Describing Diasporan Digital Information Objects

Abstract

The current global information environment has increased competition in places, such as libraries, where people have traditionally turned to for access to information. As a result of this competition, it is crucial for managers of large bodies of information—curators, librarians and archivists–to make the “search and find” process seamless. Libraries aiming to appeal to web-savvy users have found that a common way to specify meaning among webpages is by utilizing the Resource Description Framework (RDF), an essential part of publishing Linked Data in the Semantic Web. Linked Data builds directly on the architecture of the internet and applies a democratic, decentralized approach to the task of sharing data on a global scale. This paper provides an introduction to Linked Data and presents how the Variations/FRBR project at Indiana University utilized the Resource Description Framework to enhance web-based discovery services for music students at the Jacobs School of Music.