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* [https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareFamily:NewsAndUpdates/January2023 Number 7, January 2023]
* [https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareFamily:NewsAndUpdates/January2023 Number 7, January 2023]
* [https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareFamily:NewsAndUpdates/December2023 Number 8, December 2023]
* [https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareFamily:NewsAndUpdates/December2023 Number 8, December 2023]




'''<big>Number 9, July 2024</big>'''
'''<big>Number 9, July 2024</big>'''


You can download a printable version at BITLY
You can download a printable version at https://bit.ly/SFBulletin_n9_Jul2024
 
Citation: Share Family Team, ''Share Family Bulletin'' ''9'' (July 2024), https://bit.ly/SFBulletin_n9_Jul2024


Citation: Share Family Team, ''Share Family Bulletin'' ''9'' (July 2024), BITLY




== Introduction ==
== Introduction ==
As 2023 comes to an end, we take a moment to look back at the achievements and challenges within the Share Family initiative during the past year. This report serves as a comprehensive reflection on the accomplishments of this year, while also offering insights into the exciting goals we've set for the upcoming period. It provides a glimpse into both the highlights of the past year and our shared vision for the future within the Share Family community.
The Share Family progress continues, with ongoing efforts dedicated to advancing the [https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation/LODPlatform LOD Platform technology] into production workflows, enhancing system components, and transitioning to the new version 3 of our application.
 
== Version 3.0.0 release and LOD Platform developments ==
First of all, we're very excited to announce the major release of the 3.0.0 version of our software! You can find the release notes here: [[ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation/Release notes|https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation/Release_notes]].   


The international reach of the Share Family, spread across different countries and bibliographic traditions, stimulates mutual exchanges and gives us the occasion to improve our processes, data treatment and outputs.  
This is a major release that introduces many changes in the software and in data processing algorithms. The new version of the [[ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation/LODPlatform|Share Family LOD Platform technology]] framework will be installed in the various environments of [[ShareFamily:Main Page#The%20Share%20Family%20branches%20(tenants)|Share Family tenants]] over the next period.


The efforts and resources devoted to the development of the initiative (both technical and in terms of cooperation and outreach) are always rewarded by the added value of working side by side with member institutions and partners in the linked data community. This co-operative approach, with time, expertise and costs shared across the community for the benefit of all members, is creating a truly global network of interconnected institutions and information resources that transcends traditional cataloging boundaries.
The release encompasses the following components of the LOD Platform: Cluster Management Module (which manages the clusters of entities that feed the CKB - Cluster Knowledge Base, also called Entity Knowledge Base), API layer, Front-end module, RDBMS (database), RDFizer (BIBFRAME / RDF conversion module). Being a major release, several important features and new components have been added to the system, ie. Delta processes, UNIMARC services and JCricket entity editor, the platform’s shared cataloguing tool. This release addresses both bug fixes as well as new developments and enhancements.


A useful perspective on how we carry on this family of initiatives can be found in the [https://bit.ly/SVDE-Executive-Summary Share-VDE Executive Summary]: the outline of SVDE role in linked open data for libraries is reflected on the overall approach to all the branches of the Share Family.
The software versions released over time are shared across all layers of [https://www.share-family.org/ Share Family initiative]’s technology. For an overview of the software versions installed on the different environments, see [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/17rqBd5YPx4LlTs22d8-uMAeZca5sfZp1NARUASPIKEw/edit#slide=id.g213b29c3396_0_0 Share Family AWS environments summary]. 


In this context, we also find useful to provide a comprehensive overview of the main stepping stones that have marked the path of the Share Family of initiatives over the years, described in detail in the next sections:
The summary below describes some of the major and most relevant features, with a high-level mention. Further information on descriptive tasks corresponding to implementations can be found in the release notes.
[[File:timeline updated.jpg|alt=|none|thumb|750x750px]]


In this extensive update are reported - among others - prominent achievements:
=== JCricket Entity Editor ===
JCricket is the tool for collaborative linked data entity management and shared cataloguing. It enables - according to the BIBFRAME ontology - the entity curation (e.g. creation of new entities, entity modification, the application of entity merge and split functions). The scope is to improve the quality of the Entity Knowledge Base, a source of living data produced through clustering and ongoing update processes. JCricket is a manual application that makes it possible to manage bibliographic data in the form of entities. It empowers professional librarians to enhance the quality of machine-generated data output of MARC to BIBFRAME transformation. Its optimal application is within a large data pool formed through contributions from multiple libraries, such as Share-VDE; therefore, it does not impact original data that reside in member libraries’ systems, unless libraries want to use ad hoc APIs for entity updates both in SVDE and in their local systems, which is also an option.


* the extension of the community of members and parallel pilots;
Initially, Share members are currently testing JCricket under controlled conditions. You can explore more of JCricket in the [[ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation|Public Documentation section]] of the Share Family wiki at [[ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation/LODPlatform/EntityEditor|https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation/LODPlatform/EntityEditor]] and check out Tiziana Possemato’s demo of JCricket entity editor at the 2024 Share Family Workshop: https://www.youtube.com/live/8xBeGB3Npls.
* the publication of new branches of the Share Family dedicated to specific initiatives, supported by dedicated entity discovery portals and linked data infrastructure (the portals for the BNB - British National Bibliography, Parsifal, and LILLIT);
* the involvement in the international library and cultural heritage community through cross-institutional working groups;
* the development of JCricket collaborative entity editor for shared cataloguing;
* the continuous enhancement of the system components and upgrade to a new version 3 of the technology in use, towards the support of production workflows;
* the extension of LOD Platform technology capabilities for the integration with third parties.


To cope with all this, the Share Family internal team of metadata experts and technicians is constantly working to improve the internal organisation of work and is increasingly formalising project rules and methodology to streamline development processes and achieve better results.
=== Data management ===
'''<big>Fine-tuning of data update procedures</big>'''


== News from members, promotion and outreach ==
Data update processes handle ongoing updates (“delta updates” in Share Family jargon), to enable periodic imports of MARC records for continuous update of system data. By “Delta” updates we mean the changes that occur to the library records that are periodically pushed to the LOD Platform, to be published on the discovery portal. The automation of the ingestion in the LOD Platform of updated library records has the purpose of regularly updating the data available through the discovery interface and the other endpoints of the workflow where the data are available. This means updating the data of the clustered entities and the related resources searchable on the discovery interface and in the triplestore, according to the frequency requested by the library.
The Share Family linked data ecosystem comprises several collaborative LOD - Linked Open Data environments (also called “[https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareFamily:Main_Page#The_Share_Family_branches_.28tenants.29 tenants]” in Share Family jargon).


The different characteristics of each field represented in the various environments are a useful asset that can be used to the advantage not only of the Share Family as a whole, but for each single discipline.


The tenants currently active and the corresponding discovery websites are:


* [https://www.svde.org/ Share-VDE] (Virtual Discovery Environment);
<big>'''RDFizer'''</big>
* [https://catalogo.share-cat.unina.it/sharecat/clusters?l=en SHARE Catalogue] - the Italian network of university libraries;
* the [https://pcc-lod.org/ PCC data pool] - the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) Catalogue in Linked Open Data;
* [https://www.natbib-lod.org/ National Bibliographies] in Linked Open Data;
* [https://parsifal.urbe.it/parsifal/?l=en Parsifal] - the LOD portal of the URBE consortium (Roman Union of Ecclesiastical Libraries).
* [https://lillit.share-family.org/lillit/?l=en LILLIT] - portal for Italian illustrated books with Linked Open Data descriptions and illustrations of Italian editions printed in the 16th-18th centuries.


[[File:loghi.jpg|none|thumb|600x600px]]
The RDFizer module that automates the entire process of converting and publishing data in RDF-based BIBFRAME descriptions has implemented conversion for additional MARC21 bibliographic tags and subfields to be compliant with the mapping and conversion rules published by the Library of Congress (version 2.4). As mentioned in [https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareFamily:NewsAndUpdates/December2023#Granularization_of_the_Cluster_Knowledge_Base_and_new_conversion_model previous updates], the work is proceeding for creating a finer granularity level in the CKB: all MARC and UNIMARC fields and subfields have been mapped, which will also support the implementations related to Linked Data Fragments (see below).


'''<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">The tenant infrastructure is designed to be flexible, therefore it’s possible to show the data of participating members at the tenant level or even in an institutional customised sub-portal of a pre-existing tenant (also called “skin portal” in Share Family jargon). This can be done according to the institution/consortia’s needs and policies.</span>'''


[[File:sf infrastr.jpg|none|thumb|700x700px]]


'''<big>Linked Data Fragments</big>'''


We are experimenting with a new approach for publishing linked data descriptions in various serialization formats. In big data-driven environments, accessing, querying, and processing vast datasets efficiently is challenging. Linked Data Fragments (LDF) have emerged as a promising paradigm to address these challenges by providing a distributed and scalable approach for publishing and serving Linked Data. As part of this initial investigation, we developed a set of Web APIs that adopt Linked Data Fragments and provide the following benefits: real-time RDF generation and publication, on-demand ontology mapping, and multi-provenance management.


