LINKED DATA IN LIBRARIES OR:HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE WEB

WHAT IS LINKED DATA?

USING THE WEB TO CONNECT DATA SIMILAR TO HOW IT CONNECTS PAGES

• “Linked Data is simply about using the web to create typed links between data from different sources.” –Christian Bizer, Tom Heath, and Tim Berners-Lee, “Linked Data—The Story So Far”

• Connections between data are understandable by computer programs

• Data is sharable, extensible, and reusable.

TIM BERNERS-LEE’S FOUR RULES

1. Use URIs as names for things

2. Use HTTP URIs so that people can look up those names

3. When someone looks up a URI, provide useful information, using the standards

4. Include links to other URIs, so they can discover more things

BBC LINKED DATA

PICTURE WITH URI

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/images/ic/credit/640x395/m/ma/mallard/mallard_1.jpg

SEARCHABLE IN GOOGLE

RDF: RESOURCE DESCRIPTION FRAMEWORK

• The main standard of linked data

• RDF is a data model that expresses connections in the form of “triples”

• Model, not schema (expressing RDF often done in XML)

First Resource

Second Resource

Defines relationship using set vocabulary (ex. Dublin Core)

THE RDF TRIPLE

Subject Predicate Object

THE RDF TRIPLE: CONCEPTUAL EXAMPLES

same as

author of

LINKED DATA GRAPH

“Follow your nose.”

Document 1

Author A

Document 2

Subject

Document 3

Author B

Written by Author ofClassified

as

Classifies

Written by

WHAT CAN LINKED DATA DO FOR LIBRARIES? (A LOT)

UNLOCK LIBRARY DATA• Transforms library data so that it is of the web

• Becomes easily searchable

• Libraries can integrate outside data into what they already have

• Anyone can reuse library data to create their own applications

EXAMPLE: CONTROLLED VOCABULARIES• Create URIs for each word in a controlled vocabulary

• Creates method for classifying and cataloging web resources that can easily be used by libraries and others

• Library of Congress has released LCSH as linked data, and OCLC has a modified version of LCSH called FAST as linked data

CATALOG COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS• Linked Data is flexible enough to express entity-

relationship relationships such as FRBR/FRAD that MARC struggles with

• Oslo Public Library Pode project

• Define relationships between different manifestations of a work

• Allow patrons to either request any version a work or a specific manifestation

CONNECT DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE LIBRARY’S SYSTEM• Different parts of the library structure (ILS, ERMS,

different databases, etc.) would be able to share data more easily, allowing searches to easily jump from one area to another

• This is still a long way off

THE END

BIBLIOGRAPHYBaker, Thomas et all. “Library Linked Data Incubator Group Final Report.” W3C Incubator Group Report. October 2011. Available at: http://www.w3.org/2005/Incubator/lld/XGR-lld-20111025/

Berners-Lee, Tim. “Linked Data.” W3C. June 2009. Available at: http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/LinkedData

Bizer et all. “Linked Data—The Story So Far.” International Journal on Semantic Web and Information Systems 5 (2009): 1-22.

Chudnoy, Daniel. “Libraries in Computers: What Linked Data is Missing.” Computers in Libraries 31 (2011): 35-36.

Fox, Robert. “Avoiding the Weak Link.” OCLC Systems & Services 27 (2011): 163-169.

Miller, Eric, and Westfall, Micheline. “Linked Data and Libraries.” The Serials Librarian 60 (2011): 17-22.

Singer, Ross. “Linked Library Data Now!” Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship 21 (2009): 114-126.

Wallis, Richard. “Linked Data Applicable for Libraries.” Talis. Available at: http://consulting.talis.com/resources/presentations-from-linked-data-and-libraries-2011/

Westrum, Anne-Lena et all. “Improving the Presentation of Library Data Using FRBR and Linked Data.” Code{4}Lib Journal 16 (2011): 1-7.