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# LINKING CULTURAL HERITAGE INFORMATION

## 1/5 – Why Linked Data?

Readings and training materials

Texts and data are mostly taken from McKenna, G. Linked heritage experience in linking heritage information. JLIS.it. Vol. 4, n. 1 (January 2013): Art: #6304. DOI: 10.4403/jlis.it-6304. Web.

Linked data is a set of best practices required for publishing and connecting structured data on the web for use by a machine.

When this is accomplished in an open manner, whereby everyone can access, reuse, enrich and share the data published, we talk about Linked Open Data – as a technology used to realize the Semantic web.

So we can say that:

- data can be open but not linked;
- data can be linked but not open;
- the Sematic web can only function with data which is both open and linked.

Publishing linked open data online and making connections with other data of the same type allow content providers to gain knowledge, improve their visibility on the web and obtain multiple benefits:

- Reduced duplication of information;
- Constant data updating;
- Higher profile with more traffic to their websites;
- Authority;
- New audience;
- Better user experience;
- Efficient use and reuse of resources.

> "We can use the Mona Lisa as an example. If one provider describes the Mona Lisa as a painting by the Italian artist Leonardo Da Vinci and another source states it is a painting of a woman, linking these pieces of data will allow people to find the Mona Lisa by searching for paintings of women by Italian artists." 1

Linked Open Data has a key role in the Europeana Strategic Plan 2011-2015 and supports the idea that Europeana distributes content and engages its users.

NOTES

1 Maarten Zeinstra and Paul Keller. Open Linked Data and Europeana, (PDF)