Analysis of Book-borrowing Network using Complex Network Analysis

Abstract

In this study, we analyzed the book-borrowing network that we constructed from the database of the libraries of Ardahan University by using complex network analysis techniques. After the construction of the bipartite readerbook relationship network, we constructed reader-reader and book-book networks via one-mode projection. We performed an exploratory complex network analysis on these networks. We found that both networks revealed scale-free and small-world network properties like most real-world networks from diverse origins and of diverse sizes. In addition, we identified the most central books in the book-book network using several centrality measures. These were generally the works from both Turkish and world literature that were in the reading lists of many readers. We also performed community analysis and identified the communities embedded in the networks visually. We identified and presented the essential genres of the books inside the communities of the book-book network.