As I am studying to become a librarian IRL it’s a role I’d very much like to play on SS14 as well, though as of now I don’t as it is very empty of things to do except RP and also there is not much in the library that gathers the attention of other crew members (I’m not much into roleplaying playing roleplaying games inside a roleplaying game). This has gotten me to think of ways to improve the librarian role and make it a somewhat more relevant position in the NanoTrasen workforce.
Libraries, huh! What are they good for?
Why do people visit libraries? Either they like to read for the joy of it in itself (already available in SS14 with a few books that not many people really cares about), or they want to find information that help them solve a problem or improve a skill. Books, and library research, is an asset in real life that I think could be translated into making for an interesting SS14 position.
“Book artefacts” - high-tech manuals or ancient tomes that, for example, could be found in expeditions, maints or be researched and have to be researched/explored/translated/interpreted by the librarian in different ways depending on the subject of study (somewhat similar to the xenoarcheology in science). Some could need the use of other books already available in the library for translation etc; some need holy objects from the chapel for holy texts; some food/gardening equipment for cook-/gardening books; tools or other stuff for science/engi manuals; random stuff for general knowledge books; etc etc… The reward for the librarian completing a book research project I imagine could be a small bonus for anyone reading it, either some type of skill bonus, a new skill or a new recipe - relevant to the kind of book researched. Nothing big (mostly, depending on the rarity of the book and how hard it is to research) but still enough to make it worth it to make the crew come visit the library once the librarian is starting to have a decent collection built. Maybe one could even put some kind of timer it has to be in the readers possession for the bonus to kick in (for them to “finish reading it”), so that the crew will borrow the book with them for a while and the librarian have to make sure they get returned…
This is a first idea I had today, good enough (in my head at least) for me to post here in case someone who has the wizardry skill to make changes to the game would find it good enough to work on. In case it is doable and well received maybe I can come up with more stuff as my studies continue. It would of course also be interesting to hear if there are other suggestions or ideas on how to improve this role.
I think you might be onto something here. Because librarian is not a role that is always filled on station I think that having some way of helping sci get higher tier research would be cool. such as say if sci wanted to unlock more the the 1 tier 4? (have not played sci for a while) techs they could acquire research from the librarian to maybe unlock that tech. I think a cool unqie library research console would be cool as well.
As a librarian main and LIS, I’ve had a few thoughts:
Give the librarian a mass media console. Essentially a reporter without a television camera.
Add a library computer (and book scanner). It doesn’t need to be persistent.
Restrict access to the guidebook with the space encyclopedia. Or gate access to specific guidebook entries behind their own books.
Add books to maints and salvage loot. Another way to find books for the collection.
Randomise the guidebooks crate. It shouldn’t be so easy to have a full set.
Give the librarian a (secure) filing cabinet (for creating an archive). This could be in their quarters.
Museology. Give me display cases for spent alien artefacts. Paintings, too, if that’s ever added.
Roleplay-wise, I’d like to see more player-written guides. I keep my own collection of player-submitted books, papers and documents. I wish more people would go to the librarian for help filing/filling paperwork. The librarian should be CC’d documents (medical records, research notes, investigations) to build an archive. However — just like real life — I realise very few people appreciate recording things (or making backups).
Mechanically, I wish the librarian had more synergies with the medical and research departments. Akin to alien artefacts, there could be alien tomes / memory crystals with similar gameplay to xenoarchaeology (maybe they need to be ‘unlocked’ by a passphrase?). Perhaps a system akin to cargo and mail where the station receives a resource/benefits for submitting things to the library. Research could submit research papers to the library for bonus points. If antispreadsheeting measures are added, the library could populate with procedural research papers and articles that give hints on the current values. If languages are added, the librarian could be an interpreter.
I also wish there were just more books. Most libraries in the game have way more space than can be filled in a single shift, especially if you’re categorising/classifying books. This would also be solved by reducing the capacity of bookshelves.
I dislike stat boosts; they encourage powergaming. I also find magic and psionics uninspiring and only ever under- or overpowered, there seems to be no inbetween, so I would not like to see paladins or discount wizards.
As a librarian main and LIS, I’ve had a few thoughts:
Give the librarian a mass media console. Essentially a reporter without a television camera.
Add a library computer (and book scanner). It doesn’t need to be persistent.
Restrict access to the guidebook with the space encyclopedia. Or gate access to specific guidebook entries behind their own books.
Add books to maints and salvage loot. Another way to find books for the collection.
Randomise the guidebooks crate. It shouldn’t be so easy to have a full set.
Give the librarian a (secure) filing cabinet (for creating an archive). This could be in their quarters.
Museology. Give me display cases for spent alien artefacts. Paintings, too, if that’s ever added.
Roleplay-wise, I’d like to see more player-written guides. I keep my own collection of player-submitted books, papers and documents. I wish more people would go to the librarian for help filing/filling paperwork. The librarian should be CC’d documents (medical records, research notes, investigations) to build an archive. However — just like real life — I realise very few people appreciate recording things (or making backups).
Mechanically, I wish the librarian had more synergies with the medical and research departments. Akin to alien artefacts, there could be alien tomes / memory crystals with similar gameplay to xenoarchaeology (maybe they need to be ‘unlocked’ by a passphrase?). Perhaps a system akin to cargo and mail where the station receives a resource/benefits for submitting things to the library. Research could submit research papers to the library for bonus points. If antispreadsheeting measures are added, the library could populate with procedural research papers and articles that give hints on the current values. If languages are added, the librarian could be an interpreter.
I also wish there were just more books. Most libraries in the game have way more space than can be filled in a single shift, especially if you’re categorising/classifying books. This would also be solved by reducing the capacity of bookshelves.
I dislike stat boosts; they encourage powergaming. I also find magic and psionics uninspiring and only ever under- or overpowered, there seems to be no inbetween, so I would not like to see paladins or discount wizards.
I agree with everything here except the restricted access to the guidebook. for new players, it is hard enough to learn the game, let alone be gatekept from learning by the librarian. That being said, the librarian could lead advanced workshops on some hard topics as a fun side project.