Linked Data experiments at the National Library of Scotland

View of Sutherland, by Seton Paul Gordon, ©

http://nlsdata.info/xyz/123

We have a visionStatementWe will connect anyone to relevant Library resources wherever they seek information and direct them to related resources and services beyond the Library.

Users will be able to search, browse and navigate across the breadth and depth of the Library’s collection.

In particular, we will:• Review the Library’s metadata use and implement a metadata strategy and

framework to facilitate collection integration and discovery• Agree the use of internationally recognised open standards for resource

description and vocabularies for all Library collections to facilitate collection integration

• Implement Uniform Resource Identifiers for all collection resources to facilitate connection with linked open data

Different datasetsSo you want to find our resources on Seton Paul Gordon?

Digital Objects Database a local schema

LC Name Authority File

Main catalogue MARC

Manuscript database EAD

Moving Image Archive (Trip to Skye, Orkney and Shetland)

Or RDA?

Finding solutions

• Is Linked Data the solution?“Taking disparate data across the web and exposing it to artificial intelligence and automated processes so that machines can extract meaning from this data”

• Every resource described should be identified with its own URI

• RDF is the foundation of the semantic web• Go learn about it: Library Juice Academy• Ok it makes sense!

Getting started…• We need triples Seton Paul Gordon hasCreated thisPhotograph

• We need URIshttp://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/Who/3463http://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/isWhoOfhttp://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/Resource/74527850

Resource(Subject

URI)

Property value (object literal)

Property URI

Resource(Subject

URI)

Property value

(Object URI)

Property URI

Graph of the triplesNetwork of data can be represented as a graphA graph consists of resources related to other resourcesNo concept of root or hierarchy

Gordon, Seton Paul, 1886-1977

dod:tWho-who(has Who label)

dod:isWhoOf

LCNAhttp://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/Resource/74527840

http://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/Resource/74527850

Seals on shore

Seton Gordon in a car in Sutherland

dod:tWho-whoAuthoritydod:isWhoOf

dod:tDescription-title

dod:tDescription-title

http://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/Who/3463

Considerations around isWhoOf

• DOD Vocabulary has been published ... in part• http://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/isWhoOf is part of the published vocabulary• In other words: this person has something to do with this resource• No more and no less

• DOD has ‘Who Types’

<dbo_tWho><whoTableID> 3463</whoTableID><who> Gordon, Seton Paul, 1886-1977 </who><whoAuthority>LCNA</whoAuthority>

</dbo_tWho>

<name whoAuthority="LCNA" whoTableID="3463" whoType="Photographer">Gordon, Seton Paul, 1886-1977</name>

<dbo_tWhoType><whoTypeTableID> 27</whoTypeTableID><whoType>Photographer</whoType>

</dbo_tWhoType>

IsWhoOf

Resource 1

IsWhoOf

Resource 2

IsWhoDepictedIn

IsWhoType

“Photographer”

IsWhoOf

Resource 3

IsWhoType

“Woodcutter”

http://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/Who/3463

http://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/Who/3463 dod:isWhoOf http://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/Resource/1;dod:isWhoDepictedIn http://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/Resource/2;dod:isWhoType “Photographer”.

http://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/Who/3463

Resource 1

Resource 2Resource 3

dod:isWhoWoodcutterdod:isWhoDepictedIn

dod:isWhoPhotographer

dod:isWhoPhotographer rdfs:subPropertyOf dod:isWhoOf dod:isWhoDepictedIn rdfs:subPropertyOf dod:isWhoOf dod:isWhoWoodcutter rdfs:subPropertyOf dod:isWhoOf

isWhoOf

rdfs:isSubPropertyOf

LCNA:nb90021946owl:sameAs

dod:isWhoPhotographer

skos:closeMatch

rda:creatorOf

The triplestoreA data repository that can store and index triplesA means of managing and accessing triples with SPARQL

<http://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/Resource/74527854>dod:tDescription-title "Photograph showing winter in

the Cuillins, with a standing figure in the foreground.“

<http://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/Resource/74527856>dod:tDescription-title "View of Sutherland.“

<http://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/Resource/74527844>dod:tDescription-title "Children on North Uist.“

<http://nlsdata.info/main-cat/elements/Bib/335273>nlsmc:titleOfTheWork "Afoot in the Hebrides.“

<http://nlsdata.info/main-cat/elements/Bib/4563124>nlsmc:titleOfTheWork "Hebridean memories."

