Jennifer Bowen, University of Rochester

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Defining Linked Data for the eXtensible
Catalog (XC) Metadata on the Bl eeding Edge

• Jennifer Bowen, University of Rochester
• ALA Annual Conference, 2009, Chicago, Illinois

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Or, Confessions of a Linked Data Rookie
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Agenda

• The eXtensible Catalog (XC) Metadata goals
• Linked data for XC
• What weve learned
• Next steps for linked data in XC

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The eXtensible Catalog (XC)

• Set of open-source software tools
• Facilitate resource discovery and metadata
  management
• Funding from Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and from
  XC partner institutions
• Software release March 2009-January 2010
• Coming soon eXtensible Catalog Organization

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Metadata goals for XC

• Build open source software that reuses MARC (and
  other) data in an extensible environment
• Define a schema that will support XCs
  user-interface functionality, including
  FRBR-based resource grouping/navication
• Implement an interim solution until RDA is
  completed

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Requirements for XC metadata

• FRBR-based
• Waiting for RDA not an option
• Retain granularity of MARC
• Facilitate transformation from Dublin Core
• Convert existing MARC (etc.) data to linked data

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An Application Profile for XC

• Guidelines for Dublin Core Application Profiles
• Working draft (Karen Coyle and Thomas Baker)
• Enables combining metadata terms from multiple
  namespaces as needed
• Does not HAVE to include DCMI terms
• Can contain any terms that are defined in
  accordance with RDF (Resource Description
  Framework)

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Namespaces for metadata elements

• Dublin Core terms
• RDA elements
• RDA roles
• MARC vocabularies
• XC elements
• Newly-defined

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Metadata shopping

• Dublin Core terms
• RDA elements
• RDA roles
• MARC vocabularies
• XC elements
• Newly-defined

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XC Schema Elements DC Terms

• All properties from DCMI (Dublin Core) Metadata
  Terms namespace
• Facilitate transformation of Dublin Core records
  to the XC Schema
• Use properties as intended by DCMI community,
  follow DC Abstract Model

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XC Schema Elements RDA

• 22 RDA elements
• 11 RDA role designators
• Retain granularity in current MARC data
• Frequency
• Numbering of Serials
• Coordinates of Cartographic Content
• Plate number (music)
• Challenges not stable

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MARC vocabularies in XC Schema

• Leader 06 Type of record
• Leader 07 Bibliographic level
• 007/00 Category of material
• 007/01 Specific material designation
• 008/33 (Books) Literary form
• 008/22 (Books) Target audience
• MARC Language Codes

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(Slightly) ahead of our time?

• Properties, element sets that we needed
  werent/arent defined yet
• RDA Element set not locked down
• MARC vocabularies not registered
• FRBR entities not registered
• Vocabulary mappings not yet done
• No MARC to RDA/ONIX Resource Categorization
  Framework mapping

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Newly-defined XC Schema Elements

• XC namespace 37 elements
• Parallel elements to DC properties
• Enable attributes that arent defined for DC,
  such as links to authority records
• Parallel elements to RDA elements
• RDA elements not defined yet e.g. relationships
• Other elements needed for XC functionality
• User-generated metadata next step

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Reasons to use Linked Data in XC

• Flexibility
• Understandability
• Reusability
• Permanence
• Forward-thinking

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How use of Linked Data has affected XC
development

• Time-consuming for the metadata specialist
• A learning curve!
• Forced us to think carefully about the
  consequences of our metadata decisions
• Somewhat perplexing for the developers
• Why are we bothering with this?
• Positive PR for the project!

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• What if weve gotten this ALL WRONG?

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XC enables experimentation

• Software enables automated handling of metadata
  changes via OAI-PMH
• Propagates changes throughout the system
• Web interfaces for trouble-shooting
• Low risk of data corruption
• Platform for experimentation

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What if

• What if weve used elements incorrectly?
• we can fix it easily in XC
• What if library metadata doesnt work as linked
  data?
• Inform future standards, future of RDA
• What if Linked Data/Semantic Web doesnt catch
  on?
• We will have given it our best shot

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Lessons learned with XC

• Breaking new ground can be painful!
• Its ok if its not right the first time.
  Really.
• Its ok to not even understand
• this stuff the first time!
• This stuff is really
• interesting!

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Next steps for Linked Data in XC

• Lock down Version 1.0 of the XC Schema
• Register newly-defined XC data elements
• Publish our work as a DC Application Profile
• Identify/define metadata elements for
  user-generated metadata, including course
  associations
• Enable harvesting of XC Schema data in RDF?

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eXtensibleCatalog.orgjbowen_at_library.rochester.edu