A Community-Operated, Shared BIBFRAME Datastore
Blue Core Vision
We imagine the development of a new library metadata environment with linked data at its core that is cooperatively shaped and owned, eliminating the need for every institution to establish linked data tooling locally. This new socio-technical system will be designed from the start to enable broad and equitable participation. It will avoid the need to copy and synchronize metadata between systems, other than for downstream uses such as indexing to support searching in local systems, or seeding operational records for circulation or acquisitions. It will support a clear separation of shared bibliographic data (e.g. BIBFRAME Works and Instances) from locally managed, institutional data (holdings and administrative data stored in library service platforms like FOLIO and Alma).
What is Blue Core?
Blue Core aims to create a community-operated BIBFRAME datastore where ownership and creation of the metadata are shared among member institutions, eliminating the need for duplicative institutional copies, and bringing library linked open data to production at scale.
Timeline
Initial discussion of the Blue Core vision started in 2023 and then progressed into planning with the current set of partner libraries in 2024. The focus of 2025 will be development of a prototype to demonstrate key aspects of a modular technical system that supports shared cataloging norms. The prototype will be refined to create a minimum viable product in 2026.
Participation
Blue Core is a co-created and co-owned linked data environment. Those who contribute linked data to Blue Core hold co-ownership over data, and as a part of this co-ownership, there is an agreement that their participation is an endorsement and also an irrevocable agreement for the linked data contributed to be perpetually “locked open” in accordance with the Blue Core Vision.
Blue Core will be more successful and able to grow if there are other ways to engage, either as a prelude to joining the core group or as a long-term arrangement. The shared nature of Blue Core data means that any contributors or editors follow community norms. Support for the open aspect requires access mechanisms that nonetheless have resource implications and require a service level commitment to support production reuse. Finally, institutional and vendor stakeholders may be engaged with outreach, training, and development whether or not they are data contributors or users.
Presentations
| Title | Presenter(s) | Venue | Location | Date | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Designing Blue Core: Enabling Scalable, Collaborative Linked Data for Libraries | Kalli Mathios | LD4 2024 Conference | online | October 11, 2024 | recording, slides |
| Blue Core: A Community-Operated, Shared BIBFRAME Data Store | Tom Cramer, Simeon Warner | CNI Fall Member Meeting | Washington DC | December 12, 2023 | recording, slides |
| Blue Core: LD4P Phase 4: Truly Shared Data in an Institutionally Neutral Data Pool | Phil Schruer, Tom Cramer, Simeon Warner | DCMI 2023 | Daegu, Korea | November 7, 2023 | slides |
| Linked Data for Production Phase 4: Truly Shared Data in an Institutionally Neutral Data Pool | Philip E. Schreur, Tom Cramer, Jason Kovari, Simeon Warner | BIBFRAME Europe 2023 | Brussels, Belgium and Online | September 19, 2023 | recording, slides |
| Truly Shared Cataloging Ecosystem Development Workshop | Jason Kovari, Simeon Warner | SWIB 2023 | Berlin, Germany | September 11, 2023 | report |
Partner Libraries
- Cornell University Library
- Library of Congress
- Stanford University Libraries
- University of California Davis Library
- University of Pennsylvania Libraries
Why the name Blue Core?
The James Madison Memorial Building at the Library of Congress is the largest library building in the world. Opened in 1980, it serves as the nation’s official memorial to President James Madison, and contains several reading rooms and staff areas. The Madison Building is divided into four “cores”: green, red, yellow, and blue. Doors and accents painted the color of the corresponding core orient individuals navigating their way through its many corridors. Initial planning phases for the Blue Core project occurred in the blue core of the Madison Building, and the project name is a nod to these origins.
Contact
Project partners can be reached at contact@bluecore.info