Python for Information Professionals: How to Design Practical Applications to Capitalize on the Data Explosion

by Brady Lund, Daniel Agbaji, Kossi Dodzi Bissadu, Haihua Chen

Overview

Python for Information Professionals: How to Design Practical Applications to Capitalize on the Data Explosion is an introduction to the Python programming language for library and information professionals with little or no prior experience. As opposed to the many Python books available today that focus on the language only from a general sense, this book is designed specifically for information professionals who are seeking to advance their career prospects or challenge themselves in new ways by acquiring skills within the rapidly expanding field of data science.

Readers of Python for Information Professionals will learn to:

1. Develop Python applications for the retrieval, cleaning, and analysis of large datasets.
2. Design applications to support traditional library functions and create new opportunities to maximize library value.
3. Consider data security and privacy relevant to data analysis when using the Python language.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538178249
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	11/01/2023
Pages:	172
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.44(d)

About the Author

Brady Lund, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of information science at the University of North Texas. He has published four books related to technology in libraries and educational institutions – including Casting Light on the Dark Web and Creating Accessible Online Instruction Using Universal Design Principles, both for Rowman and Littlefield Publishing – and nearly 100 articles, editorials, and opinion papers. His work often combines data analytics principles with library and information science research topics.

Daniel Agbaji is a Ph.D. student in information science at the University of North Texas, with a major in Data Science-Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. As an experienced researcher and software developer, he has written scholarly publications and book chapters with notable publishers. Daniel has published articles in the information science and library field. As a software developer, Daniel has written thousands of lines of code for fortune 500 companies which are not publicly available due to company policies.

Kossi Dodzi Bissadu is a Ph.D. student in the computer science at the University of North Texas. He currently works as a software engineer at Zenner USA where he leads various products, software, applications, and systems development projects. He is also a US Air Force veteran, very talented and dedicated professional who has more than ten-year professional record achievements, and demonstrated success leading, managing, and working in Technology and Sciences. Kossi has several industry certifications including certified blockchain developer, AWS certified cloud practitioner, and CompTIA Security+.

Haihua Chen, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of information science at the University of North Texas. He has more than ten years of experience in Python and five years of experience in teaching technical courses for information science and data science students using Python. Dr. Chen has published nearly 40 articles on natural language processing, machine learning, data quality, information retrieval, digital libraries, and applied data science. He is the editor of The Electronic Library and the leading guest editor of Frontiers in Big Data and Information Discovery & Delivery special issues. He is also serving as the reviewer/ PC member for more than 20 peer-review journals/ conferences in information science and computer science.

Table of Contents

Preface

Part I: Python: The Basics

• Chapter 1 – The Python Workspace
• Chapter 2 – Object Oriented Programming
• Chapter 3 – Data Types, Structures, Sets and Algorithms
• Chapter 4 – Functions: Code that Puts Our Data to Work
• Chapter 5 – Importing, Creating, and Maintaining Data Files
• Chapter 6 – Testing and Troubleshooting

Part II: Further Applications of Python in Information Organizations

• Chapter 7 – Library Management and Usage Data
• Chapter 8 – Library Research Data Management
• Chapter 9 – Text Analysis
• Chapter 10 – Library and Information Science Research
• Chapter 11 – Artificial Intelligence Applications

Part III: Practical and Ethical Considerations for Using Python

• Chapter 12 – Data Explosion, Big Data, and Data Literacy
• Chapter 13 – Data Ethics
• Chapter 14 – Knowledge and Data Economy
• Chapter 15 – Further Resources for Advancing Your Python Mastery

Glossary

Index

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

Python for Information Professionals unpacks a topic that both fascinates and terrifies information professionals: computational programming. While the pacing and tone are introductory, the book assumes some familiarity with programming concepts and will likely find a more eager audience among the already-data-savvy versus those trying to re-skill within the profession. [The] authors give Python outsiders a digestible way to familiarize themselves with a programming language and start the learning journey. The book leaves behind the mawkish puns that pervade the genre of programming manuals, and those who finish this work will be rewarded with a desire to keep digging into how Python—and coding in general—can elevate library work and services. Recommended. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals.

Choice Reviews