Quick Summary
When I think of Big Data, often I immediately feel overwhelmed. The amount of time and resources it would take to strategize, wrangle, and analyze big data, among all the other daily duties of the job, has me quickly putting the concept on the back burner.
When I think of Big Data, often I immediately feel overwhelmed. The amount of time and resources it would take to strategize, wrangle, and analyze big data, among all the other daily duties of the job, has me quickly putting the concept on the back burner. However, I recently read the June edition of ACRL’s Keeping Up With . . . series on “Big Data” written by Mark Bieraugel, Business Librarian at California Polytechnic State University, and couldn’t resist entertaining the tantalizing possibilities that could come from big data projects. Decisions and innovations based on data rather than anecdotal evidence – ahhh! What many of us desire, yes?
Libraries have been using big or (what I like to call) medium-sized data for good. But often a lack of staff time and resources gets in the way of pursuing those projects. The Bieraugel piece brought the subject back to mind and has me brainstorming ways in which we can merge data to enrich and enhance our services. How might big data be relevant to the work you do in your library? Do you dream of big data projects and the potential good that can come from them? Are you yearning for more data driven decisions? Is your library already engaged in big or medium-sized data projects? If so, drop us a line at mtxref@umn.edu and tell us about it. We’d love to hear how you and your colleagues are using data to improve services, spaces, and resources in your library. For your edutainment, here’s a good six minute TED Ed video on Big Data. Enjoy or share with a colleague.