Visualizing Archival Collections for Fun and (Non)Profit Using Google Data Studio
The vast archival holdings of Columbia University’s special collections provide a rich tableau for data visualization and analysis across several dimensions, with a view toward improving discovery, usability, and management of archival collections. The presentation will show how Google Data Studio’s “data blending” feature can be used to weave multiple sources—site metrics from Google Analytics, finding-aid and accession data from ArchivesSpace, and ILS MARC records, among other possibilities—into compelling interactive visualizations yielding practical and sometimes surprising insights hiding in plain sight. Tools and techniques highlighted include Python, Google Query Language, and some hacky but effective regex maneuvers.
