Recently, Simmons College SLIS wrote a blog post around the idea of libraries as platforms. Platforms, defined by David Weinberger in his Library Journal article, are “about developing knowledge and community, and would:
- Be open to all
- Give access to every scrap of information it has, including its digital content, but also metadata about that content, its usage, and the social interactions around it
- Enable new products and services to be built by anyone with an idea
- Integrate everything the library knows into the entire Net ecosystem”
Weinberger continues by pointing out that in order for libraries to become platforms, they “should provide access to everything it can, including some treasures traditionally they have yet to make available,” and “enable social knowledge networks to emerge and flourish.”
One library that has taken “Library as a Platform” to heart is the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA). Through an application programming interface (API), developers are able to create engaging apps or tools for discovery that utilize the DPLA data. On their developer website, the DPLA has examples and sample code that can help facilitate the process.
How are you creating a Library Platform at your library?
Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/o4or8cn, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0