Linking libraries to the real world

Linking libraries to the real worlda tragicomedy in two acts

Ad AertssArte.nl Foundationhttp://sarte.nl/@adaerts

Lukas KosterLibrary Systems CoordinatorLibrary of the University of Amsterdamhttp://www.uba.uva.nl@lukask

ELAG2011 - Prague – May 25, 2011

Act one: Libraries

Lukas Koster as The Librarian

Ad Aerts as The Theatre Lover

May 25, 2011 Linking libraries to the real world - ELAG2011

Curtain


Example – Waiting for GodotSamuel Beckett

En attendant Godot (1949)

Waiting for Godot – a tragicomedy in two acts (1952)

A country road

A tree

Evening

Men in bowler hats


Personal context

The Theatre Lover

Person

Interests

Background


Library context

The Librarian

Copies

Publications

Shelves

Cards

Dewey

LCC

MARC

OPAC


Estragon: ‘One knows what to expect’


Estragon: ‘People are bloody ignorant apes’


Library context – The catalogueSearch Subject area

Theatre

Godot

Personal context

Library context


Catalogue results


Vladimir: ‘Perhaps it’s not the right word’


Catalogue results


Estragon: ‘There’s nothing to show’


Theatre contextPARADOX

Key concept: The PerformanceNothing remains, except ‘residuals’/’waste products’:

MemoriesSouvenir brochures

RecordingsObjectsTexts

ReviewsMetadata


Theatre context

http://theaterinstituut.adlibsoft.com/


Theatre context


Out of context

Theatre

Personal context

Library context

Theatre context


In context

Theatre

Personal context

Library context

Theatre context


Estragon: ‘Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it's awful’


In context

Personal context Library context

Theatre context


In context

Personal context Library context

Theatre context


In context

Personal contextLibrary context

Theatre context

Set context before search:•Harvesting and Indexing•Merging•Search scopes•Personalisation

Set context after search:•Extending•Linking

= Metadata index + discovery tool = Linked data

Act two: The Real World

Lukas Koster as The Linker

Ad Aerts as The Nerd


Next day

Same time

Same place


Pilot project

Linking library catalogue data to theatre performance data

Dutch Digital Cultural Heritage Foundation DEN as instigator

http://den.nl/


Vladimir: “We could start all over again perhaps”Estragon: “That should be easy”Vladimir: “It’s the start that’s difficult”Estragon: “You can start from anything”Vladimir: “Yes, but you have to decide”Estragon: “True”


Why?

We are convinced

that Linked Data is

valuable and feasible


Lucky: ‘For reasons unknown’


Pilot Objectives Proof of concept Gather experience Added value for customers Set an example Convince cultural heritage institutions Convince TIN, UBA management


Two sides

PublishUse


Publishing linked data

URIs for all things

Preferably persistent

Return data in ‘machine readable format’

Triples/RDF/etc.

Vocabulary/ontology


Using linked data

1. Construct URIs based on native metadata

2. Process returned RDF/Triples/etc.

3. Present results


A theatre play data model

‘Play’


Theatre Things (Entities) Authors, actors, producers, etc. (persons) Plays (shows)

Productions Performances

Digital objects Photos, posters, sound, video

Physical objects Costumes, scenery, models, posters, photos, sound, video

…


Library Things (Entities) Authors (persons) Books/holdings/items

(plays)


MatchingLibrary catalogue results – Theatre production database results


What we made


How we did it URIs

<base-url>/person/<personname> <base-url>/title/<personname>/<title> <base-url>/production/<personname>/<title>/<opening date>

Requested by OPAC

Returned by TINTogether with data


How we did it - URIs

<base-url>/person/Beckett, Samuel

<base-url>/title/Beckett, Samuel/Waiting for Godot

JavaScript/JQuery

HTML


How we did it - JSON

jsonTIN({ "name":"Beckett, Samuel", "birth.country":"Ierland", "birth.date":" 1906*", "birth.place":"Foxrock", "death.date":"1989-12-22", "death.place":"Parijs", "titles":"/gettitles/Beckett, Samuel"})

