Libraries Hacked

Lads

* The primary task in collecting data then becomes to make it widely and openly available. It's not a nice principle for transparency, it's the only real route to quality insight and usage of that data.

Anyway, it feels a joint open data strategy for the sector would still be a valuable thing.

* There is not the expertise, capacity or funding in the sector to do 1% of what needs to be done with library data for the insights and applications that are required. That is a problem to be tackled, but also needs to be acknowledged.

* Don't reinvent the wheel. What is required from libraries is library data. Not library data + IMD + other. These are well established open datasets for a reason, people can use them. Keep requirements down and get the data out.

* Data needs to be open first and built on/analysed second. A constant aspiration is "we will make this widely available when ready" and it then becomes harder and harder (things are never quite ready).

Very few are against open data, it just rarely happens.

Sounds like excellent work being done. Some general points on the area of library data.

* Public libraries still need a culture of open working. Much of this is behind closed doors, and less open than previously. Libraries need spaces to discuss between staff, but that is generally the exception.

A very nice data blog and a reminder that the loans data collected as part of administration of PLR is the most powerful dataset the library and reading sector have, and should be open data, published in as close to real-time as possible.

#LibraryData #OpenData

The challenges of live data - Bath: Hacked CiC We’ve got several live datasets in our data store, including feeds from the air quality sensors, the car park gates, and the availability of bikes on the Next Bike stands around the city. Everyone lov...

For info, there is a good blog here from the Bath Hacked community group which published lots of live data from sensors.

www.bathhacked.org/datastore/th...

yep, fair enough, i think priority is largely the same answer though. the primary task for libraries is really just publishing. cleaning and even analysis always comes after both internally and externally.

the reason being that data is often destroyed unintentionally, by a publishers intention to make it accessible.

so if work is done to aggregate/clean/etc, definitely also publish that. but keep the principle of publishing as close to source as possible

interesting - will get back to my work in a mo, but from these exact conversations from running a couple open data programmes in local councils - whether it's 'better' is a question not for publishers but for users.

and the overwhelming answer was always both, but primarily raw data.

Listening to @artscouncilengland.bsky.social and @biblioluke.bsky.social on work toward public library data / insight platform

Some great principles:
* data is messy - need to use new tech & AI to make sense
* libraries keen to share data but needs to be easy!
* needs to be live - not a snapshot

not to mention...😀:

* needs to be open - not just as a principle but as the primary reason for collecting and distributing widely to enable reuse and insight

The 5 initiatives just seem to be 5 areas in which there needs to be clear government policy and priorities, but instead we can have vague references to how AI and data could help it all.

Probably this has already been mentioned but also you take back books to get more books. Taking part in that repeat process is the incentive.

Anyone can just keep some books, fines or no fines, the fines simply ensures they stay away and those books are lost.

Without the penalty of overdue fines, Burlington County libraries see a sharp increase in usage, cards issued. Many adults still get tickles in their tummies when they recall a childhood of feasting on library books but making sure each was returned on time to avoid an overdue

Getting rid of late fees helped increase circulation stats and people getting library cards www.70and73.com/evesham_marl...

goodnight, and remember: library late fees suck. they simply discourage library use. you should be glad if your library abolished them, and if it hasn’t, you should tell them it should. 📚

Happy new year! I hope you all had a good time.

People across the world keep asking "what is Libraries Hacked going to do in 2026 and why?"

So that's answered here on the library data blog.

blog.librarydata.uk/plans-for-20...

Received my UK public lending right statement (writers receive a payment every time their books are borrowed from the library).

Thanks so much to UK library users for your support for my writing 🙏

Libraries are so important to the fabric of our reading culture – let's keep supporting them.

Everyone benefits better public services, but most of all higher earners.

But regardless, the basic rate should be affordable for those on the lower limits and it currently isn't, let alone raising it. It's not either left wing or right wing to raise the basic rate, it depends on living conditions.

It mainly just looks like a funny screenshot?

Absolutely weird that it's repeatedly called a sweet cider. The Guinness is more annoying these days - copying the kids.

Date of birth is an ethnicity. This is why, for example, the American Census asks for date of birth.

And helps to post the link

activity.librarydata.uk

An illustrative set of dashboard cards showing high level library usage figures such as 126 million loans, with insights like 3 loans per resident per year.

A line graph of physical books loans per month, separated by lines for each age group content type. The line is generally consistent with spikes in the summer for childrens books.

The library activity dashboard is a new project visualising library activity data, as reported by library services across England. It includes Loans, Users, Visits, Events, Computer usage, and WiFi sessions.

Currently in development so feedback particularly welcome!

A quote saying "I have clarified the position with Library Services. In fact, at the date of your request the data was still being compiled and needed to be checked and validated before it is finalised. Until the validation process is complete, the data is not final and therefore not suitable for sharing. Therefore, we did not hold the data you requested at the time of your request. Therefore, my decision is that the Council’s reliance on the future publication exemption may have been misplaced because at the time of your request the Council did not hold the requested information, and did not intend to publish the information at some future date in the format you had requested."

Have had some amazing ones recently. Including at internal review.

This one was just to library visit counts which they absolutely held, but refused to send over until they'd put some high level summaries in their annual report.

In the face of 15 years of serious problems, we are polarising between two camps. One says: There is an answer. Eat your greens, brush your teeth, get your ten thousand steps in. Hard work and patience will fix this. The other says: That’s boring. Too slow. Too much effort. Let’s try something ‘radical’. Drink bleach, why not?

Never quite seen such an article full of straw men. The one on the 'two camps' is possibly the most ludicrous. Why bother writing such a thing?

Grown ups, eat your greens, big choices. Is it a speech or a deep dive blog?

In Edinburgh for #odcamp. Mega stoked.

It seems to be fine. It's understandably very small impact to look at individual digital usage, but that's like the argument against household recycling. The benefits are eclipsed by bigger problems, but personal awareness is not a bad thing.

Did people know this? Is this the next round of cuts? From losing libraries we slowly lose functions. Renewals, PCs? Removing reservations isolates each individual library.

Worth knowing @librariesconnected.bsky.social @cilip.bsky.social @dcmsgovuk.bsky.social