Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Robin Fay, UGALaura Akerman, Emory

Doug Goans, Georgia Tech

Georgia COMO 2012 October 4, 2012 Macon, GA

Head/Database Maintenance

University of Georgia Libraries

Robin Fay@georgiawebgurl

libraries

socialmedia

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Agenda:● Gain a basic understanding of linked data● Discover new library projects● Gain a better understanding of how linked data will drive our future

systems and how it fits into the future of the web -- the semantic web

What we will talk about:● Quick overview of semantic web and linked data (more

terminology in the glossary)● Getting started with Linked data and the Semantic Web● Making some connections with bibliographic data - a

case study

● What is linked data and open datao Linked data is about reusing datao We already do some linked data in our library

catalogs and even in our daily liveso The link in a bibliographic record (like an authority

record link) is linking datao A link that we share to our friends on facebook is

linked data (of sorts)● Linked data is a link to a record/data/content

that can then be utilized in some way ● Open data is data that available to be used

in some way with no barriers to access (licensing, etc.)

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Basic principles of linked data ● It keeps us from having to re-enter or copy information

o Making our data: reusable easy to correct (correct one record instead of multiples) efficient and potentially useful to others

● It can build relationships in different ways - allowing us to create temporary collections (a user could organize their search results in a way that makes sense to them) or more permanent (collocating ALL works by a particular author more easily; pulling together photographs more easily)

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

How it fits in with the semantic webThe Semantic Web is based upon more precise utilization of data and is heavily dependent upon

The code The metadata and its metadata schemas (rules) The ability for machines (including devices and home

appliances) to talk to each other and make sense of that communication

Linking data makes this process easier since we do not have to re-enter data, we can just link to it. Linking data will make the Semantic Web happen.

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

● Terminologyo RDF/XML (language - post MARC world) o URIs (Uniform Resource Identifer) linking point to

our data)o Serialization (store data; re-use later)o Triples (Simple semantic structure; Subject-

Predicate-Object)o SPARQL (QL = Query Language)

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

● Advantages (reusable data, potential to provide and built relationships, discoverability)

● How library data fits into linked datao FRBR ( a bibliographic FRAMEWORK which is more

semantic by nature) RDA ( metadata rules which are not tied to a programming language such as MARC but can work with semantic web standards like XML); IRs, and CMS like Drupal which have semantic web capabilities

● RDA expressed as RDFa

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Getting Ready for LOD

Doug GoansHead of Library IT and Development

Georgia Institute of Technology

Readiness: What, Why and HowLinked is an approach to data.

Open is a policy.

Data is a technology and a set of standards.

Source: http://www.scholarslab.org/digital-libraries/introduction-to-linked-open-data-at-rare-books-school/

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Readiness: WhatDiscussions of data and services

Catalog, archives, repositories, library use data

LOD emerging services/data in general● WorldCat● DBpedia● data.gov

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Readiness: Data Records (MARC, etc.)

SOURCE: Getting triples from records: the role of ISBD http://www.slideshare.net/scottishlibraries/isbd-record2triples

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Readiness: Data Records (MARC, etc.)

SOURCE: Getting triples from records: the role of ISBD http://www.slideshare.net/scottishlibraries/isbd-record2triples

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Readiness: WhyDiscovery (Google Semantic Search, Facebook Open Graph)

Empowerment (library development, local and global)

Peripheral issues (important)● Data Use Policies / Licensing your data● System Readiness ● Teaching, Learning, Research (use cases and service

development)

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Readiness: How● Use Cases - http://obd.jisc.ac.uk/

● Integrate LOD into projects (IR, Archives, Web Presence)

● Explore RDF, RDFa, SPARQL end-points

● Framework approach (empower users and developers first)

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Readiness: HowDeveloping Use Cases http://obd.jisc.ac.uk/

Campus Competition

System Readiness

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Readiness: HowCurrent Services

Integrate LOD into projects

Framework and Services Approach

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Making some connections

Linked data at Emory LibrariesLaura Akerman

First we studiedConnections group formed Nov. 2011

Core group of 8, open to anyone Sponsors: Lars Meyer, John Ellinger Learning and planning for linked data important

Classes taught every other week Based on

Linked Data: Evolving the Web into a Global Data Space (Heath and Bizer)

High level overviewPrograms

Jon Voss, "LOD-LAM Emory", webinars

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Pilot planning● We were asked to develop a 3-month pilot project.● Goal: demonstrate value of linked data for users

and the library● Goal: get feet wet with "triples" and technology● With:

o 1 person, 20+hrs/week; 6 others, 1-3 hrs/week including a couple of "techies"

o Sandbox (repurposed pc/server running Linux)

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Pilot project - approved● After many ideas, choices -

o focus on topic (Civil War)oConvert sample "silo" metadata to linked dataoAdd some "new" metadata as linked dataoLink to some external dataoSome kind of display

● PROJECT BLOG: https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/connections/

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Results:Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Things we learned, #1

Start small

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

#2 Working with free software is time consuming!

● Even if you're a programmer...● Don't expect it to work the first time!● Patience, inner peace, get enough sleep!● Don't let fear of displaying your ignorance keep you

from learning!● Windows people: learn Linux command line!● When to "let it go", when to keep trying?● Tool evaluation is an important step!● Record what you learn and share!

