This presentation was provided by Michael Levine-Clark of the University of Denver during a joint NISO-ICSTI webinar on the topic of text and data mining on June 30, 2016

1. Text and Data Mining: Library
Opportunities and Challenges
NISO/ICSTI Joint Webinar: Text and Data Mining
June 30, 2016
Michael Levine-Clark
University of Denver

2. TDM: Library Challenges
• Tough to predict
• No out-of-the-box solutions
• Licensing terms often don’t allow it
• Added costs
• Communicating with users

3. TDM: Library Opportunities
• High-impact projects for otherwise low(er)-
use resources
• Coordinating function for a service of growing
value

4. Licensing / Fair Use
• TDM a fair use
– “non-consumptive” use
– A use with a new purpose
• Contracts often explicitly prohibit TDM
• Sometimes TDM isn’t possible without paying
vendor to create a new file, provide access in
a new way

5. Example 1: News Database
• Third-party DB vended by large library vendor
• Long-term project with existing and proven
methodology
• Mining for data on government actions toward
militant groups in terror environments
• Co-PI moved to Denver, needed access
– Initially set up trial
– Once new subscription began, traffic caused
immediate shutdown, but high usage had never been
problem at previous school
– Had to renegotiate, pay extra for TDM access

6. Example 1: Lessons Learned
• Vendors pay attention to spikes in usage
– Those spikes appear to be relative to usage at that
institution
• Just because it’s possible doesn’t mean it’s
allowed

7. Example 2: Large citation database
• Preliminary TDM for NSF grant on factors for
productivity of female scientists
• Contacted library, library contacted publisher,
publisher provided API at no additional cost
• API took several tries to work correctly
• Small, successful project
• Contacting library enabled the library to work
directly with sales rep (an existing
relationship)

8. Example 3: Large Journal Collection
• Research on trauma
• Researchers contacted publisher directly
(bypassing library)
• Took a while to reach the right contact, who
then worked with library
• Set up successful API at no cost
• Took several tries to get API to work correctly

9. Examples 2 and 3: Lessons Learned
• Same publisher
• Some publishers allow TDM via an API
– But knowing whom to contact speeds up the
process
– Getting the API to work correctly is an iterative
process

10. Example 4: News Database
• Team of faculty working on international
relations project
• Vendor required university to sign new license
for TDM and only for the purposes of this
specific project
• Library coordinated this process, but grant
covered the costs

11. Example 4: Lessons Learned
• Some vendors will require extra payment and
negotiation for each individual TDM project.

12. Example 5: 18th C Newspapers
• Vendor required extra payment to deliver
dataset
• Dataset arrived and was unusable
• Stay tuned!

13. Example 5: Lessons Learned
• Vendors are forced to figure this out. Their
ability to deliver data in the right format
needs to improve.

14. Primary Source Collections
• Discussions with two vendors:
– Vendor 1 will allow, but has to set users up
– Vendor 2 will allow, but requires payment to
create a usable data set
• Tremendous opportunity for libraries to
increase value of expensive low-use resources

15. Lack of Predictability
• Projects tend to be one-off
– Can’t easily negotiate/pay at point of initial
licensing
• Often use a data set for a purpose that is
different from original intent
– Can’t assume you know who likely users might be

16. Thank You
Michael Levine-Clark
michael.levine-clark@du.edu