Sinopia, BIBFRAME and more: enhancing discoverability and use �of rare print materials at the �University of Leeds

Alison Hazelaar (Access & Acquisitions Manager: Metadata & Discovery)�Kim Taylor (Metadata & Discovery Manager: Metadata Lead)�Trevor Hough (Metadata & Discovery Manager: Technical Lead)

Overview

The Brotherton Library, University of Leeds. ©University of Leeds

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University of Leeds

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• Established 1904
• One of the largest universities in the UK
• Almost 40,000 students
• Top 100 universities in the world (QS university ranking)

The Metadata and Discovery Team

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• Who we are
• What we do
• Our Library Management System�

First steps: Challenges

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⚙️Technical gap

• No dedicated Library IT support team or developer

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🌐 Information gap

• Webinars and conferences tailored for an experienced audience but where to begin if you’re new?

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Linked Data Focus Group

Participants of the Ex Libris Linked Data Focus Group in 2023

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Rafi

PM

6

Challenges of recording copy-specific details in MARC

• Rare materials often include copy-specific information (e.g., annotations, bindings, bookplates, inserts)
• MARC approach is one-size-fits-all, resulting in copy-specific information being treated differently from LMS to LMS and impeding accurate identification of a specific copy
• Cataloguers may explicitly define copy-specific MARC fields in both Alma and Primo to clarify the copy (and the holding institution) to which the metadata pertains, but even this approach can cause confusion for users

Details from volumes in the Bedford Collection: Examples of ornamental metal work. 1836 (top); Neuestes Modell … 1829 (bottom left); The smith's, founder's, and ornamental metal worker's director … c.1844 (bottom right).

University of Leeds Libraries.

Copy-specific metadata: MARC v BIBFRAME

Cover and tipped-in plates from Trade catalogue for H. F. & G Carte? of brass and iron handles ... c.1800. Bedford Collection. University of Leeds Libraries.

from MARC ...

… to BIBFRAME (PCC Item template) ...

BF Item templates: PCC v RMAG (Rare Materials Affinity Group)

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… from PCC Item template ...

… to nested RMAG Item templates ...

BF Item templates: PCC v RMAG

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… from PCC Item template ...

… to nested RMAG Item templates ...

MARC boundwith in Alma

BF boundwith in Sinopia

… item record for Bound Collection ...

BF boundwith in Sinopia

… from item record for Boundwith Item 1

(first title in boundwith), showing relationships ...

… from item record for Boundwith Item 2

(second title in boundwith), showing description pertaining only to this title ...

… still unknown is how the item-level metadata will display in Discovery layer for the user ...

BIBFRAME and the Leeds Digital Library Infrastructure Project

• Digital Library Infrastructure Project (DLIP)
• Improve both management and display of metadata for archival and rare print materials in shared environment
• Unified discovery platform to enhance user experience

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• Linked Art data model selected for describing resources from both archival (EAD/EMu) and bibliographic/print (MARC/Alma) standards and management systems

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• BIBFRAME emerged as the superior starting point for mapping our bibliographic metadata to Linked Art

Mapping to Linked Art: MARC

• Most information comes from the bibliographic record
• Copy specific information split between bib and item
• Public notes in item records not ideal for the information we need to record

Former owners

Copy specific notes

Bibliographic record

Item record

Subject headings

Author information

Imprint

information

Location, shelfmark and barcode

Mapping to Linked Art: BIBFRAME

Former owners

Copy specific notes

Work record

Item record

Subject headings

Author information

Imprint

information

Location, shelfmark and barcode

Instance record

Importing Sinopia records into Alma

• Work and Instance records pushed from Sinopia to Alma via API
• But… pre-export record verification issues
• Cataloguing Agency look-up source in the PCC template doesn’t include UK agencies
• Had to impersonate a foreign institution to get the export to work
• First inspiration to edit a template
• Discovered nested templates

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BIBFRAME records in Alma and Primo

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Sinopia Item records stay in Sinopia

• Work and Instance records import from Sinopia, but no Item records
• The Ex Libris expectation was to use Alma functionality
• Problematic for Special Collections materials due to copy specific information
• Made a use case for BIBFRAME Item records in Alma

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A new challenge: Boundwiths!

• Inspired by post-migration work in Alma to fix close to 10,000 boundwiths
• Found two Item record templates in Sinopia Dev, but…
• Error messages when trying to create records with them
• Equivalent Stage templates
• One of them had a few problems
• Contacted Kalli Mathios
• Met with Kalli and Nancy Lorimer to discuss templates

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Recreating Stage templates in Dev

• Kalli was able to fix several of the errors in the templates
• Recommended we make our own versions of the Stage templates in Dev
• Recreating two templates sounds straight forward
• The hard work of devising the templates already done
• RMAG/ARM templates are very detailed
• More than 40 nested templates required
• Some already existed in Dev
• Most were used by both templates
• And it worked!

RMAG/ARM Boundwith structure in Sinopia

Title 1

Work record

Title 2

Work record

Title 3

Work record

Title 1

Instance record

Title 2

Instance record

Title 3

Instance record

Title 1

Item record

Title 2

Item record

Title 3

Item record

Boundwith collection

Item record

PCC Monograph:

Work template

PCC Monograph:

Instance template

Boundwith Item (ARM) template

Bound Collection (ARM) template

Boundwith Collection record in Sinopia

Boundwith Item record in Sinopia

• Individual items link back to the collection and the following title
• Very detailed description possible for each item

Next steps: Opportunities

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• Building skills
• Wikidata
• BIBFRAME training

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• UK Open Bibliographic Metadata
• Break down the metadata silos
• Support the wider adoption of BIBFRAME
• Creation of a UK BIBFRAME data set?

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Thank you!

Alison Hazelaar

a.l.hazelaar@leeds.ac.uk

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Kim Taylor�k.r.taylor@leeds.ac.uk

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Trevor Hough�t.j.hough@leeds.ac.uk

Leeds University Library​

Leeds, United Kingdom​

LS2 9JT​

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library.leeds.ac.uk