LOCAH Project

Mimas and UKOLN are working together on an exciting JISC funded project to make our Archives Hub and Copac data available as structured Linked Data, for the benefit of education and research. We will also be working in partnership with Eduserv, Talis and OCLC, leading experts within their fields. We want to put archival and bibliographic data at the heart of the Linked Data Web, enabling new links to be made between diverse content sources and enabling the free and flexible exploration of data so that researchers can make new connections between subjects, people, organisations and places to reveal more about our history and society.

Hear more about the LOCAH Project at one of our talks, presentations and demos.

Project Team

Adrian Stevenson

Adrian Stevenson is a project manager and researcher at UKOLN. He has managed the highly successful SWORD project since May 2008 and also manages the JISC Information Environment Technical Review project. He has extensive experience of the implementation of interoperability standards, and has a long-standing interest in Linked Data. Adrian manages LOCAH, and is involved in the data modelling work, mapping EAD and MODS to RDF, testing as well as the opportunities and barriers reporting. Contact: @adrianstevenson.

Jane Stevenson

Jane Stevenson is the Archives Hub Coordinator at Mimas. In this role, she manages the day-to- day running of the Archives Hub service. She is a registered archivist with substantial experience of cataloguing, implementation of data standards, dissemination and online service provision. She has expertise in the use of Encoded Archival Description for archives, and is involved in the data modelling work, mapping EAD to RDF, testing as well as the opportunities and barriers reporting. Contact: @janestevenson

Pete Johnston

Pete Johnston is a Technical Researcher at Eduserv. His work has been primarily in the areas of metadata/resource description, with a particular interest in the use of Semantic Web technologies and the Linked Data approach. He participates in a number of standards development activities, and is an active contributor to the work of the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative. He was also a co-editor of the Open Archives Initiative Object Reuse and Exchange (OAI ORE) specifications.

Pete joined Eduserv in May 2006 from UKOLN, University of Bath, where he advised the UK education and cultural heritage communities on strategies for the effective exchange and reuse of information. Pete is involved in the data modelling work, mapping EAD and MODS to RDF, software testing and the opportunities and barriers report. Contact: @ppetej

Bethan Ruddock

Bethan Ruddock is involved in content development activity for both the Archives Hub and Copac. She is currently working on a year-long project to help expand the coverage of the Archives Hub through the refinement of our automated data import routines. Bethan also undertakes a range of outreach and promotional activities, collaborating with Lisa on a number of publications. Bethan is involved in the modelling work of transforming MODS to RDF. Contact: @bethanar

Yogesh Patel

Yogesh Patel is a software developer at Mimas. Yogesh is involved with the design, implementation and maintenance of Mimas services and projects. He also works on cross-services implementation and support of core technologies. He has experience of developing a sophisticated java web editor, and has implemented a robust tool kit for building Web based applications used as part of a series of insurance web sites and affinity schemes while working at University of Liverpool. Yogesh is involved in the development work of transforming MODS to RDF.

Julian Cheal

Julian Cheal is a software developer at UKOLN. He is currently working on the analysis and visualisation of UK open access repository metadata from the RepUK project. He has experience of writing software to process metadata at UKOLN, and has previous development experience at Aberystwyth University. Julian is mainly involved in developing the prototype and visualisations. Contact: @juliancheal

Talis are our technology partner on the project, kindly providing us with access to store our data in the Talis Store. Leigh Dodds is our main contact at the company, and Tim Hodson has now joined as one their representatives. Talis is a privately owned UK company that is amongst the first organisations to be applying leading edge Semantic Web technologies to the creation of real-world solutions. Talis has significant expertise in semantic web and Linked Data technologies, and the Talis Platform has been used by a variety of organisations including the BBC and UK Government as part of data.gov.uk. Contacts: @ldodds and @timhodson.

OCLC are also partnering us, mainly to help out with VIAF. Our contacts at OCLC are John MacColl, Ralph LeVan and Thom Hickey. OCLC is a worldwide library cooperative, owned, governed and sustained by members since 1967. Its public purpose is to work with its members to improve access to the information held in libraries around the globe, and find ways to reduce costs for libraries through collaboration. Its Research Division works with the community to identify problems and opportunities, prototype and test solutions, and share findings through publications, presentations and professional interactions.

Ed Summers is also helping us out as a voluntary consultant. Ed is a software developer working at the Library of Congress in Washington DC, USA. Ed will be helping is linking up to the Library of Congress Subject Headings and organising a Linked Data event at the Library of Congress in September 2011. Contact: @edsu.