Tom Cramer
Chief Technology Strategist, University Libraries
Stanford University
Nora Dimmock
Deputy University Librarian
Brown University
Elisabeth Long
Associate University Librarian
University of Chicago
Joe Zucca
Associate University Librarian
University of Pennsylvania
Every library project is a data project, yet gathering library data across institutions is a perennial hassle, with each need presenting small but significant technical, logistical, and schema challenges. When the Ivy Plus Library Confederation (IPLC) recently needed to pool metadata for its interlibrary loan service, the group deliberately took a different approach. Instead of creating 13 one-off, highly tailored data feeds, participating libraries instead created an IPLC data lake with a superset of our metadata. The supporting system, POD, is now operational, and IPLC data is available for low-friction reuse for new projects ranging from collection development to resource sharing and data mining. This session will describe the experience; explore the potential of data lakes for libraries; and discuss how they may feed new forms of collaboration, innovation, and service development.