The Share Family team is committed to advancing the technical developments of each tenant and also to fostering user engagement through outreach initiatives. Below are reported the main facts around membership and outreach within the Share Family.
More will be shared as soon as the proof of concept will be available. In the meantime, access Andrea Gazzarini’s presentation about Linked Data Fragments titled ''Real-Time “RDFization” - How to provide instant Semantic Graphs without any RDF storage'' at the 2024 Share Family Workshop:


=== New Share-VDE members and ongoing pilots ===
* slides: https://bit.ly/SVDE_Workshop2024_slides;
In 2023 Berkeley Law Library joined [https://www.svde.org/ Share-VDE], while, in an exciting development, Toronto University Library and Lehigh University will be joining Share-VDE in 2024.
* recording: https://www.youtube.com/live/8xBeGB3Npls?t=4071s .


The National Taiwan University Library will join the Share Family too: it will be particularly valuable to enrich LOD Platform processes with the treatment of non-Latin scripts, thus expanding the wealth of data at disposal of the Share Family community.


In the framework of the cooperation with library consortia that the Share Family is bringing forward, we are working on a linked open data pilot with the [https://ivpluslibraries.org/ IPLC - IvyPlus Libraries’ Confederation] using the IPLC data lake hosted in the MARC based [https://pod.stanford.edu/ POD - Platform for Open Data]. We are working to provide the Share Family LOD Platform environment and discovery portal to the IPLC institutions to assess the compatibility with the POD Aggregator scope and carry on the complementary aspects with the BIBFRAME based components of Share Family. The initial phase started in October 2023 with the set-up of the dedicated IPLC infrastructure tenant, which will include a dedicated discovery portal. After the ingestion of the 100M+ records from the 13 IPLC institutions is concluded an assessment period by POD members to test the output will be undertaken.


The participation of new institutions signifies a commitment to advancing research and educational opportunities, and we look forward to the contributions they will make to our growing community of libraries and institutions.
'''<big>UNIMARC</big>'''


=== The British National Bibliography in NatBib tenant ===
Numerous advancements were implemented based on direct mapping between UNIMARC and BIBFRAME. The UNIMARC services development stems from the SHARE Catalogue project and the Italian libraries affiliated to this platform, but it can benefit all institutions adopting UNIMARC. These libraries are involved in a specific project related to the direct management of UNIMARC records in clusterization and reconciliation processes without the “middle step conversion” from UNIMARC to MARC21. All related developments are finalized to allow the migration of the SHARE Catalogue platform to the new CKB infrastructure, according to the above-mentioned approach. This work will be shared with the linked data community through a Wikibase instance https://unimarc2bibframe.wikibase.cloud/ that will be enriched and documented.
As part of the NatBib - National Bibliographies tenant, the British Library announced its Linked Open Data BNB - British National Bibliography in beta version, now available for exploration at https://bl.natbib-lod.org.  


'''CAVEAT''': as of early January 2024, we will be updating the technical infrastructure of https://bl.natbib-lod.org, therefore the portal might be unstable.
To learn more about this topic, you can check out ''The SHARE Catalogue: UNIMARC-BIBFRAME Mapping - An Evolving Path'', presented by Claudio Forziati at the 2024 Share Family Workshop.  


For further insights into the benefits of the collaboration between the Share Family and the British Library and future developments, we invite you to visit their Digital Scholarship blog at https://blogs.bl.uk/digital-scholarship/2023/07/share-family-british-national-bibliography.html.  
* slides: https://bit.ly/SVDE_Workshop2024_slides;
* recording: https://www.youtube.com/live/8xBeGB3Npls?t=3504s .


=== The PCC data pool hosted by the Share Family infrastructure ===
The cooperation with the Program for Cooperative Cataloguing - initiated in 2020 as part of the LD4P pilot cataloguing activities and enabled by the cooperation with OCLC - for the management of a linked data pool of PCC records has continued with a test phase by a dedicated task group formed by volunteer PCC members. The task group has tested the PCC data pool discovery portal https://pcc-lod.org/ and reported back inputs for adjustments that will greatly improve our work.


The feedback received from the task group was analyzed and mostly incorporated by the Share Family team. The output will be visible after re-indexing of PCC data pool data, which is expected to take place in early 2024. The PCC will also be involved in a testing phase of the JCricket entity editor. To present the new edition of the data as well as JCricket we plan to establish a communication channel with the PCC group for ongoing updates and training in the use of JCricket.


=== SHARE Catalogue: the Italian network of university libraries ===
'''<big>Clusterization processes</big>'''
The [https://catalogo.share-cat.unina.it/sharecat/clusters?l=en SHARE Catalogue initiative] has completed the work on UNIMARC - BIBFRAME direct mapping and conversion (with no intermediate steps through MARC), and will share this work with the linked data community through a Wikibase instance https://unimarc2bibframe.wikibase.cloud/ that will be enriched and documented.


The Share Family team has been working hard to incorporate the developments derived from the UNIMARC - BIBFRAME direct mapping and to prepare for the switch from the discovery portal version 1.0 to 2.0 (and the consequent transition of the back-end infrastructure to AWS - Amazon Web Services that better supports system scalability and robustness), which is expected in early 2024.
For further details on improvements on the Share Family’s clusterization processes, delve into this version’s release notes on the Share Family wiki at [[ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation/Release notes]].  


=== Parsifal: the LOD portal of the URBE consortium ===
On May 11, 2023 the Roman Union of Ecclesiastical Libraries (URBE) and [https://www.atcult.com/en/home @CULT] (the technological branch of the Share Family, developing and maintaining its [https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareFamily:Main_Page#The_Share_Family_technology:_the_LOD_Platform LOD Platform technology]) announced the release of [https://parsifal.urbe.it/parsifal/homeSearch?l=en PARSIFAL], a cutting-edge linked data management system and entity discovery platform. PARSIFAL aims to enhance the exchange and interoperability of bibliographic data and authority items, significantly increasing accessibility to the abundant resources of the 16 participating URBE libraries. With a vast collection of 2.8 million records regularly updated, PARSIFAL offers users a streamlined research experience, enriched by diverse catalogues.


Much work has been done to allow Parsifal libraries to have a shared authority system, built on collaboration between libraries and which guarantees each member to be autonomous in local data treatment, sharing in the same time the effort of data quality with the whole Parsifal community. This is achieved through the unified access for the maintenance of the Central Authority Catalogue, whereby each library accesses the same system to increase the quality level of the catalogue. The authority data, commonly created or enriched by all URBE cataloguers, becomes part of the clustering/conversion pipeline, to optimize the libraries' production processes and increase the quality of the data published on the Parsifal portal.


=== LILLIT: the portal for Italian illustrated books 1501-1800 ===
'''<big>Third parties integration</big>'''                           
The [https://lillit.share-family.org/lillit/ LILLIT] portal for Italian illustrated books 1501-1800 is a collaborative effort by Sapienza University, ICCU (Central Institute for the Single Catalog of Italian Libraries), the Central Institute for Graphics and @Cult. Developed through a Sapienza University of Rome project, LILLIT offers an intuitive interface, advanced search options, and access to digital copies. Utilizing Linked Open Data, the portal displays enhanced information on 16th-18th century editions, highlighting engraving techniques and creators. Operating on the BIBFRAME bibliographic model, LILLIT seamlessly aligns with the technological and conceptual innovation of the other Share Family initiatives, bringing new possibilities to the bibliographic landscape.
     
New data workflows are being analysed to support the use of the LOD Platform technology even outside of the Share Family environment, for the integration with ILS / LSP. We are considering several scenarios where the Share linked data system can simultaneously or alternatively operate on local library systems using libraries’ own tools, and share and cooperatively edit linked data resources across different environments using the JCricket entity editor.


=== Towards new domains: Share Art, Share Music, Share MIA ===
The integration with environments and tools like FOLIO, Sinopia and WeCat is proceeding, and a use case for the integration of JCricket and FOLIO will be presented at future conferences this year. A first look at the integration between Share Family technologies and FOLIO was recently presented by Sebastian Hammer and Boaz Nadav Manes at the 2024 Share Family Workshop, in a session named ''FOLIO and Lehigh University Pilot''.  
The Share Family institutions and collaborative networks of libraries are engaging in discussions to establish three specialized shared discovery environments: Share Art, Share Music, and Share MIA (Manuscripts, Incunabula, and Ancient Books). These initiatives are designed to cater to the specific needs of the art, music, and ancient book domains, providing a wealth of resources and knowledge to users, and further strengthening the interconnected bibliographic data network through the use of linked open data technologies. This will translate into dedicated tenants (branches) of the Share Family infrastructure.


On this topic, two presentations have been given at IFLA WLIC 2023 and IFLA 2023 Satellite Conference, that can be found in the [https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareVDE:Resources Resources] section of this wiki:
* slides: https://bit.ly/SVDE_Workshop2024_slides;
* recording: https://www.youtube.com/live/8xBeGB3Npls?t=1369s.


