Linked Data: A Glimpse into the Future
Jeeya S -
Hello fellow classmates, I was not entirely sure if I was going to talk about this because I thought I would save it for my actual presentation, but it is an intriguing topic that I feel is worth discussing. As you know, my entire project centers around the mass editing of data, and a huge chunk of that is ensuring that the content is up to the content standards mandated by the Library of Congress. Currently, there is a huge movement to standardize records across library databases across the nation.
But why is standardization so important in the bigger picture?
It all boils down to: Linked Data
Linked data is a huge buzz word in the world of Data Science, and libraries are no exception. In general, linked data breaks down information silos and makes it easier to browse through complex data. The more linked data is out there, the closer we are to creating the ‘Web of Data’ – a global network of interconnected machine-readable information, as opposed to a vast collection of unconnected datasets. Specifically in terms of libraries, Library linked data (LLD) refers to the use of linked data standards applied to bibliographic and authority data sets, with the hope of decreasing redundant cataloging work and increasing visibility of library resources and interoperability with non-library systems
In other words, the more standardized and uniformly structured records are across libraries’ databases, the easier it is for computers to find connections between works, and the easier it is for a computer to retrieve this record.
So, what are the possible implications of this in the future?
Imagine searching up a book, author or genre on any search engine (maybe searching up a recommendation from Book Tok) and getting a pop-up window stating, “This book is currently available at your local library”. You would not necessarily even need to search up a specific book title, it could be recommendations based on your previous history. This has the potential to increase accessibility as people realize they do not need to buy books and get more teens reading again. It could also bring back more interest in libraries (as libraries are facing a quite crisis with less people physically supporting them).
However, in order to reach this point, local libraries must do their part at maintaining their data at the base level (which is what I hoped to do in my project).
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