By Mark Swenson

In the week before finalizing the content for this sixtieth issue of the Code4Lib Journal, I attended the Computers in Libraries conference in Arlington, Virginia.  In the midst of dozens of presentations on GenAI and what it means for today’s libraries one session touched on issues core to this publication and its aims: Empowering Libraries Through Code: Future Ready Digital Leadership.  The first presentation, from Austin Stroud at Indiana University Indianapolis, articulated the gulf between the widely held perception that learning a high-level programming language would improve career possibilities for MLIS students and the reality that, historically, ALA accredited programs do not provide this training.  Following a second presentation, from Scott Hargrove of Fraser Valley Regional Library in British Columbia on how their new strategic plan focuses on engaging the staff and public on programming and AI literacy, the question was posed to those attending the session: why do librarians and library staff need programming skills anyway?

If you have found your way to The Code4Lib Journal (dedicated to sharing coding solutions in libraries) you may already have many ideas of the ways that programming knowledge can be useful for library staff.  If not, this issue has eight articles that demonstrate how competencies in software development are intimately intertwined with modern library operations:

• From Corinne Chatnik and James Gaskell at Union College we have a description on how writing a program in Python was able to improve the ability of undergraduate students to accurately enter data.
• Karen Coyle describes the OpenWEMI specification of Dublin Core explaining how it can expand the use of FRBR ideas into new non-library environments.
• Jennifer D’Souza (TIB Leibniz Centre for Science and Technology) demonstrates using knowledge graphs to analyze Large Language Models.
• Halie Kerns (Binghamton University) and Leah Fitzgerald (Amsterdam Free Library) describe how they made a video game to teach information literacy skills.
• Aerith Y. Netzer (Northwestern University) demonstrates a way to use Large Language Models to turn plain-text citations to BibTeX.
• Wilhelmina Randtke (Georgia Southern University) relates the journey they took to simplify and restructure a library system database that had become overcomplicated following a system merger and a migration.
• Andrew Weymouth (University of Idaho) details the use of Python and Google Apps Script to text mine and tag the University’s oral history collections.
• Olivia Wikle (Iowa State University) and Evan Peter Williamson (University of Idaho Library) show their success in using the CollectionBuilder framework and the static site generator Jekyll for creating easy to maintain digital collections websites.

These articles showcase a variety of perspectives and challenges tackled through modern computational methods.  The authors are united by their commitment to enhancing workflows and services, their eagerness to engage in innovative collaborations, and their dedication to acquiring new skills.  Additionally, these contributions reflect a willingness to share knowledge and support the ongoing understanding of the skills needed in a contemporary library setting.  Certainly not every library staffer needs to know how to write computer programs, but having someone on your library staff who understands computer programming and can apply that knowledge to library problems is something any library can use.