* [https://wiki.share-vde.org/w/images/8/8c/IFLA2023WLIC.pdf The Share Family technology - concrete benefits to increase discovery experience and linked data curation in the art domain], by Jackie Shieh.
=== Front-end enhancements ===
* [https://wiki.share-vde.org/w/images/b/ba/IFLA_2023_Satellite_Conference_Art.pdf The Share Family initiative - enabling connections for the cultural heritage], by Michele Casalini.
'''<big>Subjects and Concepts</big>'''


=== New brochure website for the Share Family ===
We have made improvements to the previous version of Subjects and Concepts display. The concept types implemented in the backend include: Date, Event, Family, Form, Format, Generic Concept, Genre, Language, Meeting, Opus, Organization, Person, Place, Topic. They are returned on the front-end with a basic set of data and relationships with the works connected with the subject.
We are thrilled to introduce the new Share Family website, [https://www.share-family.org/ www.share-family.org], a digital hub designed to connect our community. This website serves as a window into the heart of the Share Family, offering a comprehensive overview of our mission and values, a general presentation of our goals and technology. The website also serves as a dynamic platform for keeping everyone informed about our latest [https://www.share-family.org/en/news activities], [https://www.share-family.org/en/events events], and advancements.


To delve even further into the intricacies of our project, we encourage you also to explore the other sections of this wiki, a resource which provides more in-depth information, including technical documents, a [https://wiki.share-vde.org/w/images/7/7f/Share-Family_brochure_2023-June.pdf new brochure] that can be freely distributed, and recent updates available both in [https://wiki.share-vde.org/w/images/d/d0/Share-VDE_and_Share_Family_update_-_2023-Jul-12.pdf presentation format] and as [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DrZcxwjEqq88b-kqOVaunVXzS7eg6KeL/view demo video].
The Subject tab in the Publication page shows the list of subject string and the concepts derived from it:
[[File:Subject tab.png|thumb|547x547px|none]]


=== Conferences and events ===
By clicking on a subject string, users can see a list of works related to that subject, as well as how the subject string is connected to the concepts it comprises.
In 2023, the Share Family team and member institutions have had the opportunity to showcase the initiative and highlight its latest developments at numerous conferences. These presentations have served as a platform for sharing insights, best practices, and the collective achievements of the Share Family community. You can find slides and, often, recording of these events on this page of the [https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareVDE:Resources#Year_2023 Share Family wiki].
[[File:Subject page.png|thumb|559x559px|none]]


=== Work exchange with National Library of Finland member Serafia Kari ===
Clicking on the concepts, a basic version of the Concept page is displayed.
From April to May 2023 we welcomed Serafia Kari, a Service Designer for the [https://www.finna.fi/Content/about_finnafi?lng=en-gb Finna] service within the National Library of Finland. Her main goal during her visit was to conduct a usability study focusing on the Share-VDE portal's discovery interface ([https://www.svde.org/ www.svde.org]). This study aimed to assess the information-sharing capabilities of the portal from the perspective of users from different backgrounds. Serafia recently had the opportunity to share her findings in a presentation titled "Usability Study of Share-VDE" at the BIBFRAME Workshop in Europe, held in Brussels on September 19, 2023. For those eager to delve deeper into her research, the slides and a recording of the session are available for review at https://www.bfwe.eu/brussels_2023.
 
 
 
'''<big>Similar Publications tab</big>'''
 
A new tab on the Publication page showing similar Publications in the same language. We are analysing the algorithm to create similar publications to extend its scope to broader similarity criteria.
[[File:Similar publications.png|thumb|593x593px|none]]
 
 
 
'''<big>Small revamping to look and feel</big>'''
 
As part of the UX/UI working group's activities, it was decided to switch to sans-serif fonts for a modern look and feel. Additionally, elements on the homepage of https://www.natbib-lod.org/ have been resized to create a more harmonious and visually appealing design.
 
 
 
'''<big>Portal switch mechanism</big>'''
 
A new Switch site button has been added at the bottom of svde.org portal group and skin / institutional portals homepages internal pages ([[ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation/LODPlatform/DiscoveryInterface|see definitions of portal groups and skin portals]]). This button opens a menu where users can select through which portal they want to explore. The aim is to connect portal groups with the related skin portal, so that end users have an immediate overview of what individual skin portals are connected to a portal group.
[[File:Switch site.png|thumb|584x584px|none]]
 
Overall, the majority of fixes and enhancements extend to rectifying data retrieval errors and fine-tuning data retrieval errors, culminating in a more uniform and seamless user interaction with the system. Across the board, these efforts work cohesively to bolster the system's intuitiveness and reliability, facilitating smoother navigation and ensuring precise data representation.


== Share Family community work and cooperation ==
== Share Family community work and cooperation ==
We are very committed to encouraging the cooperation within the Share Family membership, to demonstrate the invaluable benefit of being part of an initiative developed and driven by libraries and for libraries. To support the constant exchange of ideas and principles that, together, define the vision, aims and progress of Share Family environments and their tools, we have created new materials and accompanying documents to guide member institutions into this process.
The Share Family is committed to fostering cooperation among its member institutions to showcase the immense value of being part of an initiative developed and driven by libraries for libraries.  


The wiki members’ area dedicated to participating institutions has been enriched with documentation on how to provide feedback on the various linked data entity discovery environments. Structured processes supported by ad hoc tools and testing environments have been shared with members that are actively involved in exchanges with the Share Family staff to collaboratively improve the system functioning.
Ongoing conversations with consortia representatives are underway to define the configurations of this innovative collaboration.
 
As an example of this effort, the [https://bit.ly/SF-Executive-Summary-Consortia Share Family Executive Summary for Consortia] offers additional insights into how the Share Family can assist consortia in transitioning to linked open data, providing valuable strategies and support. Approved by our Advisory Council, the document emphasizes Share Family’s pivotal role in aiding consortia in adopting linked data methodologies for enhanced collaboration. The Share Family aims to empower consortia with the tools and knowledge necessary to seamlessly integrate linked open data principles, fostering innovation and interoperability within consortia networks.


=== Share-VDE and Share Family Working Groups ===
=== Share-VDE and Share Family Working Groups ===
Share Family activities are organised into several work strands. Being a community initiative, the goals and desired outcomes are defined by the participating institutions through active engagement in different [https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareVDE:Members/Share-VDE_working_groups working groups]. The current working groups are guided by the Advisory Council, which plays a key role in shaping the future of the initiative and provides advice on how to develop use cases and establish priorities, and ensures communication among member institutions.
Working Groups are the backbone of Share Family activities, which are driven by input from member institutions in a joint effort with Share Staff.


Each member institution has a seat in the Advisory Council and this governance model based on direct participation of member institutions steering the initiative represents one of the major strengths and core values of the Share Family.  
Important tasks are being carried on to support the complete shaping of the [https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.8332350 SVDE Ontology] within the [[ShareVDE:Members/Share-VDE working groups#SVDE-AC%20Sapientia%20Entity%20Identification%20working%20group%20(SEI)|Sapientia Entity Identification group]]: at the time of writing, the definition of the Opus type individuals is being consolidated (ie. the addition to the ontology of the definitions of the various types of Opus, ie. abstract works and resources that the entity model can support). These additions will be reflected by both the general search and discovery portal, as well as in JCricket Entity Editor.


Also, each community of institutions participating in the individual Share Family of initiatives can establish its specific governance group that determines the policy for the treatment and processing of the data.
More on the work carried out on the Opus types was shared by Nancy Lorimer at the 2024 Share Family Workshop in her ''SVDE Ontology - Update July 2024''.


Among the major achievements of the Working Groups in cooperation with the Share Family team it is worth mentioning those carried out by the SEI – Sapientia Entity Identification Working Group and the User Experience – User Interface Working Group cooperating with the National Bibliographies Working Group.
* slides: https://bit.ly/SVDE_Workshop2024_slides;
* recording: https://www.youtube.com/live/8xBeGB3Npls?t=2640s .


==== Sapientia Entity Identification Working Group ====
The [[ShareVDE:Members/Share-VDE working groups#SVDE-AC%20User%20Experience.2FUser%20Interface%20working%20group%20.28UX-UI.29|User Experience – User Interface Working Group]] cooperating with the [[ShareVDE:Members/Share-VDE working groups#Share%20Family%20National%20Bibliographies%20working%20group%20.28Natbib.29|National Bibliographies Working Group]] has analyzed the front-end layer of the entity discovery portals according to a set of evaluation criteria (including for example usability and accessibility, consistency of design and navigation, overall user friendliness, integration with SVDE features and local library discoveries etc.), and is now revising a new design proposal for the Publication page of the entity discovery portal, presenting the aggregation of Work and Instance data. Also the relationship between publication data and the connected item data are being reviewed by identifying user tasks for publication and item data discovery, to support better navigation and end user data consumption.
The [https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareVDE:Members/Share-VDE_working_groups#SVDE-AC_Sapientia_Entity_Identification_working_group_.28SEI.29 SEI – Sapientia Entity Identification Working Group] has worked on the creation of the Share-VDE Ontology, that is an extension to BIBFRAME. While the ontology supports the discovery functionality of Share-VDE and the Share family search systems, it may be re-used in any system requiring a bridge among BIBFRAME, IFLA LRM and RDA. Classes of the Share-VDE ontology include the svde:Opus, svde:OpusType, and svde:Work. The Share-VDE ontology achieves interoperability among the major bibliographic models by asserting that bibliographic entities are described by attribute sets. The attribute set modeling approach is a departure from the conceptual modeling that has informed the development of nearly all modern linked data models. A few steps remain to complete the ontology, and its preliminary version has been published, see https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8332350. The latest public updates on the ontology have been shared at SWIB conference ([https://wiki.share-vde.org/w/images/9/90/development-of-SVDE-ontology.pdf slides] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyrVaKJYt7w recording] available).


