Open Data: Trends and Practice within Cultural Heritage

Linked Pasts 2015@mia_out Mia Ridge, Open University

Open Data: Trends and Practice within Cultural Heritage

The good, the bad, and the unstructured...

Linked Pasts 2015@mia_out Mia Ridge, Open University

https://www.flickr.com/photos/usnationalarchives/3903175631/

Generalisations ahead

The good...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cornelluniversitylibrary/4558927034/

...the bad...

'Images not included'

... and the unstructured

Classics > Cultural Heritage?

Not enough time

Not enough skills

'I don't know a single dev - and I know a bunch - who use any of this stuff, or even know about it.'

Putting the 'end' in 'endpoint'

'Provide information as RDF'

http

s://

ww

w.fl

ickr

.com

/pho

tos/

inte

rnet

arch

iveb

ooki

mag

es/1

4779

8292

25

Not enough data

https://www.flickr.com/photos/field_museum_library/10408180463/

Not enough benefits

• Does it help with SEO to make things discoverable?

• Does it help get people through the door?• Is there a clear audience?• Will it save money?• Is there an immediate return on

investment?

No-one's drinking their own champagne

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nationaalarchief/11324077634/

Collections systems support

Credit: Richard Light @richardofsussex

The chicken or the egg?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mississippi-dept-of-archives-and-history/13089504213/

http://museum-api.pbworks.com/

Thank you!

Mia Ridge, Open University

https://www.flickr.com/photos/national_library_of_norway/11431547554/