Hands-On Data Science for Librarians

Librarians understand the need to store, use, and analyze data related to their collection, patrons, and institution, but find it difficult to move from out-of-the-box proprietary software applications to the skills necessary to perform data science actions in code. This book will focus on teaching R through relevant examples and skills that librarians need in their day-to-day lives, including visualizations, web scraping, working with maps, creating interactive reports, machine learning, and others. It is intended for librarians and other information professionals in any library type as well as graduate students in library and information science.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 180 pages
Publication date: 09 May 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Librarians recognize the importance of storing, utilizing, and analyzing data related to their collections, patrons, and institutions. Over the past decade, there has been a consistent interest in improving data management, analysis, and visualization skills within the profession. However, librarians face challenges in transitioning from out-of-the-box proprietary software applications to the necessary skills for performing a range of data science actions in code.

This book aims to address this gap by providing practical examples and skills that librarians need in their daily lives, including visualizations but extending far beyond to encompass web scraping, working with maps, creating interactive reports, machine learning, and other relevant topics. While theory, ethics, and statistical methods hold their place, librarians require a tool to gain sufficient facility with R to apply data science skills in their daily work, regardless of the type of library they operate. By walking through each skill and its application to library work before guiding the reader through each line of code, this book aims to support librarians who aspire to incorporate data science into their daily routines.

Hands-On Data Science for Librarians is designed for librarians (and other information professionals) working in any library type, including public, academic, and special libraries, as well as graduate students pursuing degrees in library and information science (LIS). Key Features:
1. Unique Data Science Book for Librarians: This book is the only one specifically tailored to librarians, offering step-by-step code examples that are relevant to their work.
2. Wide-ranging Library Examples: The examples provided cover a diverse range of library types, ensuring that librarians from various sectors can benefit from the insights and techniques shared.
3. Accessible to Non-Technical Professionals: The book is written in a clear and concise manner, making it accessible to librarians who may not have a technical background but are interested in learning data science.
4. Job-Skill Focused: The book emphasizes the practical applications of data science skills, focusing on job-specific tasks and their real-world implications.
5. Comprehensive Coverage: The book covers a wide range of topics, including data cleaning, visualization, machine learning, text analysis, and more, providing librarians with a comprehensive foundation for data science.

In conclusion, Hands-On Data Science for Librarians is a valuable resource for librarians who want to leverage data science to enhance their work and improve the services they provide to their patrons. By offering practical examples and skills that are tailored to the library profession, this book empowers librarians to become more proficient in data management, analysis, and visualization, enabling them to make informed decisions and drive innovation within their libraries.

Weight: 320g
Dimension: 153 x 233 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032080826