The British National Bibliography – wow! Try it out

Posted on November 22, 2010 by pm286

#jiscopenbib #okfn

Something truly wonderful arrived in my email a few minutes ago: http://lists.okfn.org/pipermail/open-bibliography/2010-November/000629.html It’s an announcement by Will Waites – and every word and character is exciting:

Following up on the earlier announcement [1] that the British Library[2] has made the British National Bibliography [3] available under a public domain dedication, the JISC Open Bibliography [4] project has worked to make this data more useable.

The data has been loaded into a Virtuoso store that is queriable through the SPARQL Endpoint [5] and the URIs that we have assigned each record use the ORDF [6] software to make them dereferencable, supporting perform content auto-negotiation as well as embedding RDFa in the HTML representation.

The data contains some 3 million individual records and some 173 million triples. Indexing the data was a very CPU intensive process taking approximately three days. Transforming and loading the source data took about five hours.

For more detail see http://eris.okfn.org/ww/2010/11/bl

  1. http://openbiblio.net/2010/11/17/jisc-openbibliography-british-library-data-release/
  2. http://www.bl.uk/
  3. http://www.bl.uk/bibliographic/natbib.html
  4. http://openbiblio.net/
  5. http://bnb.bibliographica.org/sparql
  6. http://ordf.org/

This is a real milestone. It shows that:

  • Technically it’s possible to take legacy records from library collections (which are primarily used for managing the physical book collection, making them available to readers, loans, etc.) and turn them into modern semantic objects. These can be queried (see below)
  • Organizationally (and this comes from the top of the organizations) : JISC (programme manager (Dave Flanders) has had the vision to support this, The BL (Ben White and Neil Wilson among many others) again from the top to our project has been very proactive in making the material available as PD, The OKF have a network of volunteers and contractors which is second to none. And these include Rufus Pollock, Ben O’Steen, Will Waites and Mark McGillivray. They are all ace hackers (Python, RDF, etc.) Software design comes out of their fingers.

And very importantly we now know what the scale is. Let’s say we have 20 million possible books (a very rough guess as books in major libraries are counted with a tape measure). A gigatriple. This shouldn’t frighten us today. The main thing is that the web is scaling up for RDF and there are many potential suppliers and providers.

So try it

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/sparql

gives a SPARQL form. DON’T let this frighten you. You get something like:

PREFIX dc: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/>

PREFIX bibo: <http://purl.org/ontology/bibo/>

PREFIX foaf: <http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/>

SELECT DISTINCT ?book ?title ?name ?description

WHERE {

?book a bibo:Book .

?book dc:title ?title . ?title bif:contains “Edinburgh” .

OPTIONAL { ?book dc:description ?description } .

OPTIONAL {

?book dc:contributor ?author . ?author foaf:name ?name

}

} GROUP BY ?book LIMIT 50

 

Just click “Run Query” and in less than a second it has returned a whole lot of books about Edinburgh. To show that it works for anything, change “Edinburgh” to “Chatterley” and you get the table below. I had no idea there were so many books about LCL. But the BL does! This gives so many opportunities for asking Linked Open Data questions. And this is just the start…

book

title

name

description

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB8906191

Lady Chatterley’s lover!

G. R.

Ill on inside covers.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB9204562

The trial of Lady Chatterley : Regina v. Penguin Books Limited

Penguin Books.

  

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA698096

Lady Chatterley’s lover : a propos of “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”

Squires, Michael

Includes bibliographical references.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA751848

The second Lady Chatterley’s lover

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

Includes bibliographical references (p. 375).

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA049703

Lady Chatterley’s lover ; A propos of ‘Lady Chatterley’s lover D.H. Lawrence

Squires, Michael

Includes bibliographical references.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA1V5776

Lady Chatterley’s lover : a propos of ‘Lady Chatterley’s lover’

Squires, Michael

Includes index.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA049703

Lady Chatterley’s lover ; A propos of ‘Lady Chatterley’s lover D.H. Lawrence

Squires, Michael

This ed. first published: 1994.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB9204562

The trial of Lady Chatterley : Regina v. Penguin Books Limited

Rolph, C. H. (Cecil Hewitt)

  

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA698096

Lady Chatterley’s lover : a propos of “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

Includes bibliographical references.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB97X2969

Lady Chatterley’s confession.

Feinstein, Elaine.

AB3555.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB8906191

Lady Chatterley’s lover!

C. A.

Ill on inside covers.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBB071992

When Marys were kings! : Lady Chatterley, the Beatles, Arnold St. Marys FC and much, much more–

Hawthorn, James.

