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Darlene Fichter

Phone: 306-966-7209
Fax: 306-966-6040
Email:darlene.fichter@usask.ca

Murray Library

University of Saskatchewan

3 Campus Drive

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

S7N 5A4

Mashups and Libraries: Resources, Articles and Links

Compiled by Darlene Fichter

What's a Mashup?

A “mashup” mixes content from independent sources to create something new. Some of the most well-known mashups use Google or Yahoo maps to display information such as crime, photos, hospitals, Starbuck coffee shops etc.

Many mashups are simple to create and require little technical know-how, allowing Webmasters of all sorts to put on their creative thinking cap. Web sites offering online tools to create mashups are getting easier to use by non-programmers all the time.

This resource page will provide a list of some interesting library and informational mashups. It will provide links to presentations and articles and examples that highlight how libraries can remix(mashup) library content with other services to create new and innovative services.

Find some very simple mashup tools that you can use to build mashups that you can use online as well as some more sophisticated applications that require a bit of technical know-how. Find out about software and toolkits that you can install on your web server to create mashups, too.

Jump start your thinking on the new Web 2.0 ecosystem that relies on symbiotic relationships and communities rather than "monolithic systems".

Where to Start: Getting an Overview of Mashups and Libraries

Watch the presentation: Mashups : A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That, for a good introduction to mashups peppered with library examples and ideas.

Mashups Created by Libraries

Map Mashups

  • Branch Locations, Cambridge Public Library, Cambridge, Ontario. Library Addresses + Google Maps

Book/Library Resources Mashups

  • Hamilton Area Air Photos, McMaster Library - Google Maps + collection of 5,000 aerial photos Impressive discovery tool
  • Book Cover Carousel - Cambridge Public Library, Cambridge, Ontario. New Book Information + Syndetic Book Covers Prettiest Mashup - More Info

Gadgets and Widgets

  • Go-Go Google Gadget shows holds, popular items, items due, etc on Google Personalized Home page - Library catalogue system data + Google Personal Home Page

News/RSS Mashups

  • Newsmap -using Google News and visualization to show news coverage by topic by country

Email me about other library mashups to list here.

Patron Created Mashups

Library Data Sources - Steal This Library Data

  • LibraryThing API includes Common Knowledge, a LibraryThing technology that lets you contribute interesting facts and data about books, authors, editions, and other items within the LibraryThing univers
  • Library APIs compilied by Roy Tennant
  • Steal This Library - ists and RSS feeds of new acquisitions at Multnomah County Library - Portland, OR, Peninsula Library System - CA, and San Francisco Public Library - San Francisco, CA. (NO LONGER WORKING)

Useful Mashups on the Reference Desk

Create Your Own Mashup

Mashup Builders and Tools (Hosted)

Very Simple to use

  • Google My Maps - click on My Maps and then click to add a pushpin
  • frappr - people + Google Maps
  • Community Walk - Create walking tours of historic buildings/photos, setting for works of fiction, etc. Map + Points of Interest

A Little More Know-How

  • Yahoo Pipes - merge several different XML information sources together

Mashup Toolkits (Local Installations)

  • Google Maps API - Request a Maps API key and host Google maps/mashups on your own web site
  • Yahoo Map API
  • Amazon API

Tool Reviews



Presentations

Podcasts

Articles

Do you know of an article to add to the list? Email me.

Other Resources on Mashups



Related Resources on Libraries and Web 2.0 Tools



Mashups News and Links from My Furl Bookmarks

Last Updated: September 25, 2008