<http://nlsdata.info/mss/elements/Fonds/Acc.7451.1-27>nlsmss:description "Papers of Seton Paul Gordon"

SPARQLA query language that can access RDF graph

contentThe data can be queried, manipulated (update,

delete) or created (new triples)Relies on a SPARQL endpoint (the capability of

receiving and interpreting a query and returning data)

Ability to cross search relationships between multiple sets of objects and to identify contexts

A quick exampleprefix rdf: <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#> prefix dod: <http://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/> prefix mss: <http://nlsdata.info/mss/elements/> prefix nlsmc: <http://nlsdata.info/main-cat/elements/>

SELECT ?resource ?titleWHERE{ { ?resource dod:tDescription-title ?dodtitle. BIND((?dodtitle) as ?title)}UNION{ ?resource mss:description ?msstitle. BIND((?msstitle) as ?title)}UNION{ ?resource nlsmc:titleOfTheWork ?mctitle. BIND((?mctitle) as ?title)}}resource titlehttp://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/Resource/74527850 Seton Gordon in a car in Sutherland

http://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/Resource/74527854 Winter in the Cuillins

http://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/Resource/74527856 View of Sutherland.

http://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/Resource/74527844 Children on North Uist

http://nlsdata.info/mss/elements/Fonds/Acc.7451.1-27 Papers of Seton Paul Gordon.

http://nlsdata.info/main-cat/elements/Bib/4563124 Hebridean memories.

http://nlsdata.info/main-cat/elements/Bib/335273 Afoot in the Hebrides.

prefix rdf: <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#> prefix dod: <http://nlsdata.info/dod/elements/> prefix mss: <http://nlsdata.info/mss/elements/> prefix nlsmc: <http://nlsdata.info/main-cat/elements/> PREFIX dbo: <http://dbpedia.org/ontology/>PREFIX : <http://dbpedia.org/resource/>

SELECT ?resource ?title ?abstractWHERE { { ?resource dod:tDescription-title ?dodtitle. BIND((?dodtitle) as ?title)}UNION{ ?resource mss:description ?msstitle. BIND((?msstitle) as ?title)}UNION{ ?resource nlsmc:titleOfTheWork ?mctitle. BIND((?mctitle) as ?title)}UNION{SELECT ?abstract WHERE {SERVICE <http://dbpedia.org/sparql> { :Seton_Gordon dbo:abstract ?abstract . FILTER langMatches( lang(?abstract), "en" ) }}}}

AbstractSeton Gordon (1886 - 1977) was a Scottish naturalist, photographer and folklorist.Gordon began exploring the Highlands of Scotland as a boy, particularly the Cairngorms. He later became a world famous naturalist, photographer and folklorist, describing the wildlife and scenery of Scotland. His books are still widely available, and a recent anthology has been published. Their appeal is based upon the knowledge of natural history displayed, together with his ability as a writer.Born in Aberdeen, he lived on Deeside and was educated privately and at Oxford. Given cameras as a young man, his books were illustrated with photographs taken by himself and his first wife, Audrey Gordon, for many years his companion and helper in the field.He accompanied the Oxford University Expedition to Spitsbergen in 1921 and took many photographs there, but the birds of the Scottish mountains and glens were always his real passion. From his home in Aviemore (and later the Isle of Skye), he made regular forays into the wilds.Of all the Scottish birds, the golden eagle was his favourite. He is believed to have been the first to photograph both the snow bunting and the whooper swan at nests in Scotland. His services to natural history were recognised by the award of the C.B.E. in 1939.He judged many piping competitions (often with Angus MacPherson and Jock MacDonald of Viewfield) including his own favourite, the Glenfinnan Gathering. He was close to many of the landed families of Scotland.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seton_Gordon

What next? We need...

Vocabularies for our

various datasetsURI’S

The mappings

Semantics

Effective tools

Skills, experience , resources and support

E n t h u s i a s m ,

c o n v i c ti o n a n d

p e r s e v e r a n c e

Publishing

platform

Thank YouResources and references

• DOD element set on Open Metadata Registry• RDA registry• RDFS: data-modelling vocabulary for RDF data• OWL: Web Ontology Language• SKOS: Simple Knowledge Organization System• Library of Congress Linked Data services• Dbpedia• Getty vocabularies SPARQL endpoint• British Museum semantic web collection online• Library Juice Academy

Alexandra De PrettoSystems LibrarianNational Library of Scotlanda.depretto@nls.ukNationalLibraryofScotland@natlibscot