The document discusses linked open data and its possibilities for libraries. It provides an overview of linked data, explaining how it uses standard web technologies to share structured data between applications. Examples are given of library data like catalog records and authority files being exposed as linked data. Current projects involving libraries consuming and sharing linked data are also summarized, though it is noted the field is still developing.

1. Linked Open Data and Libraries
IST Friday Morning Seminar
uWaterloo, Dec. 13, 2013
Alison Hitchens
Cataloguing & Metadata Librarian

2. Agenda
• Explanation of linked (open) data
• Possibilities for linked open data and libraries,
with example projects
• Current state of linked open data in libraries
and archives
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3. LINKED (OPEN) DATA
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4. Defining 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, RDF 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.” (emphasis added)
From Wikipedia linked data page
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5. The Web of Documents
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Atwood 2013
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6. Documents linked to Documents
<p><b>Margaret Eleanor Atwood</b> ... (born
November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist,
literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist.
She is a winner of the <a
href="/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke_Award"
title="Arthur C. Clarke Award">Arthur C. Clarke
Award</a> and Prince of Asturias Award for
Literature, has been shortlisted for the Booker
Prize... Many of her poems have been inspired by
myths and fairy tales, which have been interests
of hers from an early age</p>
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7. The Web of Things & Structured Data
http://dbpedia.org/page/Margaret_Atwood
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8. Statements about things
Margaret Atwood is a person
Margaret Atwood was born in Ottawa
Margaret Atwood writes speculative fiction
Margaret Atwood influenced Barbara Kingsolver
Margaret Atwood has homepage
http://www.margaretatwood.ca/
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9. Resource Description Framework
(RDF) Triples
Subject
Predicate
Object
Is a (has type)
Margaret
Atwood
Margaret
Atwood
Person
Was born in
Ottawa
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10. From Tables to Graphs
Has homepage
Margaret
Atwood
Is a
Subject
Was born
http://www.margaretat
wood.ca/
Was born in
Person
Ottawa
1939-11-18
Record ID
CP001
Name
Margaret Atwood
Type
Person
Place of Birth
Ottawa
Date of Birth
1939-11-18
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Homepage

