The Library of Congress is working on a bibliographic framework for the digital age. According to the article, “The new bibliographic framework project will be focused on the Web environment, Linked Data principles and mechanisms, and the Resource Description Framework (RDF) as a basic data model.  The protocols and ideas behind Linked Data are natural exchange mechanisms for the Web that have found substantial resonance even beyond the cultural heritage sector.  Likewise, it is expected that the use of RDF and other W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) developments will enable the integration of library data and other cultural heritage data on the Web for more expansive user access to information.”

It continues, “Regarding a general data model, developments in web modeling are currently centered on RDF, which is a W3C recommended method for conceptual description or modeling of information.  RDF data can be ‘serialized’ or ‘written out’ in several different syntax formats, one of which is XML (eXtensible Markup Language).  RDF data may be used in relational databases, which underlie most library catalogs today, just as MARC 21 records are used in most library catalogs.  Triplestores, which are databases designed specifically for storing and querying RDF data, are widely and readily available, and promise to provide the library community with more options about how to store and retrieve its data in the future.”

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Image: Courtesy Library of Congress