"I want to make a mashup, but I don't know where to start."
Gary Green, Technical Librarian(Surrey County Council)
Why make a mashup?
• Don’t just accept the information that’s presented to you.
• Can I build on it?
(Image: The Library of Congress, Flickr)
What can you do?
• Combine related information
• Provide new services
• Be creative
(Image: The Library of Congress, Flickr)
Where do you start?
• Outside your system
• Inside your system• Set of basic
records
(Image: LSE Library, Flickr)
How can you build on it?
• Look for connections going out
• Look for information / web site/ resources that connect in
(Image: National Archief, Flickr)
What can you do with this data?
• Create RSS feed– Others can access– You can add to your own
sites
• Put it on a map
(Image: George Eastman House, Flickr)
Got an ISBN?
• Link to other book sites– Reviews– More information
(genre/subject)– Study guides– Full text
(Image: Smithsonian Institution, Flickr)
Got an author?
• Link to– Author reviews– Author profiles– Author videos– Author interviews– Author photos
(Image: Smithsonian Institution, Flickr)
Got a subject/genre?
• Link to– Other items with same
subject/genre– Other sites covering that
subject/genre area
(Image: Powerhouse Museum collection, Flickr)
Got any text?
• Pull out keywords with clever software
• Link out using those keywords
(Image: Tagxedo.com)
For example
• English literature curriculum novels• Link to your catalogue– ISBN, Author, Title
• Link to study guides (bookrags.com?)– ISBN, Author, Title
• Link to film adaptations (imdb.com; your catalogue)– Author, Title
(Image: The National Archives UK, Flickr)
For example
• Popular author list• Link to author profile site
(fantasticfiction.co.uk)– By author– Pull out info inc. location
• Get picture from Flickr– Use name
• Put it on a map– Location
(Image: State Library of New South Wales Collection, Flickr)
For example
• Amazon bestseller feed• Feed into your
catalogue– ISBN, Author, Title
• Provide RSS feed for your customers
• Stock purchase alert
(Image: Cornell University Library, Flickr)
For example
• List of academic courses• List of books• Both contain subjects• List of books you’ve
borrowed• Link all together to show
academic courses that might be of interest to you
(Image: Cornell University Library, Flickr)
For example
• Olympic sports books on catalogue
• Link to local sports clubs– Subject
• Link to relevant part of Olympic site– Subject
• Map info according to where events are held in UK
(Image: LSE Library, Flickr)
A quote from a satisfied customer
• “I was a lonely catalogue record & I spent most of my time sitting idly in a library database. But since I’ve been involved in data mashups it has given me a whole new lease of life & people think I’m so much more interesting.”
(0872871347, A 33 year old hardback)
Thank you
Gary Green (Surrey Libraries)
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