Making The Connection

Linked Open Data at the British Library

Neil WilsonHead, Metadata Servicesneil.wilson@bl.uk

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British Library Metadata Services

The BL has a long history of supplying metadata to:

Increase visibility of BL holdings & connect users to content

Contribute to collaborative cataloguing initiatives

Support free and priced bibliographic services

Changing Environment

The Web - fostered expectation information should be open to all

Data has new value - from open technologies enabling rapid connection & reuse

‘Open + Data’ drives strategies for :

Transparency Economic growth

Research & discovery

Changing Environment Public Sector Open Data Rating

★ Available on Web + open licence

★★ + machine-readable

★★★ + non-proprietary format

★★★★ + W3C open standards

★★★★★ + link to others data

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Linked DataPotential Benefits for Libraries

Improved web

integration of resources - increasing visibility & reaching new users

A global pool of reusable data - for libraries to add unique value

New library leadership opportunities - due to persistence, stability & authority

Changing EnvironmentLibrary Data

Users were once lone scholars but now include:

Collaborative Learners

Data miners

Machines

Libraries must respond to:

Stimulate innovation

Enable knowledge creation

Increase relevance & utility

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British Library Open Metadata Strategy Aims

Migrate - from library formats to cross domain

standards

Collaborate - with community on new services advancing debate from theory to practice

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British Library Open Metadata Strategy Aims

Remove barriers - enabling innovation without unnecessary restrictions

Achieve recognition - while using licensing appropriate

for widest re-use

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Open Service Objectives

Target services for:

Traditional libraries (MARC21/Z39.50)

Researchers - using new metadata processing techniques (RDF/XML)

Linked data developers (RDF Triples/SPARQL)

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Linked Open Data

Preliminaries

To concentrate effort on our data we identified:

The best licensing option for our objectives (CC0)

A proven hosting platform

External sources of expert comment

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Linked Open Data Objectives

A staff & organisational development opportunity using:

In-house staff

Existing tools & technologies

Library MARC21 data

Established linked data resources

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Linked Open Data Why BNB?

General bibliography - not a unique institutional catalogue

Consistent format - over 60 years

Size & range of content - 3 million records on all subjects in many languages

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Linked Open Data Why BNB?

Underlined commitment by offering:

Large, popular dataset - not niche sample

Reusable metadata - not unique resource

Foundational service & model - for others to build on

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Linked Open Data MARC Migration

Started simply - improving with developing staff expertise

Used expert training in:

Linked data concepts

RDF modelling

Presentation options

Used the opportunity to re-evaluate & innovate - blending the best of old & new

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Linked Open Data Creating Links

Techniques:

Automatic generation from

record data

Auto text match with linked data dumps

Crosswalk matching for coded data

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Linked Open Data Linked Site Selection

To embed data in a wider context we linked:

General resources: GeoNames Lexvo RDF Book

Mashup

Plus library resources: LCSH VIAF Dewey.info

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MARC21 to RDF XML Conversion Workflow

MARC to RDF conversion Consists of multiple automated steps

• Selection• Pre-processing• Character set conversion• URI generation

Data transformation

• Selection• Pre-processing• Character set conversion• URI generation

• Selection• Pre-processing• Character set conversion• URI generation

• Data transformation

• Create & load triples

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Access Options

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BNB Books 1950-2012 2.8 Million Records

85 Million Unique Triples

• bnb.data.bl.uk/sparql

• thedatahub.org/dataset/bluk-bnb-basic

• thedatahub.org/dataset/bluk-bnb

• bnb.data.bl.uk/describe

• bnb.data.bl.uk/search

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Linked Open Data A Change in Perspective

From self contained records for resources

To linking triple statements about resources

With ‘records’ assembled from statements

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Linked Open Data

Achievements

Presence & visibility

New library data model - being utilised by wider groups

New opportunities for collaboration - with public & private sector organisations

Confirmation that valuable data will be used – e.g. up to 8 million monthly transactions

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Linked Open Data Challenges

How to:

Capture service value & gain attribution for effort

Ensure expectations are met - both Government & wider community

License derived 3rd party data - to support open re-supply

Ensure effective service maintenance - & persistence

Ownership/Licensing

agreements

Legislation (e.g. Data

Protection Act)

Organisational Restrictions

Technical issues (e.g. non-standard

formats)

Policy on sharing with for profit

organisations etc

Organisational Restrictions

Ownership/Licensing

agreements

Legislation (e.g. Data Protection

Act)

Organisational Restrictions

Technical issues (e.g.

non-standard formats)

Policy on sharing with

for profit organisations

etc

Scope

Format?

Coverage?

Delivery options? (e.g. Web, FTP etc)

Level of user support?

Rights

To use for any purpose forever?

To adapt & improve?

To redistribute?

To release to the community?

FreeFreeOfferingOffering

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Library Linked Data Wish List? We Need More…

Tools to link library data to other resources

LMS integration of linked data options

Navigation & visualisation applications

Feedback on usage

Collaboration on shared approaches

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Linked Open BNB http://www.bl.uk/bibliographic/datafree.html

Next Steps:

Regular updates

More documentation & refinement of model

Extend to cover further material & linked resources

Images from