Serving Maps of Public Library Customer Data over the Internet (www.geolib.org/PLGDB.cfm)

摘要

There is no doubt public libraries are the collectors, organizers and purveyors of information, geographical and text, digital and print. As the speaker above suggests, public libraries are exalted in the current digital galaxy, and looked to as the premiere information source for any topic. The irony lies in the fact that some of the critical informalion collected for customers is also beneficial for better management practices within libraries, yet these data are often overlooked. This type of data includes: US Census data describing America's ever changing populations; local planning data which libraries often house; and local library use data providing insight into a community's life and information needs (Koontz et al., in press).