linking and exploring authority files tel-me-mor/m-cast seminar, prague november 23 rd 2006...

Linking and Exploring Authority Files

TEL-ME-MOR/M-CAST Seminar,Prague November 23rd 2006

Hans-Jörg Lieder, Berlin State Library

Subject access seminar, Prague 23.11.2006

Overview

• Authority Control / Context Information

• Limitations• LEAF• Objectives• Innovations• LEAF System Architecture• LEAF and other Systems


Authority Control

• Libraries– Separate data records – authority records –

describing persons, corporate bodies, subjects etc., maintained independantly from bibliographic records (as independent database (e.g. PND) or tables/group of tables within library system

– Authority records can be linked to a variety of resources

– Purpose of a person name authority record: disambiguation of a name, i.e. establishing of a 1:1 relationship between a name and a person


Context Information

• Archives– Traditionally biographical information

is part of an archival record– Purpose of biographical context

information: providing context for the specific archival record


Present Limitations

• Access to authority data is limited to some institutions only

• Access to authority data is dependant of employed cataloguing rules and data formats

• Cross-domain sharing of authority data (e.g. between libraries, archives, museums and other ‘memory institutions‘) does not exist

• Public users do not have access to authority data


Examples

Minimal level library authority record:– Smith, John, 1563-1616 (LOC)

Biographical context information in archives come in all shapes and sizes

Richer library authority record:


LEAF• European project within the 5th

Framework of the European Commission, Programme “Information Society Technology”

• March 2001 – February 2004• 15 partners in 10 countries


LEAF Objectives 1

LEAF (Linking and Exploring Authority Files) developed a prototype system through which (internationally) distributed person name authority records are gathered, automatically linked in meaningful ways, made available to a variety of operations and opened up for multiple analysis.


LEAF Objectives 2

The following steps are included:• new or updated local name authority records

are fetched/harvested by or uploaded to the LEAF system on a regular basis

• all records in the LEAF system are converted into one common exchange format (EAC) and inserted into a central database

• records describing the same person are automatically linked

• all records in the LEAF database are available for search and retrieval


LEAF Objectives 3

• retrieved search results are stored in a Central Name Authority File

• registered users can annotate records• external systems can query the LEAF

service• LEAF can query external systems• external resources can link to LEAF

records• results retrieved in LEAF can be used as

search arguments in other applications


LEAF Innovations

• Common exchange format for libraries and archives

• Linking process• Usage impact• Addition of annotations • Integration into a distributed

search service


Exchange formatEAC, Encoded Archival Context • XML DTD, parallel to EAD (Encoded

Archival Description)• Describes circumstances of creation and

use of records, including the identification of persons, corporate bodies and families, their roles and relationships

• Compatible with MARC family, MAB and archival standard ISAAR(CPF) (Int. Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons, and Families)


EAC structure


EAC example (partial)<identity> <pershead rule="aacr2" authorized="UCM" languagecode="spa" scriptcode="latn" ea="100"> <part type="surname">Pi Sunyer</part> <part type="forename">Charles</part> </pershead> <pershead rule="aacr2" languagecode="spa" scriptcode="latn" ea="400"> <part type="surname">Pi i Sunyer</part> <part type="forename">Charles</part> </pershead> <pershead rule="aacr2" languagecode="spa" scriptcode="latn" ea="400"> <part type="surname">Pi Sunyer</part> <part type="forename">Carlos</part> </pershead> <nameadds> <date scope="active" calendar="gregorian" normal="1888/1971" form="rangeclosed" ea="100$d">1888-1971</date> </nameadds> </identity>


Linking process

• Local records are harvested via ftp, OAI or Z39.50, converted into EAC to form LEAF Authority Records (LARs)

• When LARs are found to describe the same person according to linking rules (based on names, dates, IDs), they are merged into a Shared LEAF Authority Record (SLAR)

• Records and links are regularly updated


Usage impact

• When a user retrieves a LEAF record, its status is changed to Central Name Authority Record (CNAR)

• Data providers can see which of their records have been used and target the improvements they make to their data

• Records never used may be removed from the central system after an expiry date


Public annotations• Registered users can make temporary

annotations to (shared) LEAF records, e.g. to suggest a correction

• Data providers are alerted when an annotation is made to one of their records

• Registered users can make persistent annotations to central LEAF records, e.g. to provide a piece of information of general interest


Private annotations• A private workspace is available to

registered users• They can save central LEAF

records into it• They can make private annotations

to the saved records• They receive a warning if a central

LEAF record they saved is modified

Offlinecomponents

REPOSITORY

Database Access unit

LEAFdatabase

Online components

ACQUISITION

Harvesting unit

LocalData Base

LocalData Base

LocalData Base

Data import unit

Conversion unit

Linkingunit

Presentation unit

User Workspace

unit

Export unit

Maintenance

Suite

External Z39.50 system

ExternalServices

UserInterface

Logging unit

Admin. unit

Registration unit

Annotation unit

Search unit

MALVINEUser Interface

MALVINESearch Engine


Possible problem with a distributed search

100 Louis $b XIV $c Roi de France100 Ludwig $b 14 $c franz. König

400 Louis $b XIV $c Roi de France

Search argument: Ludwig

returns records returns no records


The Issue of NamesTurgenev, Ivan S. Turgenjew, Iwan S. Turgenev, Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev, Ivan Sergeevic Turgenev, Ivan Turgenjew, Iwan Turgenjew, Iwan Sergejewitsch Turgenjew, I. S. Turgenjew, I. Turgenew, Iwan Turgenew, Iwan S. Turgenew, Iwan Sergejewitsch Turgenjew, Iwan Sergejewic

Turjenjew, Iwan S. Turgenjeff, Iwan Turgenjeff, Iwan S. Turgenjeff, I. S. Turgeniew, Iwan S. Turgeniew, Iwan Turgenjev, Iwan Turghenew, Iwan Turgenew, Johann von Turgenew, I. S. Turgeneff, Johann von Tourguénev, Ivan Turgeneff, Sergei Turgénjew, Iwan

Sergejewitsch


Integration

LEAF functionalities were tested in combination with the MALVINE service (i.e. a distributed search service for manuscript descriptions; see: www.malvine.org).

How does it work?


Next steps / Failed Plans

• After end of project (February 2004), consortium, plans to scale up to a full LEAF service.

• But, so far no follow-up, and the project website has disappeared.

• However prototype remains: http://iiss033.joanneum.at:8100/Leaf2/index

• No integration yet with Malvine.• Current deliberations: Kalliope,

MALVINE.


Follow-up?

• Reactivate?• Study add-ons to VIAF? E.g.

annotations• Any experiences with LEAF to

share?

Depends on the future of TEL!


Contacts

• Technical questions:[email protected]

• All other questions:[email protected]

linking and exploring authority files tel-me-mor/m-cast seminar, prague november 23 rd 2006...

Documents