Includes bibliographical references.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB98X4542

Lady Chatterley’s lover

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

  

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA513324

Lady Chatterley’s trial

Rolph, C. H. (Cecil Hewitt)

Extract from: The trial of Lady Chatterley. London : Penguin, 1961.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB8202168

Lady Chatterley’s lover : prefaced by the author’s Apropos of Lady Chatterley’s lover

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

  

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB9707607

D. H. Lawrence’s John Thomas and Lady Jane according to Spike Milligan. Part 2, Lady Chatterley’s lover.

Milligan, Spike

Originally published: London: Michael Joseph, 1995.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA312320

Lady Chatterley’s lover : a propos of ‘Lady Chatterley’s lover’

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

This ed. originally published: 1993.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB8126552

John Thomas and Lady Jane : the second version of Lady Chatterley’s lover

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

Originally published: London : Heinemann, 1972.

http
://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB7400218

John Thomas and Lady Jane : the second version of ‘Lady Chatterley’s lover’

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

This version originally published in an Italian translation in ‘Le Tre “Lady Chatterley”‘. Milano : Mondadori, 1954. – English text originally published: London : Heinemann, 1972.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB9021585

The Lady Chatterley’s Lover trial : (Regina v. Penguin Books Limited)

Great Britain. Central Criminal Court.

  

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB8403946

Sons and lovers ; Lady Chatterley’s lover

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

  

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA0Z0919

The abolition of Britain : the British cultural revolution from Lady Chatterley to Tony Blair

Hitchens, Peter

Includes bibliographical references.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB6103334

The trial of Lady Chatterley : Regina v.Penguin Books,Limited

Penguin Books Ltd.

  

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA618583

Lady Chatterley’s lover : a propos of “Lady Chatterley’s lover”

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

Formerly CIP.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA618583

Lady Chatterley’s lover : a propos of “Lady Chatterley’s lover”

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

Includes bibliographical references.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB8417188

Sons and lovers ; Women in love ; Love among the haystacks ; Lady Chatterley’s lover

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

  

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB8845478

Sons and lovers ; Women in love ; Love among the haystacks ; Lady Chatterley’s lover

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

Originally published: London : Heinemann, 1983.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB9928640

Lady Chatterley’s lover

C. A.

Cover title: The comic book Lady Chatterley’s lover.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB6019311

Lady Chatterley’s lover.

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

  

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA698096

Lady Chatterley’s lover : a propos of “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

2nd work originally published: London : Mandrake Press, 1930.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA657340

Lady Chatterley’s lover

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

  

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB7400216

Lady Chatterley’s lover

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

This ed. originally published: 1961.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA698096

Lady Chatterley’s lover : a propos of “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

This edition published with a new chronology, introduction, further reading, and a note on the text.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB98W7969

The comic book Lady Chatterley’s lover

Emerson, Hunt.

Previous ed.: published as Lady Chatterley’s lover. 1986.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB6917717

Lady Chatterley’s lover

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

Originally published, Florence: Privately printed, 1928.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB6117754

Lady Chatterley’s daughter.

Robins, Patricia

  

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB6917717

Lady Chatterley’s lover

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

For subscribers to the series.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB8735650

Lady Chatterley : the making of the novel

Britton, Derek.

Includes index.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB97Z3991

Lady Chatterley’s lover.

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

  

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA698096

Lady Chatterley’s lover : a propos of “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”

Squires, Michael

This edition published with a new chronology, introduction, further reading, and a note on the text.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA1X0073

Lady Chatterley’s lover

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

Formerly CIP.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA751848

The second Lady Chatterley’s lover

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

Film tie-in.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA0Z0919

The abolition of Britain : the British cultural revolution from Lady Chatterley to Tony Blair

Hitchens, Peter

Previous ed.: (i.e. 1st ed.) 1999.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB6908846

The end of obscenity : the trials of ‘Lady Chatterley’, ‘Tropic of Cancer’ and ‘Fanny Hill’

Rembar, Charles.

Originally published, New York: Random House, 1968.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA698096

Lady Chatterley’s lover : a propos of “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”

Squires, Michael

Formerly CIP.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA1V5776

Lady Chatterley’s lover : a propos of ‘Lady Chatterley’s lover’

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

This ed. originally published: 1994.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB9476367

Lady Chatterley’s lover ; A propos of “Lady Chatterley’s lover”

Squires, Michael

Originally published: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB9204562

The trial of Lady Chatterley : Regina v. Penguin Books Limited

Hogarth, Paul.

  

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GBA698096

Lady Chatterley’s lover : a propos of “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”

Squires, Michael

2nd work originally published: London : Mandrake Press, 1930.

http://bnb.bibliographica.org/entry/GB7222558

John Thomas and Lady Jane : the second version of ‘Lady Chatterley’s lover’

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

This version originally published in an Italian translation in ‘Le tre “Lady Chatterley”‘. Milano: Mondadori, 1954.
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3 Responses to The British National Bibliography – wow! Try it out

  1. Chris Rusbridge says:
    November 22, 2010 at 5:29 pm

    Peter this looks good, but I don’t think we yet have a use case that couldn’t have been done with the original data in situ (unless I’m missing something) a lot more easily. You’ve simply run a keyword search.
    I believe there will be benefits, not yet demonstrated, though!

    Reply

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