Linked Data for Libraries, Archives, Museums

Learning objectives Define the concept of linked data State 3 benefits of creating linked data and making it available Outline the process of creating LD State how to make use of LD created by others

Basic Terms

Linked Data (LD) "a term used to describe a recommended best practice for exposing, sharing, and connecting pieces of data, information, and knowledge on the Semantic Web using URIs and RDF."

Linked Open Data (LOD) Linked Data that is explicitly published under an open license. Not all Linked Data will be open, and not all Open Data will be linked

LOD-LAM Linked Open Data in Libraries Archives Museums #lodlam

URI Uniform Resource Identifier A string of characters used to identify a name or resource on the Internet

RDF Resource Description Framework “a metadata data model. It has come to be used as a general method for conceptual description or modeling of information that is implemented in web resources, using a variety of syntax formats.” Wikipedia

RDF Defined statements compromising a subject, a predicate (property), and an object. These statements are called “triples”

SPARQL SPARQL protocol and RDF Query Language SPARQL Endpoint: “URL for a given set of RDF data that you can send queries to and get answers from” Dorothea Salo

Linked Data (LD) Linked data “describes a method of publishing structured data so that it can be interlinked and become more useful. It builds upon standard Web technologies such as HTTP and URIs, but rather than using them to serve web pages for human readers, it extends them to share information in a way that can be read automatically by computers. This enables data from different sources to be connected and queried” Wikipedia definition

Web of documents vs. Web of data

resource links to Diagram by Emily Nimsakont links to

data links to data Diagram by Emily Nimsakont

Relationship grammar Resource A Resource B Describe resources using interrelated “statements” (RDF triples) Use URIs – unique globally managed identifiers as the “words” of the statement relatedTo Slide by DCMI tutorial “What makes the Linked Data Approach Different”

Traditional metadata = Implicit Relationships MARC Bibliographic Record Smart, Laura J. ǂ q (Laura Jean), ǂ d Women in Science ǂ h [electronic resource].

Linked Data is Explicit Laura J. SmartWomen in Science isCreatorOf Women in Sciencesdsc.edu/ScienceWomen isTitleOf Object – predicate - subject

Triple with URIs Laura J. Smart is creator of Women in Science

Under the hood Women in Science

It’s the data, stupid. “We’re not dealing with records anymore. We are working with interrelated nodes of data” Diane Hillmann

What does it really look like? “ This is kind of like asking what electricity looks like: it doesn't so much look like anything, as it makes certain things possible” Karen Coyle

Thinkbase

Benefits of creating/using Linked Data Sharable Extensible Reusable Multi-lingual Reduce redundancy Improve discoverability Sophisticated navigation

Benefits of creating/using Linked Data Enhanced publications Facilitate research Separate semantics from syntax Persistent URIs an aid to digital preservation Drive users to your site Collaborate with less licensing hassle (LOD)

All the kids are doing it “The new bibliographic framework project will be focused on the Web environment, Linked Data principles and mechanisms, and the Resource Description Framework (RDF) as a basic data model.” LC Bibliographic Framework for the Digital Age

How to? Other prerequisites: HTML. URIs. “Learn about Resource Description Framework. Never look back.” Rurik Greenall, Norwegian Institute Science & Technology

Berners-Lee Basic Linked Data Principles 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 (RDF, SPARQL) 4.Include links to other URIs. so that they can discover more things.

Source: Heath & Bizer

The process: 1 st get your data Feynman, Richard Phillips, LCCN: n

The process: Get your data into RDF/XML From here: Robert Phillips Creator Book title Physical biology of the cell To here:

The process: Expose that data

Learning objectives Define the concept of linked data State 3 benefits of creating linked data and making it available Outline the process of creating LD State how to make use of LD created by others

Thanks! library.caltech.edu/laura