I’ve been talking in generalities about code so far; I’d like to give a specific example. I’m going to walk you through a bit of jQuery I wrote for my employer’s web site, http://unglue.it. jQuery is a derivative of JavaScript that simplifies some of the syntax, especially for the functions web developers use most. This means it’ll look familiar to you if you’ve been doing the Code Year lessons on JavaScript, but it’s a lot more readable—so even if you have no code background, don’t despair! This program uses some normal English vocabulary, and I’ll walk you through it.

This is from a script named toggle.js. On our site, supporters can have wishlists of books, and site users can view those books in either a list or a panel layout. They can toggle between these views by clicking on list and panel icons. Here’s part of the code that does that:

• $j(document).ready(function() {
•  $j('#toggle-list').click(toggleList);
•  $j('#toggle-panel').click(togglePanel);
•  });

• function toggleList() {
•  $j('div.panelview').addClass('listview').
• removeClass("panelview");
•  $j('#toggle-list').css({opacity: 1});
•  $j('#toggle-panel').css({opacity: .2});
•  }

The first few lines activate the function when the document is ready—that is, when the web page has been sufficiently loaded. In line 2, $j('#toggle-list') finds the element of the page whose ID is toggle-list and tells it, when someone clicks on this icon, execute the toggleList function. (If you’ve done any CSS, the #toggle-list ID selector will look familiar to you.) Can you guess what line 3 does?

Next, we have the function toggleList itself. $j('div.panelview')—again, the CSS syntax may be familiar—finds all the divs whose class is panelview. We then add the class “listview” to each of these div elements, and remove the class “panelview.” At this point our stylesheet kicks in. Since the stylesheet has different rules for how to display listview and panelview elements, all these elements are immediately redisplayed with a different set of rules. You still see the same objects—a book cover image, a title, etc.—but they’re laid out entirely differently. (Go ahead and try it! My wishlist is at https://unglue.it/supporter/andromeda.)

Finally, we need to grey out the button that switches to listview (since we’re already in listview) and darken the button that switches to panelview, so users know it’s the one to click on if they want to switch views. That’s what the last two lines do.

As you can guess, there are a few lines I’ve left out here—the togglePanel function! It’s quite similar to toggleList, but with a few necessary, logical changes. Can you guess how it works?

So, why do we care? Well, with just a handful of lines of jQuery, and a stylesheet, I can instantly change the layout of a page. Can you imagine any web pages at your library that would be better if they were laid out differently? As you recall, this was one of the examples in the first paragraph: a library catalog that didn’t allow the librarians to edit HTML but did allow them to insert some jQuery and custom stylesheets. Using techniques like the ones above, Matthew Reidsma was able to dramatically improve the appearance and usability of the catalog even though he didn’t have direct control over its proprietary software.³

In writing this article, I spoke with a half-dozen librarians who are working on Code Year. They work at both public and academic libraries, in both public and technical service positions.

Why are these diverse librarians interested in learning to code? Some had prior programming background and wanted to keep their skills sharp. Others knew that better knowledge of code would let them save time with everyday tasks. They spoke of being able to understand the online learning modules the library offered; communicate with IT; and get involved with library software. Abigail Goben, Assistant Information Services Librarian and Assistant Professor at UIC Health Sciences Library, spoke for several of her peers when she said learning to code “takes away a lot of the mystique and gives me more confidence.”

That said, most librarians spoke of challenges, too. Learning to code requires stretching one’s brain in new, maybe unfamiliar, ways; while many librarians have some background in HTML and CSS, this doesn’t cover the concepts needed for a true programming language like JavaScript. Code Year (like many programming courses) expects a certain comfort with mathematics, which has been a hurdle for some. It’s time-consuming, and keeping up with the lessons consistently—as well as allowing oneself the time for the lessons to truly sink in—has been difficult.

Therefore, the librarians I spoke to suggested that anyone who wants to learn to code set aside consistent, sufficient time for it. They also recommended finding healthy ways to deal with frustration. Everyone gets frustrated while learning to code; it’s important to remember that this is normal, that there are lots of people out there to help, and that you should be proud of yourself for putting in the effort. Setting manageable goals is important, too. “Learn to code” is big and unhelpful; aiming to take a specific course, learn a specific language, or accomplish a specific project will get you farther.

So, what if I’ve convinced you? You’ve seen how much you can accomplish with just a few lines of code, you want to build your skills and self-confidence: you’d like to learn to code yourself. How can you get started? There are lots of beginner-friendly, often free, resources out there.