Linked Data for the Perplexed Librarian

by Scott Carlson, Cory Lampert, Darnelle Melvin

Linked data has become a punchline in certain circles of the GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) community, derided as a much-hyped project that will ultimately never come to fruition. But the fact is, linked data is already happening now, evident in projects from Big Tech and the Wikimedia Foundation as well as the web pages of library service platforms. The goal of exposing cultural institutions' records to the web is as important as ever--but for the non-technically minded, linked data can feel like a confusing morass of abstraction, jargon, and acronyms. Get conversant in linked data with this basic introduction from the Association of Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS). The book's expert contributors summarize the origins of linked data, from early computers and the creation of the World Wide Web through RDF; walk readers through the practical, everyday side of creating, identifying, and representing semantically rich linked data using as an example the funk classic Mothership Connection album from the band Parliament; explain the concept of ontologies; explore such linked data projects as Open Graph, DBpedia, BIBFRAME, and Schema.org's Bib Extension; offer suggested solo and group entry-level projects for linked data-curious librarians who wish to dive deeper; and provide a handy glossary and links to additional resources. This valuable primer on linked data will enable readers at any level of experience to get quickly up to speed on this important subject.

Genres: Nonfiction, Library Science

ebook

Published January 30, 2020

Reviews

[Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was wavering between giving this book 3 or 4 stars, but its NPRish "humor" and unnecessary and offensive use of "mansplain" convinced me that 3 is a fair assessment. Note to authors and editors of such books: not everyone sees the world through the eyes of, or appreciates, a Portland sensibility.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who works with linked data, I’m often asked to explain what the heck it is and why it’s interesting. This is absolutely the book I’d refer people to for a background and I expect it’ll shape some of how I describe it in future (being so close, it’s sometimes hard to pull back mentally to clearly explain the fundamentals)

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't that I have read a more clear introduction to linked data than you will find in this book, but it is very much an introduction.