DPL Announces Linked Data Launch

Libraries have always been about more than physical spaces. We are about connecting ourcommunity to resources, services, knowledge, and entertainment to serve both individuals andcommunities at large.

Are libraries still relevant? We emphatically say -- YES! We have taken steps to ensure that thisremains true by joining forces with other libraries, developers, and vendors to transform our catalogdata into a format that's searchable on the Web based on this belief:

The Web is not the enemy of our Library. Instead, it is its most powerful potential partner, andperhaps its most necessary service provider.

Isn't the library catalog already on the Web? Kind of...Our website is obviously on the web and

access to the library catalog is also there. However, to get our catalog content to the Web, weneeded to transform our data from the pre-Internet, pre-Web world of MARC records using LinkedData enabled description, namely BIBFRAME, to create BIBFRAME resources which are linkabledescriptions that can appear as Web pages. The use of Linked Data allows for machines to identifyrich relationships between resources, and enables them to be visible to search engines.

What's happening with the catalog data? Our data is live now, it's been translated into a formatdesigned for search engine bots to read it and link it to other resources on the Web. If you want tosearch it, do a Google site search for content you want to look at or link to. For a short time, youmight find these pages when you use search engines, but they should soon be replaced with directlinks into DPL's catalog. We will continue to maintain these parallel formats indefinitely.

To see the difference, the image to the left shows what the MARC data looks like for First Prize Piesby Allison Kave, followed by the same data in BIBFRAME.

Who else is involved in this project? DPL joined the Libhub Initiative as a Founding Partner and hasserved as its pioneer institution. DPL and other partners of the Libhub Initiative are committed tomaking the transition from MARC to BIBFRAME. Partners include neighboring and national librarysystems, as well as commercial sponsors. We will all share these Web pages of library catalog datain a central repository, which allows for connections between other library resources, and increasesthe relevance and credibility ranking of resources, making them more visible and trusted on theWeb.

We are excited to open the doors to our data and to help current and future library users discoverthe amazing resources that the Library holds.

https://www.denverlibrary.org/blog/rachel-f/dpl-announces-linked-data-launch