Using Wikidata for Managing Cultural Heritage Information

EasyChair Preprint 15034

Abstract

Cultural heritage, as broad a term as it is, relies on a wide spectrum of information deriving from a variety of resources such as a) geographic information, b) information deriving from artefacts and museum holdings, c) Information deriving from other primary sources such as archival materials, contemporary writings, maps, et.c and d) information deriving from secondary sources such as bibliography and references. Digital Cultural Heritage has become a key concept for all kinds of cultural institutions, whether they are museums, libraries, archives, or cultural centers. Wikidata mechanism offers a standardized and at the same time expandable platform, strengthened by contributions of major organizations and experts, building upon existing standards such as FRBR and controlled vocabularies thus providing a unique environment, a digital space where information components can meet and create larger informational components with a high caliber informational distribution mechanism. Wikidata’s linked data is able to express a decisive level of semantics for cultural heritage and consists of an open data source with many potential applications. The present study uses model wikidata elements as a basis and explores its dynamic formation into a cultural heritage information management tool within a museum. Museum collections contain a vast array of objects, documents, artworks, samples of the natural world, digital files and more. It is common for large museums to have substantial collections numbering in the hundreds of thousands or millions of objects of which only a small portion is on public display. Using as a basis the wikidata model supplementary elements will be proposed serving as a customization tool for managing cultural heritage information within the museum environment. Based on this expanded scheme, innovative uses within the museum environment are proposed.

Keyphrases: Wikidata, cultural heritage management, metadata, museum objects, semantics

@booklet{EasyChair:15034,
  author    = {Daphne Kyriaki-Manessi and Styliani Vazaiou},
  title     = {Using Wikidata for Managing Cultural Heritage Information},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 15034},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2024}}