2020 LD4 Conference on Linked Data in Libraries

This session will not be recorded.
The primary focus of this affinity group is to call attention to ethical considerations around ongoing and newly proposed work using Linked Data technologies. A core guiding principle for the group stands on the idea that ethics should be a forethought, not an afterthought of any initiative as a way to not only potentially reduce harm, but to prevent further harm. The group serves as a space for exploration and discussion of the ethical implications (both positive and negative) of linked data and work towards developing a Code of Ethics and toolkit of resources to provide a critical and ethical framework for designing linked data projects. As a relatively new group, members aim to act in an advisory capacity to the LD4 community and beyond.

This session will not be recorded.
The Ethics in Linked Data group hosts this writing workshop to focus on creating a space to work collaboratively on writing projects related to Ethics in Linked Data. Currently, the affinity group is working to submit a book proposal on the subject and would like to carve out space at this year's LD4 conference to bring together members and interested writers. By providing an intentional space for writing, the LD4 conference can serve as a space for critical reflection as well as concrete actions towards community goals. The audience would include current affinity group members as well as anyone interested in exploring writing areas on various topics the group seeks to address.

Presentation slides
Session recording

Linked data, also called Web 3.0, is the practice of structuring information in a way that both computers and humans can easily understand, and it holds revolutionizing potential and implications for libraries, archives, and museums. As institutions from state universities to the National Library of Medicine and the Library of Congress rush to implement and define it, questions of representation and limitations are too often ignored. Avoidance of these questions in Web 1.0 and 2.0 had (and continue to have) dismaying effects. Rather than allow history to repeat itself, minoritized groups have staged an intervention into these new technologies, offering a variety of options for alternative representation and organization. This workshop will offer tangible benefits to newcomers by introducing the work and purpose of linked data, but it will also offer alternative approaches and strategies useful for experts. The presenters—who serve on the board of the international LGBTQ+ linked data vocabulary Homosaurus—will offer a wide range of applications drawing from their work in archives and digital humanities (Watson) and biomedical informatics (Kronk) After an introduction, we will discuss use cases for the Homosaurus in GLAMs (including platforms such as Omeka, Scalar, and MARC) as well as in biomedical research. Next, we will showcase accessing the Homosaurus through the GSSO (Gender, Sex, and Sexual Orientation ontology) and using it for natural language processing (NLP) tasks, such as text detection, document classification, and tagging. Finally, we will demonstrate practical uses to linked data by tagging documents available in MEDLINE as well as material from the AIDS History Project collection at UCSF. Throughout, the presenters will discuss around shifting terms and identities, both in the context of clinical medicine and queer history.