Seeing Library Data: A Prototype Data Visualization Application for Librarians |
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| Authors: | Mark Eaton |
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| Institution: | Robert J. Kibbee Library, Kingsborough Community College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York, USA |
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| Abstract: | Visualizations can add value to raw library data. Tools that programmatically make such visualizations interactive can further increase the value of these data by giving librarians visual tools to analyze their datasets. To demonstrate these benefits, Kingsborough Community College Library built SeeCollections (http://b7jl.org/seecollections), a Web application that visualizes the libraries’ collections of books and e-books. This article discusses the how SeeCollections gathers data from Kingsborough's discovery layer API (Application Programming Interface) and transforms these data to create visualizations for the Web. SeeCollections is a lightweight, proof-of-concept data application based on a vendor API. API data are often accessible in academic libraries but are frequently underutilized. SeeCollections was built to demonstrate the immediate value of these API data sources to Kingsborough librarians by providing a visual interface to discovery layer data. Keeping in mind the broader literature on data visualization, this article will explore how SeeCollections was built. |
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| Keywords: | visualization academic libraries data API (application programming interface) |
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