We present an analysis of the overall publishing landscape in the period 1500-1800 based on comprehensive harmonization and joint analysis of four large bibliographic catalogues. This has allowed us to investigate publishing activity beyond the level that is accessible by the use of national catalogues alone. In addition to a novel approach to the historical analysis of knowledge production trends, we share the openly licensed source code and a harmonized version of the Finnish national bibliography used in this study. This work demonstrates how comprehensive data harmonization and enrichment with supporting data sources is essential for the overall usability of the metadata information, with implications for the overall management of library catalogues. Finally, we demonstrate how bibliographic records can be used as a digital research resource, rather than a mere information retrieval tool.
On behalf of the authors,
Dr Leo Lahti
University of Turku, Finland
REFERENCES
@Manual{R2018,