Understanding the Semantic Web: Bibliographic Data and Metadata (Library Technology Reports)

In the January 2010 issue of Library Technology Reports, Karen Coyle breaks down the current state library data, and lays out a foundation for transforming data and the modern library catalog to a more modern, interactive, web-oriented entity that fits a world where physical space is no longer the highest priority in library service.



In this report, the first in a series of two, Karen begins by exploring the history of data and the catalog from its origins, tracing it all the way up to the modern world of digital records. She expains, in detail, the concept of Metadata, in terms of both its use up to the present time and its potential for the future.



She argues that library data must be transformed from being a textual entity to one based on machine readability and web compatibility. She offers a practical guidelines for this transformation, asserting that while it would necesitate a revolution of sorts, we are not as far away from a semantic web-friendly catalog as it seems.