Ben Vershbow (NYPL Labs director) and Shana Kimball (NYPL Labs public programs & outreach) on Data Landscapes of the New York Public Library:

NYPL Labs is an interdisciplinary team working to reposition library collections for the Internet, and to explore new roles and tactics for libraries in a data-driven society. In this talk, Ben Vershbow and Shana Kimball will explore the emerging role of the library as a data aggregator, curator, and clearinghouse. Specifically, they will look at: how NYPL is working with the public to mine data from historical materials (and how some of that data is being used); how they’re beginning to transition from siloed catalogs and websites into a linked data and API-driven library platform; and they’ll explore together, in conversation, how the role of libraries might evolve as a key part of the civic information infrastructure of communities, and how libraries might support data-driven research in a public context.