Presentation from C4LMW 2015

1. Practical approaches to entification
in library bibliographic data

2. BIBFRAME = Internet of Things
• BIBFRAME is the model, but the devil is in the details
• Reconciliation with legacy data
• Different flavors of the model (kind of like different flavors of MARC, but
not really)
• How do make our data semantic web friendly
• How do we build links (down with strings!)
• What services do we trust and are these services available yet
• How do we experiment to start learning what works and what doesn’t

3. Where do you start?
• If you are a developer?
• The current toolset is built for you. LC’s tools, SPARQL, system APIs –
as a developer, the raw components that you need to start pulling
together toolsets for experimentation can be found if you look for them.
• If you are a cataloger?
• Find a developer, or start writing scripts yourself…
• Today, very few resources are being developed for practitioners.
Zepheira has a training set and is sponsoring LibHub, LC’s BIBFRAME
site provides examples of data in context, and there is MarcEdit.

4. Linked Data Tools in MarcEdit
• MARCNext
• The MARCNext toolset represents an effort to beginning creating a set of tools that can
integrate into existing workflows for Libraries and Catalogers interested in testing or
implementing linked data concepts within their bibliography environments today.
• Directly in MarcEditor
• Integration of the Linked data tool as part of the cataloger’s workflow
• Via the Command-line
• As part of cmarcedit.exe: eg. cmarcedit.exe –s [sourcefile] –d [destfile] -linkeddata

5. MarcEdit’s MARCNext Toolset

6. MarcEdit’s MARCNext Toolset
• Main motivations for making this available
• Exposes a part of a larger framework presently within MarcEdit to support my
research interests in emerging metadata models and linked data concepts in
general.
• To place tools in the hands of catalogers; who are largely pushed to sidelines
when thinking about issues like BIBFRAME and Linked Data
• Lower the barriers for those interested in experimenting with their own data

7. MarcEdit’s MARCNext Toolset
• BIBFRAME Testbed: a tool utilizing LC’s XQuery transformations to allow users the
ability to visualize their own metadata within various BIBFRAME serializations.
• JSON Object View: a tool allowing users to open a JSON file and visualize the
relationships between objects.
• Link Identifiers: a tool that catalogers can use now to embed URIs into the $0 of
controlled terms
• SPARQL Browser: A Spartan interface for users wanting to test SPARQL endpoints

8. Link Data Tool
• The Last Mile Problem: To take advantage of metadata models designed for the
web, someone will need to “link” the data.
• EZ-Entification: Takes advantage of the current MARC structure to embed $0’s
into the 1xx, 6xx, and 7xx fields.
• Process supports the generation of links to a wide range of authority sources.
• Presently:
• VIAF
• ID.LOC.GOV
• FAST
• MESH
• Embedding OCLC Work ID’s into records

9. Link Data Tool
• How it works
• In March 2015, I formalized support for linked data resources and created the
melinked_data.dll assembly. This assembly is the engine that drives MarcEdit’s Linked
Data work.
• Within the assembly is a resolution framework, designed to enable plug & play
networks for eventual user definition of new linked data services.
• Framework has been designed to support SPARQL, JSONLD, and OpenSearch
(with Atom or RSS responses)
• As part of the tool, the resolution algorithm has multiple validation layers, with
basic data normalization to ensure optimal communication with the current linking
services.

10. Link Data Tool
• So what get’s Linked?
• Tool is looking for specific values
• VIAF and LCNAF linking occurs on 1xx and 7xx data elements
• Subject Linking occurs on all 6xx fields
• Linking services are automatically evaluated and processed by utilizing data
found within the second indicator and the $2.
• When working with known services, the tool will evaluate any data found in
the $0 and if a URI isn’t present, will update the value appropriately

11. Link Data Tool
• Creating Actionable Data
• $0 defined as: Authority record control number or standard number (R)
• Linked Data Tool ignores this utilizing URIs (and will actively convert control
numbers to URIs)
Example:
=650 7$aMedical policy.$2fast$0(OCoLC)fst01014505
• Converted to:
=650 7$aMedical policy.$2fast$0http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1014505

12. Link Data Tool
• Challenges
• Are the Linking Services ready?
• Honestly, many of these services are still evolving. Will a VIAF identify
continue to make the most sense when linking to OCLC person data, or will
the Person Identifiers that they talked about at ALA be more appropriate?
• Id.loc.gov doesn’t handle redirects well through the API – there is (or was
last time I tested) a disconnect between terms that have been replaced.

13. Link Data Tool
• Challenges
• Linking will also be local – and how will those services be implemented. I’m
hoping SPARQL, but my experience has been all over the map.
• Where is OCLC in all of this. They are working hard on their own internal data
streams, but its actually groups like Zepheira, BibFlow, and LD4P that are actively
engaging catalogers.
.

14. Link Data Tool
• Challenges
• Linking will also be local – and how will those services be implemented. I’m
hoping SPARQL, but my experience has been all over the map.
• Where is OCLC in all of this. They are working hard on their own internal data
streams, but its actually groups like Zepheira, BibFlow, and LD4P that are actively
engaging catalogers.
.

15. Source Code
• Zepheira BIBFRAME Testing Plugin Code
• Code is provided minus the API key
• Includes the linked data assembly from ME
• http://marcedit.reeset.net/software/plugins/source/libhub.zip

16. Contact Me:
Terry Reese
Head of Digital Initiatives
University Libraries 175 West 18th Avenue
320F 18th Avenue Library,, Columbus, OH 43210
614-292-8263 Office / 614-407-4998 Mobile
reese.2179@osu.edu / http://library.osu.edu / http://reeset.net