Presentation given at ALA 2014 Las Vegas on linked data lessons learned.

1. Linked Open Library Data
The British Library Experience
Neil Wilson
Head, Collection Metadata
The British Library
ALA Las Vegas
June 28 2014 © The British
Library Board
2014

2. www.bl.uk 2
Objectives
To describe:
•Why we offer linked data
•What we offer
•What we learned

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The British Library
• Receives a copy of every
publication available in UK
• Collection includes over 150
million items:
• 14 million books
• 920,000 journal & newspaper titles
• 3 million sound recordings & much
more…
• Operates the world's largest
document delivery service

4. www.bl.uk 4
Metadata Provision
The BL Act records our role as
“national centre for… bibliographical & other
information services”
BL Metadata Services:
• Originally offered priced services
• Evolved through many technologies
• Began to offer open data in 2010

5. www.bl.uk 5
New Landscape – New Expectations
• The Web fuelled expectation
information should be open
• Government requirement for
open public data has grown
• The Open Data agenda now
covers:
• Transparency
• Economic growth
• Research

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BL Open Metadata Strategy
We offer metadata to
promote:
• Innovation – by removing
unnecessary barriers
• Migration from local formats -
to cross domain standards
• Collaboration - with new user
communities

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BL Open Metadata Strategy
Includes offerings for:
• Libraries - MARC21 & Z39.50
• Researchers - RDF/XML & .CSV
• Linked Data Users - RDF &
SPARQL

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Results
• 1090 user organisations in
105 countries
• Collaborations with
Microsoft, UK Government
& developers on technical, standards
& licensing challenges
• Linked Open BNB
• Cabinet Office exemplar & selected for
UK National Information Infrastructure
• 2 million transactions monthly
• 95% Satisfaction Rating

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Why Work on Linked Open Library Data?
• Concept of open &
connected information - fits
well with libraries
• Participation in the new
landscape – improves access to
knowledge & culture
• The promise of a reusable
global data pool – should
enable libraries to add unique value

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Why Choose the BNB for LOD?
Reusable publications
dataset - not unique catalogue
Permissive License – CC0
 Includes: People, Places,
Dates, Subjects
 Consistent over 60 years
Underlined our commitment

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Linking
To give data broader
context we linked to:
• General resources:
• GeoNames
• Lexvo
• RDF Book
Mashup
• Library resources:
• LCSH
• VIAF
• Dewey.info

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How?
MARC21 to RDF Conversion Workflow
Process
• Selection
• Character set conversion
• Pre-processing
• URI generation
• Data transformation
• Create & load triples
• Produce VoiD descriptions
Tools
• Catalogue Bridge Utilities
• MARC Global/MARC Report
http://www.marcofquality.com/
• Jena Eyeball
http://jena.sourceforge.net/Eyeball/

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Access Options
.
BNB 1950-2012
3.5 Million Records
98 Million Unique Triples
• bnb.data.bl.uk/sparql
• thedatahub.org/dataset/bluk-bnb-basic
• www.bl.uk/bibliographic/download.html
• bnb.data.bl.uk

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Lessons Learned - Linked Data
• Use the opportunity to
review & remodel your data
• Plan for service support &
identifier persistence
• Try to move beyond data
dumps & silo sites

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Lessons Learned – Communication
• Expertise & abilities vary - new user
groups require new communication
methods
• Clearly explain data & its uses – via
examples
• Document your data – e.g. identify
entities (places, people, dates etc.)
• Partner with researchers &
developers – learn together & build
communities of interest

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Lessons Learned - Data
• You understand your data – but
need to show its relevance to others
• Offer samples for comment –
identify user needs & continually improve
• Conversions highlight old
issues - & often create new ones
• Actively license derived data -
to support linked open services

17. www.bl.uk 17
Lessons Learned – Expectations
• One size doesn’t fit all –
different users = different needs
• How to capture usage, value
& attribution – to maintain
funding
• Need to ensure evolving
expectations are met –
Community, libraries, Government etc.
FreeFree
OfferingOffering

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Lessons Learned - Efficiencies
• Flexibility of linked data store
• Improved visibility of unique
material
• New perspectives on your
data – e.g. Controlled fields
• Better return on investment -
via increased utility & flexibility
“Linking Open Data cloud diagram, by Richard
Cyganiak and Anja Jentzsch. http://lod-cloud.net/”

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Final Thoughts
Linked Library Data:
• Can reach a wider audience
- offering greater value
• Isn’t a ‘magic bullet’ – but can
be a valuable tool
• May not be ultimate solution
– but libraries can learn much &
contribute valuable experience

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Final Thoughts
• Better web integration of
our resources increases
visibility to new groups -
Wider utility = wider relevance
• Linked Data offers libraries
new opportunities - authority,
persistence & stability being key to
the emerging infrastructure
See: http://vimeo.com/36752317

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For More Information Visit…
http://www.bl.uk/bibliographic/datafree.html
http://bnb.data.bl.uk/faqs
http://bnb.data.bl.uk/getting-started
http://bnb.data.bl.uk/docs
http://twitter.com/#!/BLMetadata
metadata@bl.uk
http://www.bl.uk/bibliographic/datafree.html

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