==== User Experience – User Interface Working Group ====
=== IFLA, Linked data and BIBFRAME communities ===
The analysis for improvements of the Share Family entity discovery portals has been devised by the [https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareVDE:Members/Share-VDE_working_groups#SVDE-AC_User_Experience.2FUser_Interface_working_group_.28UX-UI.29 User Experience – User Interface Working Group] cooperating with the [https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareVDE:Members/Share-VDE_working_groups#Share_Family_National_Bibliographies_working_group_.28Natbib.29 National Bibliographies Working Group]. After tests and use of the beta version of [https://www.svde.org/ Share-VDE 2.0] and the [https://www.natbib-lod.org/ National Bibliographies portal], working groups members have been analysing the front-end layer of the entity discovery portals according to a set of evaluation criteria including for example usability and accessibility, consistency of design and navigation, overall user friendliness, integration with SVDE features and local library discoveries etc. In parallel, the groups have been collecting issues and adjustments that can be potentially made to the display of information on the entity discovery portals, along with proposals for new features that will enhance the user experience.
Share Family members continue to play an active role in the library information and linked data communities.


This analysis, which will incorporate inputs also from the PCC, will output suggestions for improvements in the overall orchestration of the front-end layer and will continue with the exploration of further areas for enhancements and new features.
Tiziana Possemato takes on the role of Official liaison IFLA Bibliography Section / Share Family National Bibliographies group, formerly held by Maud Henry from KBR - Royal Library of Belgium. This will ensure the continuation of the collaboration with the IFLA Bibliography Section that Tiziana is already a member of. Related to IFLA activities, a presentation was given at IFLA Midterm meeting of the IFLA Section Preservation and Conservation (PRESCONS), on March 22 2024, by Tiziana Possemato, on the topic of [https://wiki.share-vde.org/w/images/b/ba/Share_Family_-_Vaticana_-_2024-Mar-22_WIKI-min.pdf The Share Family initiative to bring Linked Open Data into practice].
 
=== IFLA, Linked data and BIBFRAME communities ===
The Share Family team and member institutions continue to nurture the liaisons with the library information experts and linked data and BIBFRAME communities, to increase interoperability to the advantage of new bibliographic and linked data workflows and to enhance existing ones.


Tiziana Possemato participates in the IFLA Bibliographic Section through various working groups of this division, co-chairing with Annette Dortmund the National Bibliographies and New Technologies working group that will be dedicated to national bibliographies metadata and ICT technologies like AI, linked open data, the semantic web. This opportunity will also foster the interconnections of the Share Family National Bibliographies working group and the related tenant https://natbib-lod.org.  
Share-VDE participation in the [https://wiki.lyrasis.org/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=249135298 BIG - BIBFRAME Interoperability Group] established to create guidelines for data exchange in BIBFRAME, continues successfully, This cooperation with organisations and projects in the BIBFRAME community will foster the extension of the methods and tools shared by linked data nodes for BIBFRAME interoperability.


The exchanges with [https://sites.google.com/stanford.edu/ld4-community-site/home LD4P - Linked Data 4 Production] will move towards establishing a permanent connection with the Sinopia BIBFRAME editor environment for the mutual exchange of data in BIBFRAME/RDF.
== Information resources ==
To facilitate the continuous exchange of ideas and principles that collectively define the vision, aims, and progress of Share Family environments and their tools, new materials and accompanying documents have been created to guide member institutions through this process. By utilizing shared materials and documents, member institutions can seamlessly integrate into the Share Family, actively participate in collaborative initiatives, and contribute to the ongoing development and success of the endeavor.


More broadly, Share-VDE takes part in the [https://wiki.lyrasis.org/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=249135298 BIG - BIBFRAME Interoperability Group] established to create guidelines for data exchange in BIBFRAME, thus expanding the methods and tools shared by linked data nodes for BIBFRAME interoperability.
=== Publications ===


== LOD Platform developments ==
==== Article in the Cataloging & Classification Quarterly journal "A Comparative Evaluation of the Share-VDE Search System" ====
We are striving to enhance the Share Family [https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareFamily:Main_Page#The_Share_Family_technology:_the_LOD_Platform LOD Platform technology] towards production workflows that make available [https://wiki.share-vde.org/w/images/5/54/share_components_EN.pdf advanced tools and components] to support linked data management systems and entity discovery platforms of institutions and consortia.
We are pleased to announce the publication of "A Comparative Evaluation of the Share-VDE Search System" by Jim Hahn, Kayt Ahnberg, and Liliana Giusti Serra from the University of Pennsylvania in Cataloging & Classification Quarterly.


The increasing complexity of the Share Family system poses several challenges that we constantly tackle by improving the organisation of our teamwork and the planning of developments.
This article details a two-year study involving remote UX interviews with twenty participants, including catalogers, students, and faculty. The research used IFLA LRM user tasks and interface evaluation methods to assess how linked data, specifically BIBFRAME, supports search objectives through the Share-VDE portal.
* Full pre-print article: https://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/60311.  
* Article citation: Hahn, Jim, Kayt Ahnberg, and Liliana Giusti Serra. 2024. “A Comparative Evaluation of the Share-VDE Search System.” Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 62 (2), https://doi.org/10.1080/01639374.2024.2372680.


Here follows an overview of the major work strands intertwined.
==== CNI Project Briefing Series contribution with Share Family video presentation ====
We recently participated in the Coalition for Networked Information's Project Briefing Series, where we shared insights from the ongoing efforts of the Share Family initiative.


=== JCricket entity editor ===
Nina Servizzi, Martin Knott and Jacquie Samples presented "The Share Family: Cooperation and Interconnection for a Sustainable Linked Open Data Ecosystem", providing an overview of the Share Family's linked data ecosystem and its impact on library operations.
JCricket is the Share Family tool for collaborative entity curation shared across member institutions. It primarily serves as an entity editor, enabling - according to the BIBFRAME ontology - the creation of new entities, entity modification, and the application of merge and split functions to improve the quality of automated LOD Platform clustering processes. With JCricket, it becomes possible to manage or create any kind of entities, each representing what, in traditional cataloging, was known as a "bibliographic set".


Also, the availability of this tool enables new data workflows that are being analysed to support the integration and use of JCricket even outside of the Share Family LOD Platform. We are considering several scenarios where linked data systems (eg. Library of Congress Marva or LD4P Sinopia BIBFRAME editors) can simultaneously operate locally with their own tools and share and cooperatively edit linked data resources across different environments using JCricket.  
They explored various aspects, including collaborative cataloging, advanced metadata management tools, and discovery portals, highlighting how these innovations are shaping knowledge accessibility. Access the recording and presentation slides on the [https://www.cni.org/topics/metadata/share-family-cooperation-and-interconnection-for-a-sustainable-linked-open-data-ecosystem CNI’s website] and on our wiki at [[ShareFamily:Resources#Year%202024|https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareFamily:Resources#Year_2024]].  


JCricket operates on the Share-VDE CKB - Cluster Knowledge Base (and on the CKB of the other Share Family tenants), which is not a local data storage for a single library, but rather the outcome of complex integration processes that generate entities from local data in traditional formats, such as MARC, and new formats, like RDF. Its optimal application is within a large data pool formed through contributions from multiple libraries, such as Share-VDE; therefore, it does not impact original data that reside in member libraries’ systems (unless libraries want to use ad hoc APIs for entity updates both in SVDE and in their systems).
You can read and share the announcement on the Share Family website: https://www.share-family.org/news?id=664f471a6b3c1.


The following picture illustrates JCricket workflow from a conceptual standpoint:
==== Parsifal: monograph on "A model of library collaboration for sharing recorded knowledge" ====
[[File:jcr.jpg|none|thumb|1000x1000px]]
The digital edition of Parsifal proceedings is online at https://doi.org/10.36253/979-12-215-0356-2. It features papers presented at Parsifal catalog inauguration: "A model of library collaboration for sharing recorded knowledge", held at the Pontificia Università Urbaniana, Vatican City, on May 11th, 2023, along with other previously unpublished essays. The print edition has been released in May. You can access this resource also on the Share Family wiki [[ShareFamily:Resources#Bibliographic%20references|https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareFamily:Resources#Bibliographic_references]].  
The system fetches MARC records from member libraries for ingestion and BIBFRAME conversion; linked data entities are created from this process and stored in the Cluster Knowledge Base. Entities are in fact clusters, ie. entities created through the aggregation of data from multiple institutions (Provenances).


