Wikidata and knowledge graphs in practice: Using semantic SEO to create discoverable, accessible, machine-readable definitions of the people, places, and services in Libraries and Archives

Abstract

Libraries expand the access and visibility of data and research in support of an informed public. Search engines have limited knowledge of the dynamic nature of libraries - their people, their services, and their resources. The very definition of libraries in online environments is outdated and misleading. This article offers a solution to this metadata problem by redefining libraries for Machine Learning environments and search engines. Two ways to approach this problem include implementing local structured data in a knowledge graph model and “inside-out” definitions in Semantic Web endpoints. MSU Library has found that implementing a “Knowledge Graph” linked data model leads to improved discovery and interpretation by the bots and search engines that index and describe what libraries are, what they do, and their scholarly content. In contrast, LSE Library has found that contributing to Wikidata, a collaborative and global metadata source, can increase understanding of libraries and extend their reach and engagement. This article demonstrates that Wikidata can be used to push out data, the technical details of knowledge graph markup, and the practice of semantic Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It explores how metadata can represent an organization equitably and how this improves the reach of global information communities.