Positioning Library Data for the Semantic Web: Recent Developments in Resource Description

Abstract

Recent developments in resource description standards and technologies have aimed at moving cataloging practice to the Web environment and making library data available for exchange and reuse on the Semantic Web. As the library community looks outward and forward, library standards and technologies are converging with Web practices in three areas: content description, data models, and data exchange. This article captures the essence of the core standards and technologies that underlie the daily work of practitioners of library service, including Resource Description and Access, Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records, the Linked Data environment, Resource Description Framework, and the Bibliographic Framework Transition Initiative. The article will discuss their intersections with existing practice during this period of transition as well as their potential impacts on the future cataloging practice.