Using JCricket, member libraries are able to authenticate in a dedicated area of the search portal and manually edit potential errors found in entities that are created during the conversion of records contributed by member libraries. These edits on entities will be saved in the system.
Highlighted articles include:


Also, JCricket APIs allow communication with member libraries’ systems, to notify the changes made on the entities in the CKB: this can be done in case the libraries want to use this service to be informed about the changes in the clusters to which the library data contributed, or even to optionally activate the entity update APIs.
* [[doi:10.36253/979-12-215-0356-2.07|''Parsifal: an innovative and powerful bibliographic research tool'']] by Mauro Guerrini (in English);
* [[doi:10.36253/979-12-215-0356-2.12|''Parsifal: Harmonizing tradition with modernity. The shared Authority File of URBE as a new ground for collaboration'']] by Tiziana Possemato, Annalisa Di Sabato, Alessandra Moi (in Italian);
* [[doi:10.36253/979-12-215-0356-2.14|''SHARE Catalogue’s new LOD Platform: an evolution marked by the collaborative practices of the Share Family'']] by Claudio Forziati, Annalisa Di Sabato, Rossella Molisso, Chiara Mugnano (in Italian);
* [[doi:10.36253/979-12-215-0356-2.17|''History of the collaboration between Wikidata and URBE Network Libraries in Authority Control'']] by Camillo Carlo Pellizzari di San Girolamo (in Italian);
* [[doi:10.36253/979-12-215-0356-2.19|''Parsifal’s web portal: structure and communication of bibliographic data and the Authority file'']] by Stefano Bargioni, Giuseppina Manuli, Marcello Sardelli, Tiziana Selvaggio (in Italian).


JCricket is integrated in the discovery portal web interface, for authenticated users.  
You can read and share the announcement on the Share Family website: https://www.share-family.org/news?id=664f471a6b3c4.  
[[File:jcr.jpg|none|thumb|1000x1000px]]
Several demos have been done this year, showing the advancements of JCricket user interface, which will be released in a test version shortly:


* JCricket première at the ALA Conference 2023, during the [https://drive.google.com/file/d/16vv_xOT7leOwf-TcWjC_mcJUCisLhudO/view Share-VDE Workshop];
=== Dissemination channels ===
* JCricket demo at the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbrqvWGnvfI LD4 Conference 2023] ([https://wiki.share-vde.org/w/images/7/71/JCricket_overview_-_LD4P_-_2023-July-12.pdf slides] are also available).


The work on this key component of the LOD Platform technology and of the vision of Share Family environments for cooperative linked data sharing was one of the most intense throughout 2023. A test version of JCricket is soon to be released for user validation.
==== Website [http://www.share-family.org www.share-family.org] ====
The primary channel for staying up to date with our project is the Share Family website, [http://www.share-family.org www.share-family.org]. This digital hub connects our community and serves as a window into the heart of the Share Family initiative, offering a comprehensive overview of our mission, values, goals, and technology. Additionally, the website is a dynamic platform for staying informed about our latest activities, events, and advancements.


=== Third parties integration ===
==== YouTube channel ====
The evolution of the Share Family technology encompasses the ability to mutually integrate the data produced by the LOD Platform with external systems, notably with local ILS and Library Service Platforms and authority sources.
Check out the Share Family’s new YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@Share_Family.


As to ILS and LSP integration, it’s worth mentioning some advancements:
Subscribe to keep up to date with our presentations and events, access informative materials and more!  


* the new authority services for MARC-based workflows – designed with [https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareVDE:Members/Share-VDE_working_groups#SVDE-AC_Authority.2FIdentifier_Management_Services_working_group_.28AIMS.29 SVDE AIMS Working Group] and further input by Stanford University Library – have been completed and are available for institutions willing to test and use them. Also, the AIMS Working Group will reconvene in 2024 to analyse and devise the authority control features for RDF / linked data based workflows;
Our latest videos:
* the integration of Alma circulation APIs for local library services is almost completed;
* the integration with the native BIBFRAME cataloguing editor Sinopia is progressing: the parser for incoming RDF data from Sinopia to be clustered by Share-VDE processes is under development;
* the connection to FOLIO ILS has been analysed to correlate FOLIO Inventory data with Share-VDE data, and to integrate JCricket user interface in FOLIO. [https://wiki.share-vde.org/w/images/7/74/ShareVDE_meets_FOLIO_Collaborative_Entity_Editing.pdf A possible model for ILS/LSP interaction through FOLIO] was presented by Andrea Gazzarini from the Share Family team and Sebastian Hammer from Index Data at WOLFcon 2023, to engage discussion within the linked data community on how to pursue this connection.


As to integration with authority systems, several data sources are being investigated and in some cases the initial integration steps have been completed:
* Share Family Workshop at 2024 ALA Annual: https://www.youtube.com/live/8xBeGB3Npls ;
* Brand new series of informative videos about the Share Family “Share Family: Linked Data for Libraries, by Libraries”, addressing the vision and core concepts of the initiative: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLByj3df0D9a3r75rVYgjxb1Yr4UM4gby4.


* LD4P Questioning Authority lookup tool;
=== New [[ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation|Public Documentation]] section in the Share Family wiki ===
* Wikidata for mutual enrichment of entity IDs (initial specifications were shaped by SVDE working groups);
This wiki section offers a wealth of resources meticulously curated to enhance your knowledge of our projects.
* ISNI for mutual enrichment of entity IDs (initial specifications were shaped by SVDE working groups).


The resulting scenario will translate into an integrated, “hybrid” operational ecosystem, based on a variety of tools and diverse data sources including traditional workflows (eg. new authority services for MARC workflows) as well as advanced models for data exchange, eg. those envisaged above to simultaneously operate through JCricket and local BIBFRAME editors both within the Share Family system and locally.
This section contains information about the technological core of the Share Family, the [[ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation/LODPlatform|LOD Platform]]. Insights into the LOD Platform provide a comprehensive overview of the tools, frameworks, and technologies employed to construct and maintain this robust infrastructure supporting the Share Family. Also, the options available for configuring the Entity Discovery Portal part of the LOD Platform provide an overview of the options designed to enhance the experience of end users navigating the linked data descriptions of the resources displayed. These can be applied to individual institutions, consortia or networks of institutions.


=== Data processing and BIBFRAME conversion ===
From detailed [[ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation/User guides|user guides]] about our discovery portals and editing tool, to the [[ShareDoc:Glossary|glossary]], to exhaustive [[ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation/Release notes|release notes]] providing insights into every incremental update, this documentation ensures you're always informed and up-to-date about new developments.


==== Catalogues ingestion and ongoing data updates ====
Developers and enthusiasts alike will also be able to access a wealth of [[ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation/APIs|API documentation]] and delve deeper into the technological underpinnings of Share Family with comprehensive information on its core components. This section is a work in progress and will be enriched with more detailed documentation about key components.  
Much work is going on to complete the full workflow of data ingestion, conversion, regular updates of data exports from libraries and publication to the discovery portal of the Share-VDE tenant.  


The very complex architecture of the Share Family, made of different tenants each one residing on a separate branch of the system infrastructure with its own installation of databases and system components, entails articulated processes that often take some time to become stable, due to the impact they have on the whole system. In this scenario, the completion of the module handling ongoing updates (“delta updates” in Share Family jargon) done in 2023 is a significant milestone adding value to a system moving towards the support of stable production workflows.  
Begin your exploration of Share Family's documentation by clicking on this link: [[ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation|https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation]].


The full workflow of ingestion and ongoing updates has been tested for the beta version of the BNB – British National Bibliography skin portal on NatBib tenant, and is being fine tuned for the future steps towards bringing the BNB in production. The BNB experience will also be useful to measure the performance of the system in view of the much larger scale process for the Share-VDE tenant.
You can read and share the announcement on the Share Family website: https://www.share-family.org/news?id=6698cc0bce0f6.


It’s also important to mention that we anticipate the release of a new version 3 of the software supporting JCricket and introducing major changes, that will trigger a new ingestion of libraries’ catalogues and the connection to the delta updates module - pausing the load of library catalogue using the previous version of the software was preparatory to this major change. The new version 3 release is expected in early 2024, starting with the Share-VDE tenant, and the subsequent steps (ie. delta updates module set-up and data ingestion, publication of new data on svde.org portal), will follow.
== Events ==
Regular virtual and in-person events, such as conferences, workshops, and working group meetings, provide opportunities for member institutions to connect, share ideas, and explore potential areas of collaboration.


==== Granularization of the Cluster Knowledge Base and new conversion model ====
As usual, documentation stemming from events and presentations (slides and, often, recordings) is available on this page [[ShareVDE:Resources#Year%202023|Share Family wiki]].
So far, the support of linked data conversion from multiple input formats has been managed through multiple conversion pipelines.


