Linked Data as an Element to Support Resource Discovery: The Need for Harmonization of Metadata Standards

Abstract

With the vision of mounting global interoperability of library data on the Web, bringing together people involved in Semantic Web activities to focus on Linked data in the library community, building on existing initiatives, and identifying collaboration tracks for the future, has tempted library professionals to think way beyond traditional methods of resource discovery and user accessibility. The automation of information systems with the advent of digital libraries has proliferated plethora of metadata standards with dissimilar attributes. A common standard ensures to reach the broadest community of information workers which avoids metadata to be repetitious, time consuming and tedious. Hence, the necessity is harmonization and interoperability of metadata standards to ensure consistency and crosswalk with other standards. Resource Description Framework (RDF) does provide a framework well founded in Web architecture and a formal semantics to achieve harmonization to reach final destination of Linked Data.