Die Gemeinsame Normdatei (GND) - The Integrated Authority File in Text+ as semantic link to DARIAH-EU

Die Gemeinsame Normdatei (GND) - The Integrated Authority File in Text+ as semantic link to DARIAH-EU

Summary. Among other goals, the German national research data infrastructure (NFDI) aims to provide an overarching knowledge graph across the domains and subjects. In the field of humanities, arts and culture the two consortia NFDI4Culture and Text+  have chosen the Integrated Authority File (GND) as an initial backbone structure. Within Text+, the NFDI consortium for the language- and text-based research data, a major task is devoted to initiate a GND- Agency revolving around the Integrated Authority File. Inevitably, this task takes interoperability into account, for instance towards  Wikidata or VIAF or other approaches in use within DARIAH-EU or EOSC.

Abstract. The paper introduces the GND and the related work in Text+ and the community (Kett et al. 2022). Addressing both its character as a data hub to a controlled vocabulary and as a governance structure granting the reliability of its data quality. It will also provide a short overview of how the NFDI consortium Text+, query the needs and requests of their specific communities on the GND, transfer these into workflows and plan to become active contributors to the GND (Fischer, Buddenbohm 2022).

The GND community is best described as a community-driven effort, with the German National Library (DNB) as primus inter pares, taking care of the integrity of the GND and providing substantial resources in terms of infrastructure, teaching material, and coordination (Fischer et al. 2021 and Fischer 2021). This community-driven approach also applies for the Text+ approach towards the Integrated Authority File, which moves the cooperation with other NFDI consortia - such as NFDI4Culture, NFDI4Memory, NFDI4Objects - and other agencies into the centre (Buddenbohm et al. 2022). Coordination is a best practice for the requirements dialogue with the community and the teaching and education efforts.

Regarding authority files: Scientists will describe their world or topic in structured categories. These categories are shared by a smaller or bigger community. They are more or less regulated. Classification is the second step in any scientific workflow after the first step of description. The commonly shared entity groups lay the base to construct a network of reference knots. Knots that link diverse information from different sources and allow the flow of knowledge to switch its direction and cross boundaries. Within the catalogues, there are several repetitive elements or core entities. Persons appear as authors and subjects of biographies. City names appear repeatedly both as locations for editing houses and as subjects for travelogues. Subject headings group a long list of publications. And there are works, corporate bodies, and conferences too - all together they form for instance in the German-speaking countries the Integrated Authority File. A handy tool used by librarians to precisely define search entries and make their work more efficient by providing controlled vocabulary for items that can be reused infinitely.

As other librarian authority files the GND is aggregated partly in the  Virtual International Authority File (VIAF). It is also frequently interacting with Wikidata. Both databases refer to each other in their entities, although their aim differs. Wikidata describes the world with structured data, meanwhile authority files aim to provide identifying reference links that could be added to any other structured data to enhance its interconnectivity.

Bibliography. 

Buddenbohm, Stefan, Fischer, Barbara, Kett, Jürgen, Mayer, Desiree, Stein, Regine, Trippel, Thorsten. (2022, June 23). There are a million ways to describe the world - How to share your authority without losing control. NFDI Satellite Event at the JCDL Cologne 2022. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6683365 

Fischer, Barbara, Buddenbohm, Stefan (2022). Knoten knüpfen sich nicht von allein – GND-Forum Text+. https://www.text-plus.org/events/knoten-knuepfen-sich-nicht-von-allein-gnd-forum-textplus/ 

Fischer, Barbara, Jens Lill (2021) Same same, but different? Authority files beyond library use. Based on the talk held by Barbara Fischer (DNB) and Jens Lill (BSZ) at the CIDOC conference in December 2020; https://swop.bsz-bw.de/2531

Fischer, Barbara (2021) “A Voice in the Orchestra of Opening the GND” in “La biblioteca piattaforma della conoscenza”, p 163 - 168  

Kett, Jürgen, Kudella, Christoph, Rapp, Andrea, Stein, Regine, Trippel, Thorsten (2022): Text+ und die GND – Community-Hub und Wissensgraph. In: Zeitschrift für Bibliothekswesen und Bibliographie 69 1-2/2022, pp. 37-47. http://dx.doi.org/10.3196/1864295020691262.