In line with the evolution of the system over time, it became clear that a single “source of truth” is needed to orchestrate a conversion workflow as frictionless as possible. So, several analysis and implementation actions have been undertaken to revise the current conversion model and streamline this process by extending input data capabilities and making the conversion component format-agnostic.  
=== Share Family workshop at ALA 2024 ===
We're excited to share that slides and recording of the 2024 Share-VDE workshop, held on July 1, 2024 at ALA Annual, are now available for access on our [[ShareFamily:Resources#Year%202024:~:text%3DShare-VDE%20Workshop%2C%20at%20ALA%20Annual%2C%20July%201%202024%2C%20by%20various%20speakers%3B%20recording%20available|wiki page]].


To achieve this, the new conversion model should support:
Workshop Agenda:


* a finer granularity level of the CKB in compliance with BIBFRAME granularity;
* '''JCricket Linked Data Editor Demonstration''', Tiziana Possemato, Casalini Libri and @Cult - Share Family;
* a “format-agnostic” CKB with extended input data capabilities to converge all input formats into one conversion source (eg. MARC21, UNIMARC, native BIBFRAME/RDF eg. from LD4P Sinopia application profiles etc.);
* '''FOLIO and Lehigh University Pilot''', Boaz Nadav Manes, Lehigh University and Sebastian Hammer, Index Data;
* one single conversion pipeline from the CKB – removing the conversion pipeline based on MARC.
* '''SVDE Ontology - Update July 2024''', Nancy Lorimer, Stanford University;
* '''The SHARE Catalogue: Unimarc-Bibframe Mapping - An Evolving Path''', Claudio Forziati, Federico II University in Naples, SHARE Catalogue;
* '''Real-Time “RDFization” - How to Provide Instant Semantic Graphs without Any RDF Storage''', Andrea Gazzarini, Spaziocodice - Share Family.


In addition, the granularization of the CKB will facilitate the implementation of the Share-VDE Ontology extensions that have been introduced during 2023 by the work of the SEI – Sapientia Entity Identification Working Group (see the current version of the SVDE Ontology at https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.8332350), and the ongoing improvements to the clustering algorithm that will derive from members’ and users’ tests with the data.
Direct links:


Finally, the review of the CKB will facilitate the integration of data from other domains, including archival and museum domains.
* Slides: https://bit.ly/SVDE_Workshop2024_slides;
* Recording: [https://bit.ly/SVDE_Workshop2023_recording https://www.youtube.com/live/8xBeGB3Npls].


Once the final pipeline conversion will be in place, the triple store will make available the stable version of the data that will be even more compatible for reuse externally of the Share system.
=== Share Family update at the Library of Congress July 2024 BIBFRAME Update Forum ===
Tiziana Possemato participated in the Library of Congress July 2024 BIBFRAME Update Forum, providing an update on the Share Family linked data ecosystem and its component, [[Main Page|Share-VDE]].  


This work will continue in 2024.
The various Share Family projects uphold the standardization of BIBFRAME linked data as defined by the Library of Congress. The presentation emphasized how standard BIBFRAME is crucial to the library community’s integrated environments, especially as systems proliferate, from both the interoperability and the data curation perspectives.  


==== Subjects and Concepts ====
Follow [https://www.loc.gov/bibframe/news/bibframe-update-jul2024.html this link] for slides and a recording of the presentation titled Fostering BIBFRAME collaboration: interoperability and data curation with the Share Family.  
Collaboration with numerous libraries has contributed to improving the data processing of subject-related information. Currently, we identify and display the most general level, which is the Related Subjects. These subjects may encompass various linguistic variations, but these variations will not be explicitly categorized as such; typically, they will be considered as Related Subjects.
[[File:concepts.jpg|none|thumb|900x900px]]
In the future, we plan to highlight more specific subsets of equivalent subjects or linguistic variations. This selection will be based on the original data provided by the libraries. Variations will only be identified as such if the library has accurately flagged them in their own records. Additionally, further analysis is being conducted to enhance the development of Concepts and their display in all Share Family tenants.
[[File:topics.jpg|none|thumb|600x600px]]


==== Non-Latin scripts ====
== Next events ==
Within the Share Family community, a significant and ongoing discussion revolves around the processing of non-Latin scripts. This encompassing dialogue includes active participation from members within the Advisory Council. Testing of data provided by the National Taiwan University Library will be carried out by the LD4P Non-Latin Script Material affinity group.
Updates on events involving the Share Family are regularly published on the website page https://www.share-family.org/en/events.


Also, an experiment is being carried out with a test portal supporting Arabic script that gave us the occasion to further test with non-Latin scripts, and to apply to the LOD Platform features that will be propagated to all other Share Family tenants, ie.:
=== BIBFRAME Workshop in Europe 2024 ===
Tiziana Possemato will present Share Family: advancements in linked data collaboration at the 2024 BIBFRAME Workshop in Europe. This will be an update on current developments,  especially on the JCricket entity editor, UNIMARC management and third party interoperability. Check out the BIBFRAME Workshop in Europe’s website and register in person or online: https://www.bfwe.eu/helsinki_2024.  


* the creation of Subject entity starting from authority subjects (ie. not only from bib. record access points);
=== Share Family meeting in Helsinki – members only ===
* an improved version of Subject management, including related subjects.
On Thursday 19th September 2024 we will hold a private, informal Share Family meeting in Helsinki, at NLF National Library of Finland!


==== Goals for the next period ====
This meeting will be after the two-days BIBFRAME Workshop in Europe, also held at NLF on 17-18 September. More logistic instructions on how to participate in-presence and online will be sent to members.
By adopting BIBFRAME as the main ontology in compatibility with IFLA-LRM, the Share Family takes advantage of the potentials of linked open data to facilitate interoperability among data pools, in coexistence with MARC. Leveraging this approach, we work to ultimately:


* consolidate outputs and collaborative tools to enhance workflows and services for consortia or individual libraries;
=== WOLFCon 2024 ===
* transform library catalogs into research tools with structured access and visibility to original language research in all disciplines;
Tiziana Possemato, Sebastian Hammer and representatives from Lehigh University Libraries will participate in WOLFcon 2024 with a session titled [https://wolfcon2024.sched.com/event/1eesB/marc-my-words-navigating-the-bibframe-frontier MARC My Words: Navigating the BIBFRAME Frontier]. Learn more about WOLFcon and how to register here: https://openlibraryfoundation.org/about/wolfcon/upcoming/.
* serve as an authoritative data source, contribute to a new bibliographic ecosystem where data modeling, enrichment and sharing are handled collectively;
* apply and support open metadata policies.


As always, this will be achieved by being independent of local practices and of ILS/LSP local systems, and through the international collaboration at the heart of the Share Family vision.
=== DCMI 2024 ===
Andrea Gazzarini will present Leveraging Linked Data Fragments for enhanced data publication: the Share-VDE case study at this year’s DCMI in Toronto. More information about the 2024 DCMI here: https://www.dublincore.org/conferences/2024/cfp/. More details will be shared as soon as the program is available.


We will continue to cooperate with any kind of system or initiative that will be eager to become “Share-ready”.
=== Charleston Conference 2024 ===
Nina Servizzi, Boaz Nadav-Manes, Sebastian Hammer, Tiziana Possemato will present in a joint session New pathways for resource description and interoperability: innovative strategies from the Share Family Ecosystem. More information about the Charleston Conference 2024 here: https://charlestonconference.regfox.com/2024-charleston-conference. More details will be shared as soon as the program is available.






Your opinion is always welcome: to provide feedback on the Share Family discovery website, report bugs and suggestions as external users reach out through the forum https://forum.svde.org/ or send a message to helpdesk@svde.org.  
Your opinion is always welcome: to provide feedback on the Share Family discovery website, report bugs and suggestions as external users reach out through the forum<nowiki/>https://forum.svde.org/ or send a message to [mailto:helpdesk@svde.org helpdesk@svde.org].


For general information on the initiative, contact info@svde.org.  
For general information on the initiative, contact [mailto:info@svde.org info@svde.org].  


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Latest revision as of 12:40, 9 September 2024


This section includes the latest issue of the Share Family Bulletin. More information on the current activities going on within the various branches of the Share Family can be found throughout this wiki website https://wiki.svde.org/, which is the informative hub of Share-VDE and the Share Family.

For a general presentation of the Share Family, of its mission and values, and to find out the latest news, you can also explore the brochure website https://www.share-family.org/.

To explore previous issues of the Share Family Bulletin, feel free to navigate through the following links:


Number 9, July 2024

You can download a printable version at https://bit.ly/SFBulletin_n9_Jul2024

Citation: Share Family Team, Share Family Bulletin 9 (July 2024), https://bit.ly/SFBulletin_n9_Jul2024


Introduction

The Share Family progress continues, with ongoing efforts dedicated to advancing the LOD Platform technology into production workflows, enhancing system components, and transitioning to the new version 3 of our application.

