Library catalogues as data: research, practice and usage

Abstract

Through the web of library catalogs, library management systems and myriad digital resources, libraries have become repositories not only for physical and digital information resources but also for enormous amounts of data about the interactions between these resources and their users. Bringing together leading practitioners and academic voices, this book aims to consider library catalogue data as a research resource. Separated into four sections, the book discusses a range of topics surrounding library information and data, including: Practical routes to preparing library catalogue data for researchers; The ethics of library metadata privacy and reuse; Data interoperability across library systems; Data and collections bias; Library-vendor relationships and data licensing; The practical and theoretical issues inherent in reimagining administrative, usage, and bibliographic data as a research resource; and Scholarship that responds to the possibilities of library data.