Mashing libraries to build communities - CILIPS 2011

Mashing Libraries to Build CommunitiesOwen StephensCILIPS Annual Conference June 2011

Tuesday, 7 June 2011


What is a mashup? “a digital media file containing any or all of text, graphics, audio, video, and animation, which recombines and modifies existing digital works to create a derivative work.”

For me - creativity meets technology. While I think it is arguable that technology is not an essential part of this, I believe it is the ease with which digital content can be repurposed latter not essential but enables?

Probably earliest ʻmashupsʼ were musical (term coined around 2001 as far as I can tell) - the Grey Album being a high profile example (2004) - remixing JayZeeʼs Black Album with samples from the Beatles White Album.With the increasing availability of video in digital form, as well as ways to share the results easily (i.e. YouTube), video mashups also became common

However the mashups Iʼll be talking about today mashup not music or video, but information


So much data has a geographic aspect - when you combine that with map data, powerful way to visualise thingsGoogle Maps has clearly led the way here, but with the Ordnance Survey opening up their data, this opens new opportunities in the UK

Powered by craigslist and Google Maps(this site is in no way affiliated with craigslist or Google)


So much data has a geographic aspect - when you combine that with map data, powerful way to visualise thingsGoogle Maps has clearly led the way here, but with the Ordnance Survey opening up their data, this opens new opportunities in the UK


US Government produced catalogue of available data at data.gov


UK Government data.gov.uk


Now other organisations doing similar - Universities like data.open.ac.uk (and others)


Local Government - eg Warwickshire


What happens? My local council (Warwickshire) released a number of data sets and ran a competition to encourage local developers to build applications on top of this data. One set of data with a list of new books in the library - and a local developer (nothing to do with libraries) built this - shows books, covers (from Amazon) and links to previews in Google books. This WON the competition.

Not the only example. Rewired State is an organisation which “runs hackdays where developers show government what is possible”, recently ran a ‘Youth’ event - and one of the winners was based around integrating library services into Facebook

Believe it or not Library Data is SEXY!


Australian initiative to encourage Library mashups - http://libraryhack.org/


Libraryhack entry ‘Queensland Churches’http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/qld/default.aspx


Not just about pretty things for library customers thoughThe Getting It System Toolkit (GIST) is a customizable set of tools and workflows that will enhance interlibrary loan and just-in-time acquisitions services; purchase request processing; and cooperative collection development efforts. Developed at the State University of New York College at GeneseoBrings together disparate information sources with key data, such as: uniqueness; free online sources; reviews and rankings; and purchasing options and prices


Discovery - UK initiative from JISC & others - create resource discovery services based on a rich set of open metadata published using a clear set of principles and practices.

http://discovery.ac.uk


Discovery - UK initiative from JISC & others - create resource discovery services based on a rich set of open metadata published using a clear set of principles and practices.

How to MashPutting Warwickshire Libraries on the Map


The mashup described in this presentation is documented in more detail at http://www.meanboyfriend.com/overdue_ideas/2010/04/putting-warwickshire-libraries-on-the-map/

<libraries><library><name>Alcester Library & Information Centre</name><address><street>Priory Road</street><area>Alcester</area><town_city/><county>Warwickshire</county><postcode>B49 5DZ</postcode></address><telno>01789 762 430</telno><faxno>01789 762 430</faxno><email>[email protected]</email><link>http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/Web/corporate/pages.nsf/Links/53567CD897E0920880256A170054DA1E</link><coordinates>52.21433367801476,-1.8734559416770935</coordinates><image>http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/Web/graphics/Graphics.nsf/graphics/AlcesterExterior20Other/$file/AlcesterExterior20Other.jpg</image></library><library><name>Atherstone Library & Information Centre</name><address>...




Have a look at http://blog.ouseful.info/2011/04/04/just-do-it-yourself-my-uksg-presentation/ or basically the whole of http://blog.ouseful.info for useful tips and tricks for getting started (and getting more complex) with mashups. Suggest UKSG presentation good starting place


Gary Green (@ggnewed) said via twitter - it’s all about looking at Information from a different point of view.This struck a chord with me. When you see the best mashups, you wonder why you didn’t think of it first! Then you wish you could do it

You can! Stop thinking of information as a body of work, but something that you can disaggregate and recombine. Look for the sources and tools that help you do this.

Librarians always manipulated information - it is a key skill set. The difficult part of mashups is not the tech stuff - it is about identifying information that can be sensibly mashed and presenting it in a compelling and accessible way. Have to assess provenance of information. Have to know the boundaries of what we are doing.


How can we find the resource to do this type of innovation? Doesn’t have to be ££££ Barcamps and Unconferences

The final push to do something was an event organised by Mike Ellis - previously at the Science Museum, now at Eduserve - the ‘Mashed Museums’ event. So I shamelessly reappropriated the name and so...