Version 3.0.0 release and LOD Platform developments

First of all, we're very excited to announce the major release of the 3.0.0 version of our software! You can find the release notes here: https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation/Release_notes.   

This is a major release that introduces many changes in the software and in data processing algorithms. The new version of the Share Family LOD Platform technology framework will be installed in the various environments of Share Family tenants over the next period.

The release encompasses the following components of the LOD Platform: Cluster Management Module (which manages the clusters of entities that feed the CKB - Cluster Knowledge Base, also called Entity Knowledge Base), API layer, Front-end module, RDBMS (database), RDFizer (BIBFRAME / RDF conversion module). Being a major release, several important features and new components have been added to the system, ie. Delta processes, UNIMARC services and JCricket entity editor, the platform’s shared cataloguing tool. This release addresses both bug fixes as well as new developments and enhancements.

The software versions released over time are shared across all layers of Share Family initiative’s technology. For an overview of the software versions installed on the different environments, see Share Family AWS environments summary. 

The summary below describes some of the major and most relevant features, with a high-level mention. Further information on descriptive tasks corresponding to implementations can be found in the release notes.

JCricket Entity Editor

JCricket is the tool for collaborative linked data entity management and shared cataloguing. It enables - according to the BIBFRAME ontology - the entity curation (e.g. creation of new entities, entity modification, the application of entity merge and split functions). The scope is to improve the quality of the Entity Knowledge Base, a source of living data produced through clustering and ongoing update processes. JCricket is a manual application that makes it possible to manage bibliographic data in the form of entities. It empowers professional librarians to enhance the quality of machine-generated data output of MARC to BIBFRAME transformation. Its optimal application is within a large data pool formed through contributions from multiple libraries, such as Share-VDE; therefore, it does not impact original data that reside in member libraries’ systems, unless libraries want to use ad hoc APIs for entity updates both in SVDE and in their local systems, which is also an option.

Initially, Share members are currently testing JCricket under controlled conditions. You can explore more of JCricket in the Public Documentation section of the Share Family wiki at https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation/LODPlatform/EntityEditor and check out Tiziana Possemato’s demo of JCricket entity editor at the 2024 Share Family Workshop: https://www.youtube.com/live/8xBeGB3Npls.

Data management

Fine-tuning of data update procedures

Data update processes handle ongoing updates (“delta updates” in Share Family jargon), to enable periodic imports of MARC records for continuous update of system data. By “Delta” updates we mean the changes that occur to the library records that are periodically pushed to the LOD Platform, to be published on the discovery portal. The automation of the ingestion in the LOD Platform of updated library records has the purpose of regularly updating the data available through the discovery interface and the other endpoints of the workflow where the data are available. This means updating the data of the clustered entities and the related resources searchable on the discovery interface and in the triplestore, according to the frequency requested by the library.


RDFizer

The RDFizer module that automates the entire process of converting and publishing data in RDF-based BIBFRAME descriptions has implemented conversion for additional MARC21 bibliographic tags and subfields to be compliant with the mapping and conversion rules published by the Library of Congress (version 2.4). As mentioned in previous updates, the work is proceeding for creating a finer granularity level in the CKB: all MARC and UNIMARC fields and subfields have been mapped, which will also support the implementations related to Linked Data Fragments (see below).


Linked Data Fragments

We are experimenting with a new approach for publishing linked data descriptions in various serialization formats. In big data-driven environments, accessing, querying, and processing vast datasets efficiently is challenging. Linked Data Fragments (LDF) have emerged as a promising paradigm to address these challenges by providing a distributed and scalable approach for publishing and serving Linked Data. As part of this initial investigation, we developed a set of Web APIs that adopt Linked Data Fragments and provide the following benefits: real-time RDF generation and publication, on-demand ontology mapping, and multi-provenance management.

More will be shared as soon as the proof of concept will be available. In the meantime, access Andrea Gazzarini’s presentation about Linked Data Fragments titled Real-Time “RDFization” - How to provide instant Semantic Graphs without any RDF storage at the 2024 Share Family Workshop:


UNIMARC

Numerous advancements were implemented based on direct mapping between UNIMARC and BIBFRAME. The UNIMARC services development stems from the SHARE Catalogue project and the Italian libraries affiliated to this platform, but it can benefit all institutions adopting UNIMARC. These libraries are involved in a specific project related to the direct management of UNIMARC records in clusterization and reconciliation processes without the “middle step conversion” from UNIMARC to MARC21. All related developments are finalized to allow the migration of the SHARE Catalogue platform to the new CKB infrastructure, according to the above-mentioned approach. This work will be shared with the linked data community through a Wikibase instance https://unimarc2bibframe.wikibase.cloud/ that will be enriched and documented.

To learn more about this topic, you can check out The SHARE Catalogue: UNIMARC-BIBFRAME Mapping - An Evolving Path, presented by Claudio Forziati at the 2024 Share Family Workshop.


Clusterization processes

For further details on improvements on the Share Family’s clusterization processes, delve into this version’s release notes on the Share Family wiki at ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation/Release notes.


Third parties integration

New data workflows are being analysed to support the use of the LOD Platform technology even outside of the Share Family environment, for the integration with ILS / LSP. We are considering several scenarios where the Share linked data system can simultaneously or alternatively operate on local library systems using libraries’ own tools, and share and cooperatively edit linked data resources across different environments using the JCricket entity editor.

The integration with environments and tools like FOLIO, Sinopia and WeCat is proceeding, and a use case for the integration of JCricket and FOLIO will be presented at future conferences this year. A first look at the integration between Share Family technologies and FOLIO was recently presented by Sebastian Hammer and Boaz Nadav Manes at the 2024 Share Family Workshop, in a session named FOLIO and Lehigh University Pilot.

Front-end enhancements

Subjects and Concepts

We have made improvements to the previous version of Subjects and Concepts display. The concept types implemented in the backend include: Date, Event, Family, Form, Format, Generic Concept, Genre, Language, Meeting, Opus, Organization, Person, Place, Topic. They are returned on the front-end with a basic set of data and relationships with the works connected with the subject.

The Subject tab in the Publication page shows the list of subject string and the concepts derived from it:

Subject tab.png

By clicking on a subject string, users can see a list of works related to that subject, as well as how the subject string is connected to the concepts it comprises.

Subject page.png

Clicking on the concepts, a basic version of the Concept page is displayed.


Similar Publications tab

A new tab on the Publication page showing similar Publications in the same language. We are analysing the algorithm to create similar publications to extend its scope to broader similarity criteria.

Similar publications.png


Small revamping to look and feel

As part of the UX/UI working group's activities, it was decided to switch to sans-serif fonts for a modern look and feel. Additionally, elements on the homepage of https://www.natbib-lod.org/ have been resized to create a more harmonious and visually appealing design.


Portal switch mechanism

A new Switch site button has been added at the bottom of svde.org portal group and skin / institutional portals homepages internal pages (see definitions of portal groups and skin portals). This button opens a menu where users can select through which portal they want to explore. The aim is to connect portal groups with the related skin portal, so that end users have an immediate overview of what individual skin portals are connected to a portal group.

Switch site.png

Overall, the majority of fixes and enhancements extend to rectifying data retrieval errors and fine-tuning data retrieval errors, culminating in a more uniform and seamless user interaction with the system. Across the board, these efforts work cohesively to bolster the system's intuitiveness and reliability, facilitating smoother navigation and ensuring precise data representation.

Share Family community work and cooperation

The Share Family is committed to fostering cooperation among its member institutions to showcase the immense value of being part of an initiative developed and driven by libraries for libraries.

Ongoing conversations with consortia representatives are underway to define the configurations of this innovative collaboration.

As an example of this effort, the Share Family Executive Summary for Consortia offers additional insights into how the Share Family can assist consortia in transitioning to linked open data, providing valuable strategies and support. Approved by our Advisory Council, the document emphasizes Share Family’s pivotal role in aiding consortia in adopting linked data methodologies for enhanced collaboration. The Share Family aims to empower consortia with the tools and knowledge necessary to seamlessly integrate linked open data principles, fostering innovation and interoperability within consortia networks.

Share-VDE and Share Family Working Groups

Working Groups are the backbone of Share Family activities, which are driven by input from member institutions in a joint effort with Share Staff.

Important tasks are being carried on to support the complete shaping of the SVDE Ontology within the Sapientia Entity Identification group: at the time of writing, the definition of the Opus type individuals is being consolidated (ie. the addition to the ontology of the definitions of the various types of Opus, ie. abstract works and resources that the entity model can support). These additions will be reflected by both the general search and discovery portal, as well as in JCricket Entity Editor.

More on the work carried out on the Opus types was shared by Nancy Lorimer at the 2024 Share Family Workshop in her SVDE Ontology - Update July 2024.

The User Experience – User Interface Working Group cooperating with the National Bibliographies Working Group has analyzed the front-end layer of the entity discovery portals according to a set of evaluation criteria (including for example usability and accessibility, consistency of design and navigation, overall user friendliness, integration with SVDE features and local library discoveries etc.), and is now revising a new design proposal for the Publication page of the entity discovery portal, presenting the aggregation of Work and Instance data. Also the relationship between publication data and the connected item data are being reviewed by identifying user tasks for publication and item data discovery, to support better navigation and end user data consumption.

