Adapting the BIBFRAME Data Model

Motivation for using BIBFRAME and adapting it for our own data model

BIBFRAME (Bibliographic Framework) is a data model for bibliographic linked data. BIBFRAME is in operational use by the Library of Congress and other libraries in several countries.

Another possible data model for linked data would be to use the RDA ontology as is. We chose to build on BIBFRAME since we felt that the support, tools, and implementations for it were more mature at the time.

Reasoning for extending the BIBFRAME model

The main reason for extending BIBFRAME is to support description using Official RDA as well as Finnish cataloguing conventions and the nature of our data. Using regular BIBFRAME would lose some of the richness of Finnish bibliographic metadata.

We adapt BIBFRAME in several ways:

• We add a number of classes and properties based on RDA
• Some of the BIBFRAME properties allow free text entry while we prefer controlled lists of values. In these cases we need to change the property type Many of the properties in the BIBFRAME data model are published without a strict domain or range definitions. For those properties, this information is implied through the use of Suggested use and Suggested value comments. We add explicit domains and ranges to all properties.
• We add Finnish labels to all properties and classes.
• We add mappings to RDA where appropriate.
• We use value vocabularies from the Finnish Metadata Thesaurus.
• Some of the BIBFRAME classes and properties are not included in our data model.

Existing extensions

There are currently several BIBFRAME extensions available, e.g., the Library of Congress Extension (BFLC), the SVDE Draft Ontology, the LibrisXL data model (KB Base Vocabulary) of the National Library of Sweden. In addition, EBSCO maintains the BIBFRAME Lite vocabulary (aka BIBFRAME Builde) which is a very streamlined version of BIBFRAME. None of these fulfilled all of our modelling needs.

Interoperability

Great care has been taken to make sure that our model is as interoperable as possible with "regular" BIBFRAME. BIBFRAME Interoperability group (BIG) has been defining a minimum set of restrictions for successful data exchange using BIBFRAME. Our data model has been designed to be able to comply with these.