Joint Library Catalog Systems Administrator at University of Alaska Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska Area
- Current
-
- Joint Library Catalog Systems Administrator at University of Alaska Anchorage
- Past
-
- Senior Program Manager at Microsoft Library
- DBA / Application Developer at Microsoft Library
- Library systems support at Microsoft Library
- Education
-
- University of Washington
- University of Washington
- Connections
-
28
connections
- Industry
- Libraries
- Websites
Michael Stallings’s Summary
In 2005 I retired from the Microsoft corporate library after 11 challenging years bringing order and stability to disordered and unstable situations like library system software projects and applications. The strengths that made me successful there include a talent for analyzing complex situations, an ability to communicate well at many different levels as appropriate, and the ability to manage simultaneously many priorities in pursuit of a distant goal.
I spent the last 6 years as the library’s software project manager. In that capacity I managed large cross-group teams in planning, developing, testing, releasing, and maintaining library software applications. During this time our focus shifted more and more to our role as owner of the Microsoft intranet experience.
I am a very patient person and good at putting audiences as various as students, production workers, and technology customers at ease while delivering what are often complex sets of information to them. For example, I have a reference letter from my supervisor at the Alaska Voc-Tech School that points out my ability to relate to and teach Native Alaskan students, many of whom had never before been outside their remote villages. In a completely different environment, during 1998-2001 I sat on the national board of directors of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. There I spent most of my time communicating with the heavily academic and scientific membership about what the board was doing, and communicating with the board about what the membership was doing.
I left Microsoft with the idea of retiring, but couldn’t pass up a chance to move back to Alaska and undertake a job doing the kind of application and database work that I enjoyed so much before my career as a project manager took off. I was born and raised in Fairbanks, and lived eight years in Seward, where most of my immediate family lives.
Michael Stallings’s Specialties:
Shell scripting, awk, sed, perl, Sirsi Unicorn seltools, regular expressions, MARC records, cataloging formats, integrated library systems, SQL, database design.
Michael Stallings’s Experience
-
Joint Library Catalog Systems Administrator
University of Alaska Anchorage
(Educational Institution; 501-1000 employees; Higher Education industry)
February 2006 — Present (3 years 10 months)
As systems administrator for UAA/APU Consoritum Library's I manage the Sirsi Unicorn integrated library system.
-
Senior Program Manager
Microsoft Library
(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; MSFT; Computer Software industry)
January 1999 — April 2005 (6 years 4 months)
Project manager of application development projects for MSWeb, MSLibrary, MSArchives, Search as a Service, Content Integration Service, and other enterprise information delivery and content management systems.
Managed more than 50 cross-group and cross-division project teams in 6 years. Hired and managed FTE program manager, vendor staff, and contingent staff.Managed development budget of > $1M and capital budget >$500K. Represented KNG and its products to technology partners and product groups within Microsoft. Trained KNG staff in Microsoft Solutions Framework and Product Cycle Model. -
DBA / Application Developer
Microsoft Library
(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; MSFT; Computer Software industry)
January 1996 — December 1999 (4 years )
Developed, customized, and/or managed critical library content management systems: the highly customized Dynix Horizon implementation, the in-house MS Archives content management application, and the in-house Market research content management system, and other, smaller applications.
Developed database applications with extensive use of triggers and stored procedures using Microsoft SQL Server database management tools (SQL Server versions 4.2–6.5) and Erwin. Planned and implemented SQL backup / restore systems using 32-bit VB and SQL Server management tools. Planned and implemented database security schemes. Planned, bought, installed, and maintained the medium-size Compaq server installation that hosted these database applications.
Worked extensively with MARC records. For example, one project required us to process Horizon’s highly un-normalized, blob-like MARC records into a semi-normalized record that could be manipulated without the use of Horizon executables. -
Library systems support
Microsoft Library
(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; MSFT; Computer Software industry)
February 1994 — December 1995 (1 year 11 months)
1st and 2nd-tier support of MSLibrary, and MSArchives information delivery and mgt systems. Managed MSLibrary public areas and file servers.
Michael Stallings’s Education
-
University of Washington
MLS , Library and Information Science , 1991 — 1993
- Activities and Societies:
- Student officer of the UW's chapter of American Society for Information Science.
In parallel with getting MLS I took 26 credits in the UW's MBA information systems track.
-
University of Washington
BA , English Literature, summa cum laude , 1989 — 1991
- Activities and Societies:
- Honors program in English Literature
Additional Information
Michael Stallings’s Websites:
Michael Stallings’s Interests:
The three years I spent creating the “Index to the Seward Gateway” were the most satisfying and rewarding of my several careers. There is something fascinating about the process of corralling thousands of seemingly unrelated scraps of information, pouring them into a taxonomic structure, and watching the patterns emerge. At the level at which one works in indexing primary sources, it’s like verbal pointillism. In fact, archival works and services are, if done well, similar to utilitarian works of art like public architecture often provides. This dimension attracts me very much to the work.
Michael Stallings’s Groups:
National board of directors. American Society for Information Science and Technology. 1998-2001
Michael Stallings’s Honors:
Alaska Historical Society Outstanding Beginning History Professional for 1983 for "Index to the Seward Gateway 1904-1910"
Michael Stallings’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- new ventures
- expertise requests
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
