The Library of Michigan and the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS) have partnered with Zepheira Technologies to transform the 16 million bibliographic records in MeLCat, Michigan’s statewide resource sharing system, into linked data. Once complete, the books, CDs, DVDs, and other items in the Michigan libraries using MeLCat will be easily discoverable by web search engines such as Google and Bing.
MCLS and the Library of Michigan have been leaders in statewide resource sharing with the successful MeLCat program serving 419 academic, school, special, and public libraries. “We see the move to linked data in the Library.Link Network as allowing our libraries’ resources being made available to the Web for broader visibility. This increases the visibility of the valuable resources held by libraries across the state of Michigan” commented Randy Riley, State Librarian. “In addition to Web search, we envision other creative uses of these transformed linked data resources over time to further connect residents with information provided by libraries in their communities.”
The Michigan project will be the first State library to bring a large-scale set of library catalog data to the Web with Linked Data technologies developed by Zepheira. Zepheira will work with Innovative Interfaces, publisher of the software that runs MeLCat, to extract the 16 million MARC records from the MeLCat database. MCLS, long-standing partner for the MeL program, is providing technical support for the project. Implementation began in the late summer and publication to the Web will continue through 2017.
“To remain relevant in today’s Web-centric world, libraries need to continue to market their resources effectively. MCLS is thrilled to work with Library of Michigan and Zepheira on this large-scale project to increase web visibility of Michigan libraries,” stated Randy Dykhuis, MCLS Executive Director. “We believe linked data has the potential to completely change the way that library materials are discovered.”
In addition to its support of the MeLCat project, MCLS is committed to developing greater awareness of linked data and its potential to change the way libraries use metadata to make their collections visible to users. On March 16, 2017, MCLS is hosting a Linked Data Summit that will bring together librarians and leaders from the linked data community, including representatives from the Library of Congress and Zepheira, to explore the possibilities of a fully developed linked data world.
The Michigan eLibrary is a program of the Library of Michigan. MeL is made possible with federal grant funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, with additional funding from the State of Michigan.
About Library of Michigan
The Library of Michigan – Michigan’s official state library agency for more than 175 years – is part of the Michigan Department of Education. To learn more, visit www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan.
About Library.Link Network (LLN)
The LLN is a publishing platform for libraries, museums and cultural heritage organizations along with publishers of content for the library industry worldwide. As of September 2016, there are over 2,100 library locations represented in the Network. http://library.link
About Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS)
MCLS is a multi-state library membership that facilitates sharing resources and collaboration with other organizations to benefit Indiana and Michigan libraries. www.mcls.org
About Zepheira
Zepheira is a leading provider of linked data solutions which help clients make information available and more prominent on the Web. Founded in 2007, Zepheira has extensive experience creating products focused on the modernization of library information systems. Zepheira’s founders and staff have played key roles in pioneering the next generation of the Web, including the semantic technology underlying most Web applications. For more information, find us online:
Twitter: @zepheiraorg
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/zepheira
