Ex Libris Launching Linked Data Collaboration Program With Library Partners From Around the World

From Ex Libris/ProQuest:

Ex Libris is pleased to announce that it has formed a program to help Ex Libris harness Linked Data technology in its resource management and discovery solutions.
Institutions that have already joined the program include Boston College and University of Oklahoma in the US; University of Manitoba in Canada; Bodleian Libraries in the UK; the Austrian Library Network; the Library of the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands; Karolinska Institutet in Sweden; and the State Libraries of Queensland and New South Wales in Australia.
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The Linked Data Collaboration Program aims to ensure that Linked Data will best fit the needs, use cases, and future plans of the academic community. The program includes a select group of institutions that wish to have an impact on the product road map and on the order in which various components are developed. By implementing Linked Data features before they are generally released, partners will benefit from a longer period for fine-tuning and internal marketing and from the support of Ex Libris personnel in the deployment stages.

Comments About the Program

Carl Grant, associate dean, knowledge services and chief technology officer at University of Oklahoma Libraries, commented: “It is our belief that Linked Data offers libraries a real pathway for deeper integration of library services and collections into the larger Web. We also believe this technology will show continued strong growth.  At the University of Oklahoma Libraries, we want to connect with our users where they are working and thus we see participation in this program as an important step moving us in that direction.”
“The Library of the University of Amsterdam aims to help students, researchers and teachers in obtaining the most relevant information for their specific objectives in an intuitive way,” remarked Lukas Koster, library systems coordinator at the University of Amsterdam. “We believe that linked data can be a powerful instrument not only in retrieving scholarly search results of a much higher relevance, but also in providing the customer with high quality related information of all kinds of material. By participating in the Linked Data Collaboration Program we will be able to help develop these linked data features in the new Primo user interface, and benefit from experiences and expertise gained in collaborating with Ex Libris developers.”
Prashant Pandey, director of content development at the State Library of Queensland, noted: “SLQ is looking forward to working with Ex Libris to identify ways to exploit the potential of Linked Data to enhance user experience and deliver innovative channels of discovery and visualisation of content to Queenslanders.”
Shlomo Sanders, Ex Libris chief technology officer, commented: “The program offers a valuable opportunity for pioneering institutions that currently take a leading role in enriching and applying new technologies for academic libraries. Through this unique program we will implement Linked Data features in live Ex Libris systems rather than simply discussing ideas in theory. We will deepen our knowledge of current practices for creating, managing, and accessing Linked Data, and we will create integration points with other institutional or third-party systems. We are also keen to join with our collaborative partners in determining how to measure and demonstrate the impact of Linked Data.”

See Also: Ex Libris Discussion Paper: “Putting Linked Data at the Service of Libraries” (11 pages; PDF; December 2015)

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