Gaining Strategic Advantage through Bibliomining: Data Mining for Management Decisions in Corporate, Special, Digital, and Traditional Libraries

Abstract

Library and information services in corporations, schools, universities, and communities capture information about their users, circulation history, resources in the collection, and search patterns (Koenig, 1985). Unfortunately, few libraries have taken advantage of these data as a way to improve customer service, manage acquisition budgets, or influence strategic decision-making about uses of information in their organizations. In this chapter, we present a global view of the data generated in libraries and the variety of decisions that those data can inform. We describe ways in which library and information managers can use data mining in their libraries, i.e. bibliomining, to understand patterns of behavior among library users and staff members and patterns of information resource use throughout the institution. The chapter examines data sources and possible applications of data mining techniques and explores the legal and ethical implications of data mining in libraries.