Mashed Libraries

After I got back from ALA, I wrote a speculative post for my blog suggesting the idea, and got a really enthusiastic response. Luckily I was at a meeting with Paul Walk from UKOLN that same week, and he encouraged me to press ahead and offered support from UKOLN to make the first event happen.

I setup a ning to enable discussions and get some idea of who might come along and what they’d like to see on the day.We got a venue provided for free (by David Flanders, then at Birkbeck, now at JISC) , the catering costs covered by UKOLN, and speakers who all gave their time for free - and about 30 people came along.

There were problems (not enough power, and me failing to organise vegan options on the catering) - but overall it was fun, and the response was positive, and Dave Pattern quickly volunteered to run a 2nd event in Huddersfield - Mash Oop North. This was quickly followed by Middlemash at Birmingham City University in the same year, followed by ‘Liver and Mash’ (Liverpool). The next event is at the end of this month (MashSpa in Bath - still time to sign up), and currently Haggis and Mash in Edinburgh in January 2011 being planned, with a further one being hosted at the University of Lincoln at some point in 2011

For me as much as the events is the ongoing sense of community - I think we are starting to build a community of tech interested and able librarians - and others (not just about librarians!) - twitter key for me.


Mashedlibrary.com

Lists of tools on the wiki at mashedlibrary.com in the cookbook

Ideas and examples:Enid, Paul, Tony, Dave, Chris, Gary, others, meEnhancing Reading Lists with Yahoo PipesHorror mashupF1/Election visualisations

http://www.mashedlibrary.com


Mashedlibrary.com

Lists of tools on the wiki at mashedlibrary.com in the cookbook

Ideas and examples:Enid, Paul, Tony, Dave, Chris, Gary, others, meEnhancing Reading Lists with Yahoo PipesHorror mashupF1/Election visualisations

Step 1: Find a venue, get a date


Organising a Mashed Library event is simple. 6 Steps described here, see also http://mashedlibrary.com/wiki/index.php?title=Organise_a_Mashed_Library_event

Step 1: Find a venue, get a date

(this gives you a deadline!)


Organising a Mashed Library event is simple. 6 Steps described here, see also http://mashedlibrary.com/wiki/index.php?title=Organise_a_Mashed_Library_event

Step 2: Put it on the Mashed Library wiki


Step 2: Put it on the Mashed Library wiki

(or advertise elsewhere)


Step 3: Find speakers


Step 3: Find speakers(if you want)


Step 4: Look for sponsorship


Don’t need much money, best sponsorship may be getting the venue donated!

Step 4: Look for sponsorship

(companies, publishers, data providers, Universities, etc.)


Don’t need much money, best sponsorship may be getting the venue donated!

Step 5: Catering


Cake is very important

Step 5: Catering (but can tell people to bring their own, or have near/in a

cafe if you want)


Cake is very important

Step 6: Let people register


Charging? Maybe good to have nominal charge - makes people commit. But not necessary.

Step 6: Let people register

(and pay if you are charging)


Charging? Maybe good to have nominal charge - makes people commit. But not necessary.

What’s the worst that can happen?



Remember - Doesn’t have to be a big all day event - DMU MashedLibrary - lunchtime sessions run at De Montford University in Leicester

Grey Album promotional artJustin Hampton (originally posted on http://www.dangermousesite.com/)

Housing Mapshttp://www.housingmaps.com/

data.govhttp://www.data.gov/

data.gov.ukhttp://data.gov.uk/

data.open.ac.ukhttp://data.open.ac.uk

opendata.warwickshire.gov.ukopendata.warwickshire.gov.uk

Acknowledgements


Acknowledgements

Warwickshire Libraries: New ReleasesLewis Wagner, http://www.lewiswagner.me/

Library:/hack/http://libraryhack.org

Queensland Churcheshttp://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/qld/default.aspx

GISTState University of New York College at Geneseo

discovery.ac.ukhttp://discovery.ac.uk

ouseful.infohttp://ouseful.info

Acknowledgements


Acknowledgements

Ihttp://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/6338027/

Nhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/evaekeblad/2450068078/

Fhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/takomabibelot/2660603215/

Ohttp://www.flickr.com/photos/16324044@N00/2199141162/

Rhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/16324044@N00/2693739622/

Mhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/16324044@N00/2449152095/

Acknowledgements


Acknowledgements

I http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/38837032/

O http://www.flickr.com/photos/16324044@N00/2083198868/

Nhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/16324044@N00/2168891945/

Mashed MuseumsMike Ellis, http://electronicmuseum.org.uk/2008/06/27/mashed-museum-2008/

Mashed Libraries/OʼReilly Cover@daveyp

Volley Matchmauspray, http://www.flickr.com/photos/mauspray/3683885650/in/photostream/

DMU Mashed Libraryhttp://librarymashups.our.dmu.ac.uk/

Acknowledgements


Acknowledgements

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mauspray/3683885650/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mauspray/3683885650/in/photostream/

Mashing libraries to build communities - CILIPS 2011

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