Ontology-based metadata: transforming the MARC legacy

We propose a new catalog based on a formal ontological model of bibliographic relations. A hierarchy of five central concepts describes the creation of work. Each kind of relation between works occurs at a particular level in the hierarchy. Related works share data at some level of the hierarchy, yielding a tree structure that reduces redundant representation of shared attributes. To show that ontology-based metadata is practical, we generated a knowledge base of metadata from a sample of MARC records. We implemented the ontology in description logic (Loom), mapped Machine Readable Cataloging (MARC) attributes and values to the ontology, and loaded the data into Loom with all values treated its separate instances. We then unified matching instances, and deduced relations between works. This process thus converts relationships implicit in MARC into explicit relations that arc easy to utilize with computers. Our web interface permits browsing by navigating relations between works. Ontology-based metadata can also support user inquiry and digital-library operation in other important ways.

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