Forging a Path for Linked 
Open Data at DPLA 
Gretchen Gueguen 
Data Services Coordinator 
Digital Public Library of America
DPLA by the numbers 
8,000,000+ records 
23 hubs and counting 
1300+ contributing institutions
DPLA by the numbers 
…3 major metadata schemas, 1 
product-specific formats, 5 institution-specific 
formats
DPLA’s Metadata Application 
Profile 
• Originally developed between 2012 
and 2013 
• Based on the Europeana Data Model 
• Currently in version 3.1 
• Undergoing update to version 4
MAP v3.1
MAP v4
Namespaces 
• Content in RDF (cnt): http://www.w3.org/2011/content# 
• Dublin Core (dc): http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/ 
• Dublin Core Terms (dcterms): http://purl.org/dc/terms/ 
• DCMI Type Vocabulary (dcmitype): http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/ 
• Europeana Data Model (edm): http://www.europeana.eu/schemas/edm/ 
• Geonames (gn): http://www.geonames.org/ontology# 
• Open Annotation (oa): http://www.w3.org/ns/oa# 
• OAI Object Reuse and Exchange (ore): http://www.openarchives.org/ore/terms/ 
• Resource Description Framework (rdf): 
http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns# 
• RDF Schema (rdfs): http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema# 
• Simple Knowledge Organization System (skos): 
http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core# 
• World Geodetic System (wgs84): http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#
Expansion of Classes 
• Place 
• Agent 
• Concept
Examples of Provided Subjects 
<dc:subject>figures (representations); trees; vines</ 
dc:subject> 
<dc:subject authority=“lcsh” valueURI=“http:// 
id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85073038”> Korea-- 
History--Japanese occupations, 1910-1945</ 
dc:subject>
Examples in JSON-LD 
"subject":[ 
{ 
”providedLabel” : ”figures (representations)” 
}, 
], 
"subject":[ 
{ 
”concept” : ” Korea-- 
History--Japanese occupations, 1910-1945” 
“scheme” : “http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects” 
“exactMatch” : “http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85073038” 
}, 
],
Enriched data; close 
match 
Original Label
Standardized Rights Metadata 
• Knight 
Foundation-funded 
project to 
develop 
standardized 
namespace 
for rights 
metadata 
and a list of 
URIs for 
standard 
declarations
API 
• Native rdf triplestore serialized into JSON-LD 
• Currently based on MAPv3.1 
• Public website uses JSON-LD api 
• Also available through the API directly 
• Entire datastore available for download 
• Implementation of MAPv4 will occur in 
stored data, but will be mapped to 
MAPv3.1 for use in the API for the near 
future
Future Steps 
• Source of LOD? 
• Portal with LOD? 
• Service for adding LOD to library 
bibliographic records?

NISO/NFAIS Joint Virtual Conference: Connecting the Library to the Wider World - Successful Applications of Linked Data

  • 1.
    Forging a Pathfor Linked Open Data at DPLA Gretchen Gueguen Data Services Coordinator Digital Public Library of America
  • 5.
    DPLA by thenumbers 8,000,000+ records 23 hubs and counting 1300+ contributing institutions
  • 6.
    DPLA by thenumbers …3 major metadata schemas, 1 product-specific formats, 5 institution-specific formats
  • 7.
    DPLA’s Metadata Application Profile • Originally developed between 2012 and 2013 • Based on the Europeana Data Model • Currently in version 3.1 • Undergoing update to version 4
  • 8.
  • 9.
  • 10.
    Namespaces • Contentin RDF (cnt): http://www.w3.org/2011/content# • Dublin Core (dc): http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/ • Dublin Core Terms (dcterms): http://purl.org/dc/terms/ • DCMI Type Vocabulary (dcmitype): http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/ • Europeana Data Model (edm): http://www.europeana.eu/schemas/edm/ • Geonames (gn): http://www.geonames.org/ontology# • Open Annotation (oa): http://www.w3.org/ns/oa# • OAI Object Reuse and Exchange (ore): http://www.openarchives.org/ore/terms/ • Resource Description Framework (rdf): http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns# • RDF Schema (rdfs): http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema# • Simple Knowledge Organization System (skos): http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core# • World Geodetic System (wgs84): http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#
  • 11.
    Expansion of Classes • Place • Agent • Concept
  • 13.
    Examples of ProvidedSubjects <dc:subject>figures (representations); trees; vines</ dc:subject> <dc:subject authority=“lcsh” valueURI=“http:// id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85073038”> Korea-- History--Japanese occupations, 1910-1945</ dc:subject>
  • 14.
    Examples in JSON-LD "subject":[ { ”providedLabel” : ”figures (representations)” }, ], "subject":[ { ”concept” : ” Korea-- History--Japanese occupations, 1910-1945” “scheme” : “http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects” “exactMatch” : “http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85073038” }, ],
  • 17.
    Enriched data; close match Original Label
  • 18.
    Standardized Rights Metadata • Knight Foundation-funded project to develop standardized namespace for rights metadata and a list of URIs for standard declarations
  • 20.
    API • Nativerdf triplestore serialized into JSON-LD • Currently based on MAPv3.1 • Public website uses JSON-LD api • Also available through the API directly • Entire datastore available for download • Implementation of MAPv4 will occur in stored data, but will be mapped to MAPv3.1 for use in the API for the near future
  • 23.
    Future Steps •Source of LOD? • Portal with LOD? • Service for adding LOD to library bibliographic records?