically speaking, I am not just a technical person. Unlike some of my more technically minded colleagues, I do not think that technology alone can solve a library's problems. But neither am I an accidental systems librarian, as some whohave these responsibilities thrust upon them have come to call themselves. My name is Andrew Pace and I am a systems librarian on purpose. On occasion, I will settle for systems guy, so long as I do not forfeit my standing as a librarian. WHO IS THIS GUY? Some of you might recognize my name from a column in Computers in Libraries. Others might read ALA's Smart Libraries Newsletter (formerly Library Systems Newsletter), for which I was a contributing editor from 2002 to 2004. I've also tried toadd my voice to the profession through numerous speaking engagements; my book, The Ultimate Digital Library, published by ALA Editions in 2003; and most recently with the February 1, Library Journal cover story on the future of integrated library systems. Although I started my professional career by earning my stripes with a major library automation vendor, I have spent the last five years at North Carolina State University libraries, the last two as head of systems. I am grateful to NCSU for remaining on the cutting edge of library technology and affording me the opportunity to follow the hottest trends and implement the latest technologies. Regardless of technology, however, a good systems librarian needs grounding in libraries. While it's almost too late to undo the damage done by digital library operations built completely independent of brick and mortar libraries, I think it is easier to see the failure in trying to build a bridge from digital libraries back to traditional ones. The bridges should have been built in the other direction.
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