The CoBiS Linked Open Data Project and Portal

The CoBiS (Coordination Committee of Turin Metropolitan Area Special and Specialized Libraries) is a network formed by 65 libraries. The CoBiS Linked Open Data project is a pilot for Piedmont Region and has the purpose to provide the Committee with an infrastructure for LOD publishing, creating a triplification pipeline designed to be easy to automate and replicate.
This will be realized with open source technologies, such as the RML mapping language that uses Linked Data to describe the conversion of XML, JSON or tabular data into RDF.
The first challenge of the project consists in making possible the dialog of heterogeneous data sources, coming from four different library softwares: Clavis, Erasmo, SBNWeb and BIBLIOWin 5.0web.
The type of linked data is also different: bibliographic data, multimedia content, and archival data managed using xDams software.
The information contained in the catalogs will be interlinked with external data sources, in particular Wikidata, VIAF, LoC and BNF authority files, Wikipedia and Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani.
All this will make possible not only the connection of the information available within the CoBiS network with the rest of the world, but also will make CoBiS libraries actually visible and accessible online.
Partners of the CoBiS LOD Project are: National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), Turin Academy of Sciences, Olivetti Historical Archives Association, Alpine Club National Library, Deputazione Subalpina di Storia Patria, National Institute for Metrological Research (INRIM).
The technical realization of the project is entrusted to Synapta, and it is partially sponsored by Piedmont Region.
In its first step, it aims to promote in particular local holdings, without excluding in the near future a wider participation both on institutional and territorial level.