Presentation on mashups, mashed libraries, and how to hold a mashed library event given at CILIPS Conference 2011

1. Mashing Libraries to
Build Communities
Owen Stephens
CILIPS Annual Conference June 2011
Tuesday, 7 June 2011

2. 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

3. Tuesday, 7 June 2011
So much data has a geographic aspect - when you combine that with map data, powerful way to
visualise things
Google Maps has clearly led the way here, but with the Ordnance Survey opening up their data, this
opens new opportunities in the UK

4. Powered by craigslist and Google Maps
(this site is in no way affiliated with craigslist or Google)
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
So much data has a geographic aspect - when you combine that with map data, powerful way to
visualise things
Google Maps has clearly led the way here, but with the Ordnance Survey opening up their data, this
opens new opportunities in the UK

5. Tuesday, 7 June 2011
US Government produced catalogue of available data at data.gov

6. Tuesday, 7 June 2011
UK Government data.gov.uk

7. Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Now other organisations doing similar - Universities like data.open.ac.uk (and others)

8. Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Local Government - eg Warwickshire

9. Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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!

10. Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Australian initiative to encourage Library mashups - http://libraryhack.org/

11. Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Libraryhack entry ‘Queensland Churches’
http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/qld/default.aspx

12. Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Not just about pretty things for library customers though
The 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 Geneseo
Brings together disparate information sources with key data, such as: uniqueness; free online sources;
reviews and rankings; and purchasing options and prices

13. Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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.

14. http://discovery.ac.uk
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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.

15. How to Mash
Putting Warwickshire Libraries on the Map
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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/

16. <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>alcesterlibrary@warwickshire.gov.uk</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>
...
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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/

17. Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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/

18. Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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/

19. <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>alcesterlibrary@warwickshire.gov.uk</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>
...
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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/

20. <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>alcesterlibrary@warwickshire.gov.uk</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>
...
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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/

21. <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>alcesterlibrary@warwickshire.gov.uk</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>
...
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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/

22. <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>alcesterlibrary@warwickshire.gov.uk</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>
...
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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/

23. <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>alcesterlibrary@warwickshire.gov.uk</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>
...
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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/

24. <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>alcesterlibrary@warwickshire.gov.uk</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>
...
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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/

25. <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>alcesterlibrary@warwickshire.gov.uk</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>
...
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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/

26. <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>alcesterlibrary@warwickshire.gov.uk</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>
...
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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/

27. Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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/

28. Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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/

29. Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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

30. Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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.

31. Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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.

32. Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Mashedlibrary.com
Lists of tools on the wiki at mashedlibrary.com in the cookbook
Ideas and examples:
Enid, Paul, Tony, Dave, Chris, Gary, others, me
Enhancing Reading Lists with Yahoo Pipes
Horror mashup
F1/Election visualisations

33. http://www.mashedlibrary.com
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Mashedlibrary.com
Lists of tools on the wiki at mashedlibrary.com in the cookbook
Ideas and examples:
Enid, Paul, Tony, Dave, Chris, Gary, others, me
Enhancing Reading Lists with Yahoo Pipes
Horror mashup
F1/Election visualisations

34. Step 1: Find a venue, get
a date
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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

35. Step 1: Find a venue, get
a date
(this gives you a deadline!)
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
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

36. Step 2: Put it on the
Mashed Library wiki
Tuesday, 7 June 2011

37. Step 2: Put it on the
Mashed Library wiki
(or advertise elsewhere)
Tuesday, 7 June 2011

38. Step 3: Find speakers
Tuesday, 7 June 2011

39. Step 3: Find speakers
(if you want)
Tuesday, 7 June 2011

40. Step 4: Look for
sponsorship
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Don’t need much money, best sponsorship may be getting the venue donated!

41. Step 4: Look for
sponsorship
(companies, publishers, data providers, Universities, etc.)
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Don’t need much money, best sponsorship may be getting the venue donated!

42. Step 5: Catering
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Cake is very important

43. Step 5: Catering
(but can tell people to bring their own, or have near/in a
cafe if you want)
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Cake is very important

44. Step 6: Let people
register
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Charging? Maybe good to have nominal charge - makes people commit. But not necessary.

45. Step 6: Let people
register
(and pay if you are charging)
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Charging? Maybe good to have nominal charge - makes people commit. But not necessary.

46. What’s the worst that can happen?
Tuesday, 7 June 2011

47. Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Remember - Doesn’t have to be a big all day event - DMU MashedLibrary - lunchtime
sessions run at De Montford University in Leicester

48. Acknowledgements
Grey Album promotional art
Justin Hampton (originally posted on http://www.dangermousesite.com/)
Housing Maps
http://www.housingmaps.com/
data.gov
http://www.data.gov/
data.gov.uk
http://data.gov.uk/
data.open.ac.uk
http://data.open.ac.uk
opendata.warwickshire.gov.uk
opendata.warwickshire.gov.uk
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Acknowledgements

49. Acknowledgements
Warwickshire Libraries: New Releases
Lewis Wagner, http://www.lewiswagner.me/
Library:/hack/
http://libraryhack.org
Queensland Churches
http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/qld/default.aspx
GIST
State University of New York College at Geneseo
discovery.ac.uk
http://discovery.ac.uk
ouseful.info
http://ouseful.info
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Acknowledgements

50. Acknowledgements
I
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/6338027/
N
http://www.flickr.com/photos/evaekeblad/2450068078/
F
http://www.flickr.com/photos/takomabibelot/2660603215/
O
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16324044@N00/2199141162/
R
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16324044@N00/2693739622/
M
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16324044@N00/2449152095/
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Acknowledgements

51. Acknowledgements
I
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/38837032/
O
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16324044@N00/2083198868/
N
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16324044@N00/2168891945/
Mashed Museums
Mike Ellis, http://electronicmuseum.org.uk/2008/06/27/mashed-museum-2008/
Mashed Libraries/OʼReilly Cover
@daveyp
Volley Match
mauspray, http://www.flickr.com/photos/mauspray/3683885650/in/photostream/
DMU Mashed Library
http://librarymashups.our.dmu.ac.uk/
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Acknowledgements