Compare Libraries with Wolfram Alpha

If you haven’t investigated the Wolfram Alpha application, here’s something that might make it worth road-testing. The Wolfram Alpha team calls their tool a “computational knowledge engine,” and that is probably the best description of the application. This morning I discovered a blog post of theirs about using the app to compare libraries. I was both impressed and annoyed that I hadn’t already thought of using it this way. So, I tried comparing two Nebraska public libraries serving similar-sized populations by just entering the names of both libraries in the search box. The result was comparative data from the latest published IMLS survey (2010) using elements like collection size, circulations, expenditures, staff size, etc. What a quick way to compare two institutions! When you have a few minutes, give this tool a try. You can even try it on such mobile devices as the iPhone, iPad, Andoid smart phones, the nook, or the kindle fire.