RDA and Linked DataSteve HenryUniversity of MarylandMarch 2, 2013

Encoding RDA Data•One more time: RDA is a content standard

not a display standard▫It is also not an encoding standard

•Examples so far have shown RDA in a MARC environment

•But RDA is also designed to be flexible.▫Can be encoded in MODS, Dublin Core,

etc….▫…and in RDF

The Briefest Intro to RDF That Has Ever Been

RDF -Resource Description Framework•RDF is a Web standard for describing any

thing, concept, or relationship•Each thing, concept, and relationship is

represented by a globally unique URI•Relationships between these entities are

represented by RDA triples in the form: subject, predicate, object

•For example…

has composer

Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827

Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827. Symphonies, no. 1, op. 21, C major

http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no97075604

http://rdvocab.info/roles/composer

http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79107741

http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no97075604

http://rdvocab.info/roles/composer

http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79107741

Linked Data•A set of best practices for

▫Sharing data▫On the Web▫In machine-readable form

•Four rules▫Provide a URI▫Make the URI an HTTP URL▫Provide interesting information▫Link to other URIs so more things can be

discovered

sameAs

sameAs

Hey. We’re Doing Linked Data!

What about bibliographic records

http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n80050147

http://umaryland.worldcat.org/oclc/10262450

http://www.geonames.org/maps/google_40.714_-74.006.html

BIBFRAME•Full name: Bibliographic Framework

Transition Initiative•Initiative of the Library of Congress•Essentially a linked data model for library

bibliographic data•Potential replacement/supplement for

MARC

Source: http://bibframe.org/vocab/

parodyOf

reprintOf

BIBFRAME•Each instance gets a URI•Relationships between works, instances,

authorities, places, recorded•Needs to be harmonized with FRBR—

Expressions?▫FRBR seen as an abstract model▫BIBFRAME is a Web implementation

BIBFRAME Timeline•May 2011: Initiative announced•May 2012. Zepheira contracted•Fall 2012. Use cases tested•November 2012. Bibliographic

Framework as a Web of Data (high-level model)

•October and December 2012. Face-to-face meetings with early experimenters

Early Experimenters•British Library•Deutsche National Bibliotek DNB•George Washington University Library•National Library of Medicine•Princeton Library

Bibliography•https://

delicious.com/spurioso/tag_bundle/LinkedData

•Great introductory video!▫http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x_xzT5eF5Q•http://linkeddata.org/•http://bibframe.org/•http://

listserv.loc.gov/listarch/bibframe.html•http://rdvocab.info/

How Does This All Relate??

RDA MDR Discovery

BIBFRAME

Linked Data

Some examples of how all this fits together

Rule of Three

Attributes for Persons

Medium of Performance

What to do now?

•Talk to vendors▫Show them MDR▫Ask them what their plans are for L.D.

•Follow BIBFRAME development▫Bibframe.org▫bibframe@listserv.loc.gov

•Look for RDA records in your discovery tools▫Think about search strategies▫Ask a cataloger for help!

•Link your data▫Discographies, bibliographies, thematic

catalogs▫Digital Humanities projects

Thanks!