Posted on 1 Comment on Library Linked-Data Readings: Starting Up

Library Linked-Data Readings: Starting Up

The idea of a first reading list for anyone coming into library linked-data work is not realistic, for obvious reasons. We all show up with different backgrounds, skill sets, and learning styles, and this means that we’ll find different resources more and less helpful. For this reason I should say a little bit about my background as it relates to library linked-data work.

When I started my MLIS program I had no real programming experience. I did have an interest in computing, and maybe because of this, I found myself focusing on digital collections and digital preservation fairly early on. This put me in a challenging spot–I felt I had some catching up to do in terms of technical skills. I began to gain these through coursework and hands-on learning, but these things take time, and the process is ongoing. My approach to linked-data work–and this reading list–have been shaped by the fact that I’m a relative beginner.

Also, I selected from items I’ve already read to create this (very short) list, and I haven’t read everything on the subject! I hope to hear back from readers willing to share their experiences with resources not included here.

Read more Library Linked-Data Readings: Starting Up

Posted on 1 Comment on Modeling LCSH Subject Headings as RDA Linked Data in Sinopia

Modeling LCSH Subject Headings as RDA Linked Data in Sinopia

We are writing a metadata application profile. We are following Library of Congress’ profile syntax for creating BIBFRAME profiles (http://www.loc.gov/bibframe/docs/bibframe-profiles.html). Almost all our properties have been taken from Resource Description and Access (RDA; see https://www.rdatoolkit.org/about and the RDA Registry at https://www.rdaregistry.info). These are json profiles, intended to produce data input forms that output linked data. The data input forms will display in a linked data editor currently in development, Sinopia (https://sinopia.io/), allowing input specialists (catalogers, for example) to enter values for RDA properties. Once input, the data can be output as RDF data; that output is a presupposition of our work. In fact, we often create the profile in accordance with conceptual output we model for a given property. This entry illustrates that profile-creation practice: conceiving what data input form structures are required by modeling the form’s expected output; more specifically, this entry focuses on how the form outputs properties and values for subject headings (categories describing the content of a resource). The values are complex for library data because libraries traditionally use precoordinated headings (https://www2.archivists.org/glossary/terms/p/precoordinate-indexing) as values, which our model must accommodate. How? This illustration is not an exhaustive treatment of precoordinated headings but, rather, a clue toward a possible solution.

Read more Modeling LCSH Subject Headings as RDA Linked Data in Sinopia