Analyzing societal issues using library information resources
Unveiling Trends in Renewable Energy and Creative Industries
In a recent development, the study titled "The migrant and skills needs of creative businesses in the UK," authored by India Kerle, Data Scientist at Nesta, and Dr Cath Sleeman, Quantitative Research Fellow at Nesta, sheds light on two distinct yet interconnected areas: the labor demands and immigration needs of businesses in the creative industries, and the evolution of renewable energy knowledge over time.
The report provides valuable insights into the employment requirements within the creative sector, as well as the migrant and skills needs of businesses in the UK. It was commissioned by the Creative Industries Council, offering a comprehensive view of the sector's landscape.
Meanwhile, the study on library catalogue data reveals that it serves as a valuable, structured resource for mapping the historical growth and evolving contours of renewable energy knowledge. By analyzing bibliographic records, subject headings, publication dates, and thematic coverage of materials collected in the catalogue, researchers can track changes in research focus, emerging subtopics, policy trends, and technological innovations over time.
Library catalogue data offers several key advantages for such analysis. For instance, it allows for chronological analysis of publications, subject and thematic mapping, interdisciplinary coverage, and the identification of geographical and institutional patterns.
Furthermore, beyond historical and thematic analysis, this form of analysis can be expanded to include knowledge graph and semantic relationship exploration, AI-driven metadata enrichment and trend prediction, bibliometric and network analysis, resource assessment and collection development, and cross-institutional and global data aggregation.
In the creative industries, data can serve to confirm macrotrends and highlight unexpected or hidden topics. Notably, the global exports of creative goods have experienced a substantial increase since the beginning of the analyzed period, surpassing $500 billion USD in 2015, marking a 150% increase since an unspecified year.
Nesta, an innovation foundation focused on three societal challenges: A Sustainable Future, A Healthy Life, and A Fairer Start, is at the forefront of these developments. Their study shows that topics related to renewable energy have been in the literature for a surprisingly long period of time, with records dating back to the mid 19th century.
Moreover, recent networks reveal increased specialisation both beyond and across earlier topic areas, suggesting a growing interaction between different forms of renewable energy. This study on library catalogue data provides a promising avenue for understanding these trends and guiding future research and collection strategies.
Lastly, the Library Discovery hub API, an open resource, could be used to construct a real-time monitoring system for any given topic, including tracking growth in the number of publications across keywords as well as the evolution of subject areas over time. This system could help identify prominent scholars in keywords or topic areas, offering valuable insights for researchers and policymakers alike.
- The study authored by India Kerle and Dr Cath Sleeman provides an analysis of the migrant and skills needs of businesses in the creative industries and the evolution of renewable energy knowledge over time.
- Library catalogue data serves as a valuable, structured resource for mapping the historical growth and evolving contours of renewable energy knowledge, providing insights into research focus, emerging subtopics, policy trends, and technological innovations.
- In the creative industries, data can help confirm macrotrends and highlight unexpected or hidden topics, with global exports of creative goods experiencing a substantial increase to over $500 billion USD in 2015.
- Nesta, an innovation foundation focused on societal challenges like A Sustainable Future, A Healthy Life, and A Fairer Start, is leading these developments, with their study showing that topics related to renewable energy have a longer history than previously thought, with records dating back to the mid 19th century.
- Recent research on library catalogue data indicates increased specialization in forms of renewable energy, suggesting a growing interaction between different forms.
- The Library Discovery hub API, an open resource, could be used to construct a real-time monitoring system for any given topic, helping to identify prominent scholars in keywords or topic areas and offering insights for researchers and policymakers alike.
- Skills in areas such as data analysis, science, environmental science, data-and-cloud-computing, and technology will be crucial for understanding trends in renewable energy and the creative industries, shaping future research and collection strategies, and contributing to a more sustainable economy.