IFLA, Linked data and BIBFRAME communities

Share Family members continue to play an active role in the library information and linked data communities.

Tiziana Possemato takes on the role of Official liaison IFLA Bibliography Section / Share Family National Bibliographies group, formerly held by Maud Henry from KBR - Royal Library of Belgium. This will ensure the continuation of the collaboration with the IFLA Bibliography Section that Tiziana is already a member of. Related to IFLA activities, a presentation was given at IFLA Midterm meeting of the IFLA Section Preservation and Conservation (PRESCONS), on March 22 2024, by Tiziana Possemato, on the topic of The Share Family initiative to bring Linked Open Data into practice.

Share-VDE participation in the BIG - BIBFRAME Interoperability Group established to create guidelines for data exchange in BIBFRAME, continues successfully, This cooperation with organisations and projects in the BIBFRAME community will foster the extension of the methods and tools shared by linked data nodes for BIBFRAME interoperability.

Information resources

To facilitate the continuous exchange of ideas and principles that collectively define the vision, aims, and progress of Share Family environments and their tools, new materials and accompanying documents have been created to guide member institutions through this process. By utilizing shared materials and documents, member institutions can seamlessly integrate into the Share Family, actively participate in collaborative initiatives, and contribute to the ongoing development and success of the endeavor.

Publications

Article in the Cataloging & Classification Quarterly journal "A Comparative Evaluation of the Share-VDE Search System"

We are pleased to announce the publication of "A Comparative Evaluation of the Share-VDE Search System" by Jim Hahn, Kayt Ahnberg, and Liliana Giusti Serra from the University of Pennsylvania in Cataloging & Classification Quarterly.

This article details a two-year study involving remote UX interviews with twenty participants, including catalogers, students, and faculty. The research used IFLA LRM user tasks and interface evaluation methods to assess how linked data, specifically BIBFRAME, supports search objectives through the Share-VDE portal.

CNI Project Briefing Series contribution with Share Family video presentation

We recently participated in the Coalition for Networked Information's Project Briefing Series, where we shared insights from the ongoing efforts of the Share Family initiative.

Nina Servizzi, Martin Knott and Jacquie Samples presented "The Share Family: Cooperation and Interconnection for a Sustainable Linked Open Data Ecosystem", providing an overview of the Share Family's linked data ecosystem and its impact on library operations.

They explored various aspects, including collaborative cataloging, advanced metadata management tools, and discovery portals, highlighting how these innovations are shaping knowledge accessibility. Access the recording and presentation slides on the CNI’s website and on our wiki at https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareFamily:Resources#Year_2024.

You can read and share the announcement on the Share Family website: https://www.share-family.org/news?id=664f471a6b3c1.

Parsifal: monograph on "A model of library collaboration for sharing recorded knowledge"

The digital edition of Parsifal proceedings is online at https://doi.org/10.36253/979-12-215-0356-2. It features papers presented at Parsifal catalog inauguration: "A model of library collaboration for sharing recorded knowledge", held at the Pontificia Università Urbaniana, Vatican City, on May 11th, 2023, along with other previously unpublished essays. The print edition has been released in May. You can access this resource also on the Share Family wiki https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareFamily:Resources#Bibliographic_references.

Highlighted articles include:

You can read and share the announcement on the Share Family website: https://www.share-family.org/news?id=664f471a6b3c4.

Dissemination channels

Website www.share-family.org

The primary channel for staying up to date with our project is the Share Family website, www.share-family.org. This digital hub connects our community and serves as a window into the heart of the Share Family initiative, offering a comprehensive overview of our mission, values, goals, and technology. Additionally, the website is a dynamic platform for staying informed about our latest activities, events, and advancements.

YouTube channel

Check out the Share Family’s new YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@Share_Family.

Subscribe to keep up to date with our presentations and events, access informative materials and more!  

Our latest videos:

New Public Documentation section in the Share Family wiki

This wiki section offers a wealth of resources meticulously curated to enhance your knowledge of our projects.

This section contains information about the technological core of the Share Family, the LOD Platform. Insights into the LOD Platform provide a comprehensive overview of the tools, frameworks, and technologies employed to construct and maintain this robust infrastructure supporting the Share Family. Also, the options available for configuring the Entity Discovery Portal part of the LOD Platform provide an overview of the options designed to enhance the experience of end users navigating the linked data descriptions of the resources displayed. These can be applied to individual institutions, consortia or networks of institutions.

From detailed user guides about our discovery portals and editing tool, to the glossary, to exhaustive release notes providing insights into every incremental update, this documentation ensures you're always informed and up-to-date about new developments.

Developers and enthusiasts alike will also be able to access a wealth of API documentation and delve deeper into the technological underpinnings of Share Family with comprehensive information on its core components. This section is a work in progress and will be enriched with more detailed documentation about key components.

Begin your exploration of Share Family's documentation by clicking on this link: https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareDoc:PublicDocumentation.

You can read and share the announcement on the Share Family website: https://www.share-family.org/news?id=6698cc0bce0f6.

Events

Regular virtual and in-person events, such as conferences, workshops, and working group meetings, provide opportunities for member institutions to connect, share ideas, and explore potential areas of collaboration.

As usual, documentation stemming from events and presentations (slides and, often, recordings) is available on this page Share Family wiki.

Share Family workshop at ALA 2024

We're excited to share that slides and recording of the 2024 Share-VDE workshop, held on July 1, 2024 at ALA Annual, are now available for access on our wiki page.

Workshop Agenda:

  • JCricket Linked Data Editor Demonstration, Tiziana Possemato, Casalini Libri and @Cult - Share Family;
  • FOLIO and Lehigh University Pilot, Boaz Nadav Manes, Lehigh University and Sebastian Hammer, Index Data;
  • SVDE Ontology - Update July 2024, Nancy Lorimer, Stanford University;
  • The SHARE Catalogue: Unimarc-Bibframe Mapping - An Evolving Path, Claudio Forziati, Federico II University in Naples, SHARE Catalogue;
  • Real-Time “RDFization” - How to Provide Instant Semantic Graphs without Any RDF Storage, Andrea Gazzarini, Spaziocodice - Share Family.

Direct links:

Share Family update at the Library of Congress July 2024 BIBFRAME Update Forum

Tiziana Possemato participated in the Library of Congress July 2024 BIBFRAME Update Forum, providing an update on the Share Family linked data ecosystem and its component, Share-VDE.

The various Share Family projects uphold the standardization of BIBFRAME linked data as defined by the Library of Congress. The presentation emphasized how standard BIBFRAME is crucial to the library community’s integrated environments, especially as systems proliferate, from both the interoperability and the data curation perspectives.

Follow this link for slides and a recording of the presentation titled Fostering BIBFRAME collaboration: interoperability and data curation with the Share Family.  

Next events

Updates on events involving the Share Family are regularly published on the website page https://www.share-family.org/en/events.

BIBFRAME Workshop in Europe 2024

Tiziana Possemato will present Share Family: advancements in linked data collaboration at the 2024 BIBFRAME Workshop in Europe. This will be an update on current developments,  especially on the JCricket entity editor, UNIMARC management and third party interoperability. Check out the BIBFRAME Workshop in Europe’s website and register in person or online: https://www.bfwe.eu/helsinki_2024.

Share Family meeting in Helsinki – members only

On Thursday 19th September 2024 we will hold a private, informal Share Family meeting in Helsinki, at NLF National Library of Finland!

This meeting will be after the two-days BIBFRAME Workshop in Europe, also held at NLF on 17-18 September. More logistic instructions on how to participate in-presence and online will be sent to members.

WOLFCon 2024

Tiziana Possemato, Sebastian Hammer and representatives from Lehigh University Libraries will participate in WOLFcon 2024 with a session titled MARC My Words: Navigating the BIBFRAME Frontier. Learn more about WOLFcon and how to register here: https://openlibraryfoundation.org/about/wolfcon/upcoming/.

DCMI 2024

Andrea Gazzarini will present Leveraging Linked Data Fragments for enhanced data publication: the Share-VDE case study at this year’s DCMI in Toronto. More information about the 2024 DCMI here: https://www.dublincore.org/conferences/2024/cfp/. More details will be shared as soon as the program is available.

Charleston Conference 2024

Nina Servizzi, Boaz Nadav-Manes, Sebastian Hammer, Tiziana Possemato will present in a joint session New pathways for resource description and interoperability: innovative strategies from the Share Family Ecosystem. More information about the Charleston Conference 2024 here: https://charlestonconference.regfox.com/2024-charleston-conference. More details will be shared as soon as the program is available.


Your opinion is always welcome: to provide feedback on the Share Family discovery website, report bugs and suggestions as external users reach out through the forumhttps://forum.svde.org/ or send a message to helpdesk@svde.org.

For general information on the initiative, contact info@svde.org.


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