Abstract
Book-recommendation systems are increasingly common, from Amazon to public library interfaces. However, for archives and special collections, such automated assistance has been rare. This is partly due to the complexity of descriptions (finding aids describing whole collections) and partly due to the complexity of the collections themselves (what is this collection about and how is it related to another collection?). The American Philosophical Society Library is using circulation data collected through the collection-management software package, Aeon, to automate recommendations. In our system, which we’re calling PAL (People Also Liked), recommendations are offered in two ways: based on interests (“You’re interested in X, other people interested in X looked at these collections”) and on specific requests (“You’ve looked at Y, other people who looked at Y also looked that these collections”). This article will discuss the development of PAL and plans for the system. We will also discuss ongoing concerns and issues, how patron privacy is protected, and the possibility of generalizing beyond any specific software solution.
Highlights
The American Philosophical Society Library (APS) is an independent research library in Philadelphia
The majority of the library’s holdings are manuscripts, with a large amount of audio material, maps, and graphics, most of which are described in finding aids created using Encoded Archival Description (EAD) standards
In addition to traditional in-person, email, and phone reference, the APS has spent years creating search and browse interfaces, subject guides, and web exhibitions to promote the collections.1. As part of these ongoing efforts to connect users with collections, the APS is working on an automated recommendation system to reuse circulation data gathered through Aeon
Summary
The American Philosophical Society Library (APS) is an independent research library in Philadelphia. In addition to traditional in-person, email, and phone reference, the APS has spent years creating search and browse interfaces, subject guides, and web exhibitions to promote the collections.1 As part of these ongoing efforts to connect users with collections, the APS is working on an automated recommendation system to reuse circulation data gathered through Aeon. Developed by Atlas Systems, Aeon is a “request and workflow management software designed for special collections libraries and archives,” and it enables the APS to gather statistics on both the use of our manuscript collections and on aspects of the library’s users.. The history of recommendation systems in libraries has informed the ongoing development of PAL We use both the content-based and the collaborative filtering approach to offering recommendations to users.
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