<base-url>/person/Beckett, Samuel


How we did it - JSON


jsonTIN({ "production":[ "/production/Beckett, Samuel/Waiting for Godot/1988-07-28/5777", "/production/Beckett, Samuel/Waiting for Godot/1988-11-22/6750", "/production/Beckett, Samuel/Waiting for Godot/1992-04-16/10728", "/production/Beckett, Samuel/Waiting for Godot/1981-02-18/43032" ]})


How we did it - JSON<base-url>/production/Beckett, Samuel/Waiting for Godot/1988-11-22/6750

jsonTIN({ "name":"Beckett, Samuel", "title":"Waiting for Godot", "opening":"1988-11-22", "people":[ { "description":"Beckett, Samuel (auteur)", "uri":"/person/Beckett, Samuel"}, { "description":"Theedom, Peter (uitvoerende)", "uri":"/person/Theedom, Peter" }, { "description":"Stewart, Reginald (uitvoerende)", "uri":"/person/Stewart, Reginald" } ]})


How we did it – JavaScript/JQuery<base-url>/person/Beckett, Samuel


<base-url>/production/Beckett, Samuel/Waiting for Godot/1988-11-22/6750

JavaScript/JQuery


What we did not do (yet)Implement a vocabulary/ontology/RDF! http://ckan.net/package/theatricalia http://lukeblaney.co.uk/semweb/theatre

Content negotiation


Theatre Ontologyhttp://lukeblaney.co.uk/semweb/theatre


Problems No common identifiers

Aleph key ≠ key No internal links to common entity

No central “Work” String matching

Author: ‘Samuel Beckett’- ‘Beckett, Samuel’ Title: ‘Waiting for Godot’ –’En attendant Godot’

Copyright Photos, videos, audio, artwork


Estragon: ‘We’ve lost our rights?’ …

Pozzo: ‘The road is free to all’


Identifiers/URIs/String matching

/title/Beckett, Samuel/Waiting for Godot

/title/Beckett, Samuel/Waiting for Godot : a tragicomedy in two acts

/title/Beckett, Samuel/En attendant Godot : pièce en deux actes

/title/Beckett, Samuel/Wachten op Godot

/title/Beckett, Samuel/Waiting for Godot

/title/Beckett, Samuel/Waiting For Godot

/title/Beckett, Samuel/Wachten op Godot

/title/Beckett, Samuel/Wachtend op Godot

/title/Beckett, Samuel/Wachten op Godot (De favorieten)

/title/Beckett, Samuel/Wachten op Godot (eerste bedrijf)

/title/Beckett, Samuel/En attendant Godot

/title/Beckett, Samuel/Warten auf Godot


Pozzo: “I am Pozzo!....Pozzo! … Does that name mean nothing to you?... I say does that name mean nothing to you?”Estragon: “Bozzo...Bozzo...”Vladimir: “Pozzo...Pozzo...”Pozzo: “PPPOZZZO!”Estragon: “Ah! Pozzo...let me see...Pozzo...”Vladimir: “Is it Pozzo or Bozzo?”Estragon: “Pozzo...no...I’m afraid I...no...I don’t seem to...”Vladimir: “I once knew a family called Gozzo. The mother had the clap”


Solutions Add links:

Internally: FRBR! Externally: Authority files

(Smart string matching?) External broker mechanism


Links: FRBR, and moreWaiting

for Godot

Wachtenop Godot (NL)

En attendantGodot (FR)

Production2009

Production2010

Performance 1

Performance 2

Performance 3

Manifestation

Item

Work

Expression

1st Edition2007

2nd Edition2010

Copy 1

Copy 2

Copy 3

Theatre Text/Publisher/Library

FRBR

Videoregistration

Article

Scene 1

Scene 2

Scene 3

Photo

LibraryCatalogue


Ideally….


Current situation

Implicit relations


Legacy systems => Linked Data

Make implicit relations explicit

Use external authority files


Estragon: ‘That’s the idea, let’s contradict each other’


Curtain

Thank you!

You’re too kind!


Estragon: “Let’s go”Vladimir: “We can’t”Estragon: “Why not?”Vladimir: “We’re waiting for Godot”

Education

Linking libraries to the real world