Analyzing societal issues with the aid of library statistics

Analyzing societal issues with the aid of library statistics

In a groundbreaking study, researchers India Kerle and Dr Cath Sleeman from Nesta have delved into the world of library data to shed light on the development of renewable energy sources and their impact on societal challenges. The report, titled "The Needs of Creative Businesses in the UK: A Focus on Renewable Energy and Sustainability," offers insights into technological advances, policy shifts, and societal responses to renewable energy adoption.

The study, which focuses on the Sustainable Future mission aiming to decarbonise household activities in the UK, reveals a broadening and deepening of library material related to sources of renewable energy. Topics such as scientific methodologies, energy policy, and U.S. energy policy have persisted, while others like renewable energy technologies have seen a dramatic increase, especially in the last ten years.

The researchers have used the Library Discovery hub API to construct a real-time monitoring system for any given topic. This system could include tracking growth in the number of publications across keywords as well as the evolution of subject areas over time. More recent networks reveal increased specialization both beyond and across earlier topic areas, indicating a growing focus on specific aspects of renewable energy.

Interestingly, topics related to renewable energy have been in the literature for a surprisingly long period of time, as early as the mid 19th century. This long-term perspective provides valuable context for understanding the historical and thematic coverage of renewable energy research and policy from multidisciplinary perspectives.

The report also details the migrant and skills needs of creative businesses in the UK, and shows the growing interaction between different forms of renewable energy. Notably, there has been a 150% increase in the exports of creative goods since 2000, with the worldwide exports of creative goods exceeding 500 billion USD in 2015.

While the report does not provide information about the related research reports on skills, jobs, and education in the creative industries, or the impact of immigration on the creative industries in the UK, it does emphasise the potential of library catalogue data for understanding the evolution of renewable energy sources and their impact on societal challenges.

By tracking how scholarly articles, books, reports, and policy documents have changed over time in their focus, themes, and findings related to renewable energy and sustainability, this longitudinal data provides insight into technological advances, policy shifts, economic impacts, and societal responses to renewable energy adoption. This approach supports informed strategies for a sustainable future by understanding past trends and current research trajectories.

The researchers also highlight that this method could be applied across a variety of topic areas, making it a powerful tool for future studies in different fields. In conclusion, library catalogue data serves not just as an archive of publications but as a resource for meta-analysis of the progression of renewable energy knowledge and its societal impacts, enabling researchers to draw connections between technological innovation, policy evolution, and sustainability outcomes over time.

[1] Kerle, I., & Sleeman, C. (2022). The Needs of Creative Businesses in the UK: A Focus on Renewable Energy and Sustainability. Nesta. [2] Library Discovery Hub API documentation [3] Scopus database [4] ScienceDirect database [5] Web of Science database

1. The study conducted by India Kerle and Dr Cath Sleeman from Nesta, titled "The Needs of Creative Businesses in the UK: A Focus on Renewable Energy and Sustainability," utilizes the Library Discovery hub API for real-time monitoring of library data related to renewable energy.
2. This groundbreaking analysis delves into the world of library data to provide insights into the development of renewable energy sources and their impact on societal challenges.
3. The report reveals a focus on renewable energy technologies, especially in the last ten years, as indicated by the growing number of publications in this area across multiple databases such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science.
4. In addition to renewable energy technologies, topics such as scientific methodologies, energy policy, and U.S. energy policy have persisted in the literature, providing a historical and thematic context for understanding the evolution of renewable energy research and policy.
5. The report also sheds light on the skills needs and migrant patterns in the creative industries in the UK, as well as the growing interaction between different forms of renewable energy.
6. By tracking the evolution of focus, themes, and findings related to renewable energy and sustainability over time, the study demonstrates the potential of library catalogue data for understanding technological advances, policy shifts, economic impacts, and societal responses to renewable energy adoption.
7. The method employed in this study could be applied across various topics areas, making it a powerful tool for future studies in different fields, particularly those concerned with environmental-science, data-and-cloud-computing, and climate-change.

Read also: