POST: The Networked Catalog

Matt Miller (NYPL Labs) has written a post introducing an experimental interactive network visualization of the New York Public Library’s catalog data. The NYPL Labs team have been “fascinated with our catalog and the possibilities its data represent,” and asked:

[W]hat if the catalog had a “See All” button? What if you could see everything at once, to get the big picture about what subjects the library has information on and what are the related topics? 

Using the catalog’s subject heading information, the team created a force-directed network to “explore the vast materials living at NYPL.” Miller also includes fascinating visualizations and links to a simulation from the project.

Author: Roxanne Shirazi

Roxanne is the Dissertation Research Librarian at the Graduate Center, CUNY.