LD4 Knowledge Panel Recipe

“Knowledge panels” are an emerging feature in discovery applications (such as search engines, library catalogs and online shopping sites) that provide detailed information on a resource in an intuitive way to users. They give information service providers, such as libraries, a straightforward way of leveraging linked data to enrich their environments.

This paper seeks to roughly outline practical considerations and approaches to implementing knowledge panels in a technology-agnostic way. Additionally, common example uses and potential complications will be discussed. Its target audience is future implementers of knowledge panels using linked data. 

This paper is a product of the LD4 Discovery Affinity Group as an effort to introduce linked data into library discovery environments. It was collaboratively produced by multiple contributors based on discussions at the Blacklight-LD Working Meeting at Stanford University in September 2019.

While these guidelines emerge from uses in the area of academic library discovery, many of these recommendations can be applied to any system where knowledge panels may help improve any website that references well-known concepts or entities.