2023-07-26

• Linked Data functionality in Alma
  • Testing Alma Refine cloudapp - not yet
  • Testing API export? - not yet
  • Inviting LOD Community of Practice coordinator/s, specific questions?
    • Use cases for Alma publishing profiles (and record limit)
    • Sinopia BIBFRAME generation, how enrichment/reconciliation is happening, what decisions are being made and how
      • Paloma mentions a pilot project of Alma libraries testing the Sinopia pipeline that she heard about at ALA, maybe they can share more info if they have it. 
    • Methods/use cases for efficiently adding URIs in batch to bib records
    • Use cases for using APIs to retrieve linked data? And for what purpose
    • Use cases connecting Alma to Wikibase
  • FYI, no Author Info Card in recent Primo VE August release as anticipated. 
  • 4 enhancements related to Linked Data in recent Alma August release - search these release notes for “Linked Data” to read about those
• Draft Linked Data Report we aim to write collaboratively - beginning to flesh out background information (Ex Libris Alma/Primo, PCC, etc.)
  • What can we add now?
    • State of LD functionality in Alma/Primo, summary of COP activities, roadmap projections
    • What we have accomplished thus far, vision for future workflows/enhanced discovery/access
• Should we set any action item assignments/expectations?
  • Paloma can probably test Alma Refine in August
  • Benn mentions familiarity with cloud apps, ability to customize, and willingness to test if folks want him to. 
  • Katie suggests scheduling some workshopping time together to explore 
  • Maybe September since we don’t have anything 
  • Wait to see if LOD COP speakers available Aug/September
  • Benn will schedule it

Starting with high-level, history for those not familiar

History

• cataloging was too complex, costly, and slow, so…
• 1988 National Coordinated Cataloging Program (LOC + 8 Libraries 2 year pilot)
• 1991 Cooperative Cataloging Council - charged w/ increasing # of quality bib records for copy cataloging
• 1994 Program for Cooperative Cataloging - standards and training to produce better records
  • Members contribute to pool of records, meeting standards, training requirements

Programs

• BIBCO - monographs
• CONSER - serials
• NACO - name authorities
• SACO - subject authorities

PCC Policy Committee, includes:

• Standing committees on standards, applications, and training
• LD Advisory Committee
• Identity Management Advisory Committee (focus on names)
• DEI Advisory Committee

2015-17 LD Vision, Mission, and Strategic Directions

• PCC Task Group on URIs in MARC - 2015
• LD Advisory Group - 2016
• LD for Production - 2016-2018
• PCC Task Group in Linked Data Best Practices - 2017-2018

2018-2022 Strategic Directions

• LD for Production phase 2 - 2018-2020

PCC LOD focus moving forward

• Defining plausible data targets, implementation models and data flows
• Engaging in tool development
• Participating in broader LD community

Lots of PCC LOD Working Groups, Task Forces, and Pilot Projects! (see Paloma’s slides with links to all)

Melanie asked about NACO training announced for September, seems more open than before

• if folks here are interested, what does registration require?
• This training limited to 100, already full as of today.
• Folks shared prior experiences with this or similar training
• Question: why pursue this kind of training when you can contribute to other online identity management w/out it?
  • PCC ISNI Pilot and Wikidata Pilot - how can PCC translate NACO standards and training to broader context outside library catalog/MARC data?

LDAC/IMAC URIs Guidance Subgroup (2023) - produced report that draws from all the PCC projects and groups, Paloma involved in convening this group.

• How can we influence vendors to do what we need them to do, not just what is easiest?
• Gaps in how Ex Libris is implementing, that ELUNA LD COP is pointing out, putting pressure on.

Task Group on Enhancing MD and Practices in MARC Bib Records (2022) - report

PCC and BIBFRAME

• Supporting BF implementation to move library community into LD environment
• Links to 4 initiatives that PCC is involved in related to this commitment to BF
  • PCC share-vde pool - collective catalog of LD from partner institutions, transformed into BF (partnership requires payment)
    • OCLC also involved (contributing BIBCO and CONSER records)
    • Paloma recommends looking at this to see what aggregated library LD looks like
  • PCC and Sinopia
  • PCC BIBFRAME application profiles - affinity group of PCC catalogers test the templates/forms
  • BF Interoperability Group: Terms of Reference - ensuring various implementations of BF are interoperable

How can we leverage PCC’s work towards linked data?

• Benn testing technical pathways, inspired to explore
• Particular place to start?
• Looking at share-vde and sinopia pools
• Need for training, prioritizing effort, catalogers working in increasingly variable cataloging forms/UIs/tools (Connexion, Alma MD Editor, repository MD forms, etc.), what is sustainable?
• Learning new systems is just part of the job now in tech services
• Institutional buy-in on “Why are we doing this?” is necessary
• HRC had success in learning new tools/new ways of describing resources, without much pain, actually very satisfying and refreshing. 
• Benn is exploring ways to automate ways we interact with/use these various interfaces, lateral topic that may be helpful.
• Paloma thinks seeing a native LD discovery system will blow your mind, and is concerned at Ex Libris' approach to keeping it so limited/MARC reliant instead of including a triple-store and being more robust LD system. 
• Brittney - remembers conversations with ExLibris about URI thing, unresponsiveness to the community, since 2016. 
• Melanie suggests they look closely at the August release enhancements and test on sandbox, this may have been addressed, at least partially.
• Melanie asks if we should focus on low-hanging fruit of how to enhance our MARC records 
•  Focus on adding URIs to our MARC records, via CloudApps, or other tools/automation? Agreement that this feels like a good first step within our current constraints.
• Paloma: exposing catalogers to discovery interfaces like share-vde will help with buy-in, concrete vision of possibilities advocating for more engagement around ld pools like this for training, buy-in.