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Things we are trying:Sesame - useful but web client limited (no batchload...)Callimachus - interesting but not ready to put time into it, and very betaLinkSailor - need to publish your data to use itPubby, Djubby - publish your data ??? (not working yet)Our own scripts to query id.loc.gov - got the basics...ArchivesHub stylesheet - useful as a starting point, but too complicated?Simile MARC to RDF stylesheets - too different from ArchiveHubLC MARC to RDF stylesheet - Dublin Core too simple but a good starting pointSimile Welkin - limited but at least it gave us some visualization!

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

#3

We need linked data to find connections!

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Learn SPARQL

#4Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Find two resources, name/creator in one is subject of another

SELECT DISTINCT ?resource1 ?name ?resource2 WHERE{{{?resource1 dc:creator ?name}UNION{?resource1 duch:origination ?person. ?person foaf:name ?name.}}{{?resource2 dc:subject ?name.}UNION{?resource2 duch:associatedWith ?concept. ?concept rdfs:label ?name.}}FILTER(?resource1 != ?resource2)}

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Some SPARQL resourcesSPARQL.PRO http://en.sparql.pro/wiki/Main_Pagelist of SPARQL endpoints with sample queries

XQuery/SPARQL Tutorialhttp://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/XQuery/SPARQL_Tutoria

W3C SPARQL Spechttp://www.w3.org/TR/rdf-sparql-query/

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

#5

There are many ways to model your RDF - all

different!How do you decide?

ArchivesHub handles "subjects"<associatedWith><!--About the Concept (Person)--><skos:Concept xmlns:skos="http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#" rdf:about="http://duchamp.library.emory.edu/resource/id/concept/person/lcnaf/gearyjohnwhite1819-1873">

<rdfs:label xmlns:rdfs="http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#" xml:lang="en">Geary, John White, 1819-1873.</rdfs:label> <skos:inScheme> <skos:ConceptScheme rdf:about="http://duchamp.library.emory.edu/resource/id/conceptscheme/lcnaf"> <rdfs:label xmlns:rdfs="http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#" xml:lang="en">lcnaf</rdfs:label> </skos:ConceptScheme> </skos:inScheme> <foaf:focus xmlns:foaf="http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/"><!--About the Person--><foaf:Person rdf:about="http://duchamp.library.emory.edu/resource/id/person/lcnaf/gearyjohnwhite1819-1873"> <rdf:type rdf:resource="http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/Agent"/> <rdf:type rdf:resource="http://purl.org/dc/terms/Agent"/> <rdf:type rdf:resource="http://erlangen-crm.org/current/E21_Person"/> <rdfs:label xmlns:rdfs="http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#" xml:lang="en">Geary, John White, 1819-1873.</rdfs:label> </foaf:Person> </foaf:focus> </skos:Concept> </associatedWith>

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

LC's MARCXML to RDF handles subjects:

dc:subject "Geary, John White, 1819-1873."

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Simile MARCXML to MODS to RDF: <modsrdf:subject rdf:resource= "http://simile.mit.edu/2006/01/Entity#Geary_John_White_18191873"/> <rdf:Description rdf:about= "http://simile.mit.edu/2006/01/Entity#Geary_John_White_18191873"> <rdf:type rdf:resource= "http://simile.mit.edu/2006/01/ontologies/mods3#Person"/> <modsrdf:fullName>Geary, John White</modsrdf:fullName> <modsrdf:dates>1819-1873</modsrdf:dates </rdf:Description>

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Our learning

No perfect models out there.

A common model for all our sources (with maybe some special items depending on type of content) could make things much easier for us and users of our data!

This is a major undertaking..

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

#6 To FRBR, or not to FRBR?http://metadataregistry.org/schemaprop/list/page/1/schema_id/4.html

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

#7 Matching up with external data is tricky!

● DBPedia: not easy to programmatically match up. We did some "by hand". o Issue: If only part of LC subject matches, should

you link?

● LC Vocabularies - id.loc.gov - straightforward but have to skip many final subdivisions.

● VIAF: another interesting target, but not helpful enough for this pilot.

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

question: "Johnson's Island (Ohio)."

Q: Does this mean the island itself or is it referring to the prison that was located on the island?

o Found something for Johnson Island Civil War Prison and Fort Site

A: I used a SPARQL query to find the collection linked to this heading. The Scope and Content Note says letters were written while someone was imprisoned on the island.

http://dbpedia.org/resource/Johnson_Island_Civil_War_Prison_and_Fort_Site

Should we use "owl:sameAs"?

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

#8 To have good linked data, you have to have... data

____________|1861_________________

No dates, no timeline(scholars could've found it useful)

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

#9

MORE OPEN LINKED DATA!

Once you get started, you don't want to stop!

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Resources● LODLAM: http://lodlam.net/● LODAM CHALLENGE: http://summit2013.lodlam.net/● LODLAM Zotero Group (Webliography of good stuff): https://www.zotero.org/groups/lod-lam ● GLAMLOD: https://groups.google.com/group/glamlod● LC Bibliographic Framework Transition Initiative: http://www.loc.gov/marc/transition/ ● LITA - library linked data interest group: http://connect.ala.org/node/142470● Use Case Tool: http://obd.jisc.ac.uk/navigate

● Getting triples from records: the role of ISBD http://www.slideshare.net/scottishlibraries/isbd-record2triples

● Presentation materials at http://www.delicious.com/georgiawebgurl/metadata_presentation_como

Making the Digital Connection: Linked Data and Libraries

Thank You - Q&ARobin Fay fay@uga.edu

Laura Akermanliblna@emory.edu

Doug Goansdoug.goans@library.gatech.edu