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Community Norms and Values

Introduction

[BIG TBD HERE!!]

As it is written on the Code4Lib website, Code4Lib isn’t entirely about code or libraries. It is a volunteer-driven collective of hackers, designers, architects, curators, catalogers, artists and instigators from around the world, who largely work for and with libraries, archives and museums on technology “stuff.” It started in the fall of 2003 as a mailing list when a group of library programmers decided to create an overarching community agnostic towards any particular language or technology.

Code4Lib is dedicated to providing a harassment-free community experience for everyone regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion. To that end, we've created an ever-evolving Code of Code4Lib Conduct , which addresses, in general, our expectations of the community.

This page serves to address some specific norms that we hope to promote for various Code4Lib channels.

The listserv

The listserv remains a vital part of the Code4Lib community. There are about 3600 subscribers to the listserv, which means that there may be posting threads that do not interest you; feel free to use your email client's filtering function to handle that.

Appropriate topics

Although its formal definition states that it "... provides a forum for discussion all things relating to programming code for libraries. This is a place to discuss particular programming languages, but also provides a place to discuss the issues of programming in libraries in general.", it can also be a place to discuss related topics, such as the issues of being the programmer in a library. The questions of diversity, privacy, professional standards, etc., may all be appropriate related topics of discussion.

Anonymity

In general the community prefers to know who is writing. Exceptions may arise when the you feel at risk; in that case, the you may contact one or more Community Support Volunteers for help forwarding your message. At the least, your message should include a reason for why you are choosing to be anonymous. For example:

  • "I'm looking for advice on how to present myself for another job, but my boss doesn't know I'm looking"
  • "I'd like some advice in dealing with a programming conflict, and other members of the team are on this list"

Surveys

If you wish to ask people on the listserv to participate in a survey, you should minimally identify:

  • yourself
  • purpose of the survey
  • the reason you're asking in this listserv
  • what kinds of information you're collecting
  • (if collecting identifying information such as email address, name), what you plan to do with it, and how you'll keep it secure.

Participating on the listserv

We ask that you consider the following guidelines when you post to the listserv, keeping in mind that there are about 3600 subscribers, and that propagation times vary, so that some subscribers may not see a message for several minutes after it's been posted.

Starting a conversation/thread

  1. Please use descriptive Subject lines. "The mumblefratz conference is soliciting submissions" is much better than "Announcement".

  2. If you are posting a request for help, be as specific as possible. Don't assume that everyone is using the same operating/database management/library system as you are.

  3. If you are making an announcement (such as for a conference), make sure you present all the information clearly -- if you use acronyms, spell them out. For example: SAA can stand for "Society of American Archivists" or "Society for American Archaeology" (among many others), either of which might be relevant to subscribers to Code4Lib.

  4. Remember that Code4Lib is a listserv heard 'round the world; if your question is country-centric, say so.

Participating in a conversation/thread

  1. Before responding to a post (unless it's just asking for a show of hands), try taking a breath. You don't have to be the first responder. Unless you are The Acknowledged Expert -- or the situation is urgent (e.g.: "Help, my website is undergoing a Denial of Service attack! What do I do?"), someone else may have a response as good as or better than yours.

If you've been away from your email for a while, you may want to see if there are any responses that already got the job done.

  1. Be kind. Remember that not everyone has the same level of technical or librarian expertise. Also, English isn't everyone's first language. If someone asks what you consider a naive or foolish question, responding with sarcasm or irony is not a good look. Remember, you don't have to respond at all.

  2. If your response is tangential to the main point of the thread, consider replying with a different Subject line. The old Usenet convention of [New Subject] (was: [old subject]) can be your friend. As an example: "Why python is better than Ruby On Rails for ArchivesSpace (was: Help with an ArchivesSpace problem)"

  3. Be kind, take 2. Just about everyone who participates on the Code4Lib listserv is committed to building this cooperative community. If you feel "slapped" by something, feel that there are microagressions happening, etc., first re-read the post to make sure there isn't another way of reading it. If you still need to respond, please do it in a way that addresses the behavior, not the person posting. Just as is recommended for initial handling of Conflict Resolution at Code4Lib, perhaps a private email asking for clarification first would help resolve things.

If things remain tense, with much back-and-forth, please contact one or more Community Support Volunteers for help.

  1. You are not obliged to respond to private email. If the emailer persists, please contact one or more Community Support Volunteers for help.

  2. No name calling. 'Nuff said.