Being an open data advocate
Advocating for open data when everyone agrees with you
Posts by Year
2023
Digital grants programme
Ideas for digital projects to improve library services
2022
Rainy libraries
Using climate data to analyse the rainiest libraries in England
PLR consultation 2022
A response to the Rate Per Loan 2021 to 2022 consultation for Public Lending Right
Library fines
Researching library fines across the UK
Library password encryption
Discovering my library password is held without encryption
A library alt text bot
Creating a bot to promote library web accessibility
Library events and calendars
Sharing calendar dates with libraries and the public
Library data authentication
Securing a system for maintaining open data
Public lending right
How public lending right data works in the UK
2021
Libraries and the environment
Tackling climate change in public libraries
Freedom of information and library stats
They won’t give me public data
Inside out data
Mixing up inputs and outputs
September accessibility challenge
Making the Scottish library strategy accessible web content
Library catalogue API
Providing a platform to search multiple library catalogues
Public library data needs
Can we provide for the needs of all library data users?
Mobile libraries: content sharing
Creating ways of sharing content from the portal to individual sites
In praise of mobile libraries
Why are mobile libraries so interesting?
Libraries on the high street
Analysing public library locations on and around high streets in England
Membership mapping update
Feedback received from initial pilot testing of the membership mapping tool
Library data flows
How library data flows from public libraries to third parties
Great public library services
Examples of excellence in data and technology
Don’t be afraid of data
The data aspect of public library accreditation
Library membership mapping
Instructions for producing maps of library membership
Funding ideas
What could be done with some money?
A funding idea
Documenting an application for a public library innovation project
2020
Digital transformation
Public library digital transformation
Libraries Hacked 2021
Everybody’s losing someone
Library web accessibility
Time to comply with accessibility legislation
Public library membership
The membership dataset of the public libraries data schema
Public library websites
Looking through UK public library online services
2019
Plymouth library finder
Displaying library open data in a library finder
A public library data strategy
Steps to create a strategy for national data in public libraries
National public library data
Encouring good national library data across services
Mobile libraries: Scottish service websites
Assessing mobile library information in Scotland
Mobile libraries: authentication
Managing authentication for mobile library data
Mobile libraries: GPS
Visualising mobile library real-time locations
Open data for library managers
Getting buy-in from senior management for open data
Mobile libraries: iCalendars
Generating iCalendar format data files for mobile library stops
Mobile libraries: routing
Calculating mobile library routes
Mobile libraries: data schema
Designing a data schema to hold mobile library stops and timetables
Mobile libraries: project introduction
Promoting the use of mobile library data to solve problems
2018
Public library stats
Summary of how UK stats for libraries work
Auto renewals
Writing a script to auto-renew your library books
Wales: library locations
Looking at library locations in Wales and access to libraries
Library postcode lottery
Play the English library postcode lottery
2017
What CIPFA did last summer
Stop sending data to CIPFA and divert it to Open Data
Library catchment areas
How do public libraries define catchment areas?
Make it open
A cuture of open by default for 2017
2016
Encryption, library catalogues, and security testing
Testing the encryption of library catalogue websites
World library rankings
Ranking literacy by using global library provision
Wuthering hacks
Newcastle libraries open data process and library hack day
IP data - creating an RSS feed
Use Google apps scripts to make use of IP weekly list data
IP data - mapping applicant postcodes
Looking at intellectual property trademark and patent location data to produce interactive maps.
CIPFA library stats - a race to the bottom
Issues with the UK library performance measures
2015
Where to find public libraries open data
Searching through government portals and local data stores
Making interactive web charts with Highcharts
Linking to CSV data to quickly publish live charts on the web.
Public libraries and deprivation
Analysing the location of libraries and the indices of deprivation
British national bibliography smartwatch app
creating a smartwatch app to show books published or set in the current location
Public libraries open data
Where is the open data investment for public libraries?
Mobile app security testing
Investigating the security of mobile apps
Creating data driven dashboards
Interactive charts that cross-filter data to provide dynamic dashboards.
Create a library news map
Turning RSS WordPress posts into tabular data
A single view of library services
Portals to interact with and combine library catalogue services across authorities and sectors
Making your own library account barcode
A new library app advertises an on screen barcode - but you can do your own
2014
How secure is your library app?
Do you know if your login and personal details are encrypted while using your library app?
Connecting and opening local government data
The challenges of opening up data from local government systems
Hybrid events
Exploring hybrid events within hacks and code events.
Automation on mobile operating systems
Using SL4A to make use of mobile device features and automate tasks
Global library stats
Using YQL to query OCLC global library stats
Making sure your hack sites can’t be hacked
WordPress is a popular platform for hack sites - but it leaves security to the administrator.
Book search auto-complete
Helping users to search for items by looking up API data
Wallpaper ebooks: how could it be done?
Allowing users to access ebooks by holding their phone to wallpaper or posters
Website launched 13th June
Introduction to libraries hacked