Linked Open Data

This March I am presenting a case study at the 2015 VRA Conference here in Denver.  The presentation is called Using the Getty Vocabularies as Linked Open Data in a Cataloging Tool for an Academic Teaching Collection: Case Study at the University of Denver.  A paper addressing the same topic, written in collaboration with two librarians at the University of Denver, Sheila Yeh and Fernando Reyes, will be submitted to the VRA Bulletin for the Summer Issue.    

Abstract:

This case study examines the collaboration of two units at the University of Denver to create a new cataloging tool for the university’s teaching and learning object management system.  The Visual Media Director for the School of Art and Art History, the University Library’s Digital Infrastructure and Technology Coordinator, and the Library’s Senior Systems Analyst successfully developed the Art History Metadata Management System (MMS) in 2013.  The collaborators were able to harness the power of Linked Open Data (LOD) from vocabularies from the Getty Research Institute and the Library of Congress to facilitate the creation of metadata in MMS.  This case study examines LOD in the context of cataloging cultural objects using integrated controlled vocabularies to ensure metadata integrity. This study also demonstrates principles of agile software development that encourage frequent communication contributing to the success of a multi-departmental project.

The PowerPoint presentation will be posted on SlideShare after the conference, also.

I first learned about Linked Open Data (LOD) during a MOOC (Massive Open Online Class) on Coursera called Metadata: Organizing and Discovering Information. LOD is really a fascinating phenomenon and one that is getting a lot of buzz.  Here is a great video about it by Tim Berners-Lee, who is credited with inventing the internet and is now the Chairman of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).