Linked data and libraries

1. Linked Data and Libraries
American Library Association
Grassroots Program:
From Legacy Data to Linked Data
Preparing Libraries for Web 3.0
Chicago, IL
July 13, 2009
Eric Miller
em@zepheira.com
Copyright © 2009 Zepheira. All Rights Reserved.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009

2. About...
• Leading global provider of services
applying Semantic technology and Web
architecture to problems of
information integration, especially to
support collaboration and social
computing.
• Pioneers in the Web.
• Provided much of the vision and
technical foundation for the next
generation of the Web.
• Leaders in communities for open
source, open standards, collaboration
across industry, government, NGOs
and individuals.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009

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4. Good to be back ;)
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5. Human Computation
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6. Human Computation
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7. Overview
• Linked Data
• Legacy Data to Linked Data
• Libraries and Linked Data
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8. Overview
• Linked Data
• Legacy Data to Linked Data
• Libraries and Linked Data
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9. Overview
• Linked Data
• Legacy Data to Linked Data
• Libraries and Linked Data
^ can contribute
Tuesday, July 21, 2009

10. Overview
• Linked Data
• Legacy Data to Linked Data
• Libraries and Linked Data
^ can contribute
Tuesday, July 21, 2009

11. Overview
• Linked Data
• Legacy Data to Linked Data
• Libraries and Linked Data
^ can contribute
^ can lead
Tuesday, July 21, 2009

12. Definition
Linked Data as "a term used to describe a
recommended best practice for exposing, sharing, and
connecting pieces of data, information, and knowledge
on the Semantic Web using URIs and RDF."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linked_Data
Tuesday, July 21, 2009

13. Definition
Linked Data as "a term used to describe a
recommended best practice for exposing, sharing,
and connecting pieces of data, information,
and knowledge on the Semantic Web using
URIs and RDF."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linked_Data
Tuesday, July 21, 2009

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16. Linked Data Principals
• URIs for ‘things’
• people, places, concepts, etc.
• Use HTTP URIs to make data most accessible
• When serving URIs, deliver useful / reusable
information
• leverage standards (RDF, SKOS, SPARQL)
• Add context / relationships between ‘things’
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17. Linked Data
creator
worksFor
creator worksFor
locatedIn
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18. Linked Data
creator
worksFor
creator worksFor
locatedIn
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19. Linked Data
creator
worksFor
creator worksFor
locatedIn
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20. Linked Data
creator
worksFor
creator worksFor
locatedIn
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21. RDF
• Resource Description Framework
• common model for representing web data
Subject Predicate Object
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22. RDF
• Resource Description Framework
• common model for representing web data
URI URI URI
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23. RDF
• Resource Description Framework
• common model for representing web data
http:// http://
dc:creator
z.com me.com
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25. Raw data now!
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26. Sounds great.
What’s the catch?
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27. It takes the big step of fundamentally
rethinking applications and their integration
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28. Not applications on the web, but of the web.
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29. I want my data!
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30. I want your data, my way!
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31. A practical use case
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32. The Library of Congress
Digital Preservation
• 180+ Partners
• Located across the globe
• Groups have different charters, goals, budgets
• Many of these groups would benefit from sharing
and connecting their data
• But it exists in many disconnected silos...
Tuesday, July 21, 2009

33. What’s the Answer?
• Empower users to create their own views of
data to satisfy different job roles and changing
needs
• Build a community around the data in which
users help each other to curate and connect as
needed
• Skip the supermodel - Leave data in the
multiple “best of breed” systems; wrap and
expose using the Web as a platform
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56. purlz.org
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57. Linked Data Communities
Enhancing access:
• Easy to expose collections via the Web
Connecting islands of information:
• Collections available from one access point
• Access and connect data across multiple
collections
Creating and preserving the community:
• Share best practices across communities
• Establish a network of trust and participation
Open data opens new doors...
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61. Libraries Role
• Credibility Commons
• problem for documents
• even more so with data
• “Trusted” Views
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62. Recommended
Next Steps
• Trusted identifiers to invest in
• example - id.lcsh.info
• subjects, places, languages, people, etc.
• Shape enabling infrastructure
• purlz.org
Tuesday, July 21, 2009

63. Recommended
Next Steps
• Continue discussion around libraries role in
Linked Data
• ROI, best practices, lessons learned
• shared, enabling infrastructure
• credibility
• vocabularies
Tuesday, July 21, 2009

64. Linked Data is here
Can you afford not to be part of it?
Tuesday, July 21, 2009

65. thank you
Eric Miller
em@zepheira.com
Tuesday, July 21, 2009