11. Joining Graphs
Margaret
Atwood
Subject
Was born
Is a
Person
Was born in
Ottawa
Canada
1939-11-18
Capitol of
Ottawa
Birthplace of
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Has
population
883,391
Bruce
Cockburn
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12. Use URIs
http://dbpedia.org/page/Mar
garet_Atwood
Subject
http://dbpedia.org/ontology/birthPlace
http://dbpedia.org/
ontology/birthDate
http://dbpedia.org/page/Ottawa
1939-11-18
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13. sameAs: Join Different Datasets
Ottawa in dbPedia =
http://dbpedia.org/page/Ottawa
owl:sameAs
Ottawa in Freebase:
http://rdf.freebase.com/ns/m.05ksh
owl:sameAs
Ottawa in Geonames:
http://sws.geonames.org/6094817/
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14. Serialization of RDF – XML, Turtle, etc.
<rdf:RDF xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
xmlns:skos="http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#"
xmlns:nyt="http://data.nytimes.com/elements/”
xmlns:owl="http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#" >
<rdf:Description
rdf:about="http://data.nytimes.com/N10507958644473712303">
<nyt:associated_article_count
rdf:datatype="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#int">11</nyt:associated_article_co
unt>
<skos:prefLabel xml:lang="en">Atwood, Margaret</skos:prefLabel>
<rdf:type rdf:resource="http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#Concept"/> ...
<owl:sameAs rdf:resource="http://dbpedia.org/resource/Margaret_Atwood"/>
<nyt:topicPage
rdf:resource="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/a/margaret_
atwood/index.html"/>
From New York Times linked data page for Margaret Atwood (abridged):
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http://data.nytimes.com/N10507958644473712303 ; http://data.nytimes.com/N10507958644473712303.rdf
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15. On Ontologies
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From FOAF Vocabulary Specification 0.98 http://xmlns.com/foaf/spec/
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16. Using Linked Data
• Create applications to
mash-up data from
multiple sources
• Make use of embedded
data in html
• Use SPARQL query
language for RDF
Image of Google Knowledge Graph
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results for Margaret Atwood
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17. LINKED OPEN DATA AND LIBRARIES
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18. Sharing Library Data
• Libraries have trustworthy data
• Libraries have many vocabularies and
classifications
• Libraries have unique collections
• Libraries have holdings data
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19. Virtual International Authority File
(VIAF)
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/98029748/
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Dbpedia: http://dbpedia.org/page/Nelson_Mandela
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20. Library of Congress Vocabularies
(http://id.loc.gov/)
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21. Libraries have unique collections
Source: Pan-Canadian Documentary Heritage Network Linked Open Data Visualizaton “Proof-of-Concept” Out of the
trenches: linked open data of the first world war: final report. Image from p. 11
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http://www.canadiana.ca/sites/pub.canadiana.ca/files/PCDHN%20Proof-of-concept_Final-Report-ENG_0.pdf
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22. OCLC WorldCat Records as LOD
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/10277993; can add .rdf, .ttl Dec. 2013http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/10277993.ttl
Hitchens - LOD & Libraries - etc. E.g.
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23. Libraries have holdings data
Available at libraries near you:
Waterloo Public Library
Kitchener Public Library
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University of Waterloo
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24. Libraries can consume data
• Provide contextual information in our
catalogues
• Help users make connections
• Lead users to external information sources
• Connect across silos
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25. Augment our catalogues
Austrian Library Network’s instance of Primo
http://search.obvsg.at/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?m
enuitem=0&fromTop=true&fromPreferences=false&fromEshelf=fa
lse&vid=ACC
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26. Linked Jazz
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http://linkedjazz.org/network/; video about Linked Jazz http://vimeo.com/68308675
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27. CURRENT STATE OF LOD IN
LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES
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28. Where are we now?
• Releasing data
• Developing new data frameworks (BIBFRAME)
and conversion tools (XC)
• Developing use cases
• Prototypes and proofs of concept
• A lot of learning!
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29. The 5 Stars of LOD
http://inkdroid.org/journal/2010/06/04/the-5-stars-of-openlinked-data/ Tim Berners-Lee quoted by Libraries - Dec. 2013
Ed Summers
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30. Resources
Tim Berners-Lee (2009) Design Issues. Linked Data
http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/LinkedData.html
Tim Berners-Lee (2009) The next web. A TED talk, February 2009.
access at
http://www.ted.com/talks/tim_berners_lee_on_the_next_web.htm
l (open access)
Karen Coyle (2012). “Is linked data the answer?” Coyle’s Information
Thurs. Oct. 18, 2012. http://kcoyle.blogspot.ca/2012/10/is-linkeddata-answer.html (open access)
Karen Coyle. Understanding the semantic web: bibliographic data and
metadata. Chicago: American Library Association, 2010 (Library
Technology reports ; v. 46, no. 1) access at
http://www.metapress.com.proxy.lib.uwaterloo.ca/content/g212v1
783607/ (uWaterloo has subscription)
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31. Resources
Corey Harper (2013). Linked Data: a Library, Archive & Museum Perspective:
LLD, LOD-LAM and Linking Scholarship. Presented at Linked Ancient World
Data Institute, May 31, 2013.
http://www.slideshare.net/charper/charperlawdi20130531 (open access)
Corey Harper (2011). Library linked data: tuning library metadata for the
semantic web. An ALCTS webcast, March 16. 2011. access at
http://www.ala.org/alcts/confevents/upcoming/webinar/cat/031611
(open access)
Tom Heath and Christian Bizer (2011) Linked Data: Evolving the Web into a
Global Data Space (1st edition). Synthesis Lectures on the Semantic Web:
Theory and Technology, 1:1, 1-136. Morgan & Claypool.
http://linkeddatabook.com/editions/1.0/ (open access)
Lukas Koster (2013). “The Poor Person’s Linked Open Data Workbench: Using
Discovery Tools for Presenting Integrated Information” in
Commonplace.net Nov. 11, 2013 http://commonplace.net/2013/11/thepoor-persons-linked-open-data-workbench/ (open access)
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32. Resources
Linked Data: Connect Distributed Data Across the Web http://linkeddata.org/
(open access) (includes the LOD Cloud diagram)
LinkedDataTools.com (2009) Introducing Linked Data and the Semantic Web
http://www.linkeddatatools.com/semantic-web-basics (open access)
OCLC (2013). Linked Data at OCLC http://www.oclc.org/data.en.html (open
access)
David Rogers (2013) Introducing the BBC’s Linked Data Platform and APIs.
Recorded at Qcon London, April 29, 2013.
http://www.infoq.com/presentations/bbc-data-platform-api (open access)
Richard Wallis (2013). Linked Data Progress with OCLC and Others. At OCLC
Linked Data Round Table, IFLA Conference, Aug. 19, 2013, Singapore.
http://www.slideshare.net/rjw/linked-data-progress-ifla-2013 (open
access)
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