About the Semantic Web Special Interest Group
Since its premises, the Semantic Web has always raised a strong
interest within the library community. Now that libraries have fully
entered the Web 2.0, they are facing a new challenge as they are seeking
to play a major role in the Web value chain, by empowering their
services in the user's flow and making their data work stronger, in a
more accessible and reusable way.
Semantic Web technologies open valuable opportunities for the
development of these objectives, by creating appropriate data models
that will be the next generation of library metadata formats, leveraging
new technologies for innovative library systems, or making high-quality
level data such as authority data or thesauri available to a wider
community.
However, these opportunities are still only known to a smaller
community of technically experienced librarians, and the strategic
importance of these topics to the library community in general has to be
demonstrated. Technologies and data models are still at an immature
stage, and the creation of a community of interests among professionals
will be needed in order to develop and mainstream them.
Therefore the Semantic Web Special Interest Group (SWSIG) intends to be the platform where interested
professionals could gather, and undertake whatever tasks are needed to
develop, enhance and facilitate the adoption of semantic Web
technologies in the library community.
Goals of SWSIG
- to foster collaboration between the Cataloguing, Classification and
Indexing, Information Technology and Knowledge Management sections and
other interested IFLA members and to be an open place to discuss
subjects related to the topic Semantic Web and libraries, elaborate
standards and guidelines and contribute to any other relevant work
within and outside IFLA;
- to strengthen and transform the professional knowledge of libraries
in the Semantic Web area by providing education and information to IFLA
professionals, thus contributing to IFLA's strategic plan for
2010-2015; to raise awareness among the library community about the
relevance and potential of Semantic Web technologies for libraries and
to provide training and workshops in order to improve the librarians’
know-how in this area;
- to market the libraries' knowledge and know-how to other
communities, seeking convergence with other cultural heritage
organizations and with the actors of the Web at large, thus acting as
the global voice of libraries in this field.
In order to reach these goals, the SWSIG will:
- organize and promote events during the IFLA Congresses
(SWSIG sessions, satellite meetings, training workshops, social events); - monitor ongoing projects (standards, tools, techniques)
within or outside IFLA, and provide up-to-date information and reports
using IFLA information and communication channels; - organize specific task groups to undertake new actions when needed;
- bring together a community of professionals using appropriate online tools (mailing list, facebook group, twitter...).
If you are interested in joining the group or receiving information about its activities, please contact the convenor : Emmanuelle Bermès (manue-at-figoblog-dot-org)
Última actualización: 5 Octubre 2012