Project description

In the web of data, authority data is the ideal resource for linking cultural heritage, library holdings and research data across disciplines and domains. This is the material from which the backbone of a global, machine-readable, semantic network of culture and science could be constructed. In the German-speaking countries, this potential was recognised at a particularly early stage. The establishment of the globally linked Integrated Authority File (GND) in 2012 laid the foundations for a cross-disciplinary, cross-domain authority data hub.

The GND partners aim to grant non-library applications consistent access to the GND so that it can be used for the cross-disciplinary transformation of the cultural and scientific landscape. The service, which was previously oriented on library use, is becoming the functional product of an interdisciplinary network.

The existing organisational, expert and technical structures are to be modernised and defined with this end in view. The requirements of other cultural and academic institutions such as archives, museums, media centres, monument preservation authorities, universities, research networks ought be better integrated and their practical cooperation facilitated.

The GND4C project is developing suitable concepts and testing the implementation of these with the following goal in mind:

• Goal 1: Sustainable development of a cross-discipline, cross-domain organisation
• Goal 2: Further development of the data model and rules with regard to non-library application contexts
• Goal 3: Provision of interfaces and tools to support non-library application contexts
• Goal 4: To strengthen communication with the different interest groups via various communication channels and to increase the visibility of the GND network

During the first phase (2018 to 2020), the partners investigated requirements and solutions which will be put into practice during the second phase; this phase was approved in July 2021 and will last for 30 months.

GND for Cultural Data is a sub-project funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft that constitutes part of the GND development program 2017–2021.

Further information about the GND and its network is available on the cooperative’s website.

Project website

To the project website

Project framework

Funding body

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)

Partners

• Bibliotheksservice-Zentrum Baden-Württemberg (BSZ)
• Deutsches Dokumentationszentrum für Kunstgeschichte – Bildarchiv Foto Marburg (DDK)
• German National Library (DNB)/Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (DDB)
• Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (LABW)
• Schleswig-Holsteinische Landesbibliothek (SHLB)/digiCULT-Verbund eG, phase 1
• Thüringer Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek (ThULB) / digiCULT-Verbund eG, phase 2

Duration (1st and second project phase)

• since 1 May 2018
• Twice 30 months

Contact

Arbeitsstelle für Standardisierung
afs@dnb.de