by Zach Miller
Quick Summary
Library Journal has named Sara Ring among their 2024 Movers & Shakers for her collaborative work on "23 Linked Data Things." The project offers library staff a free and easily accessible self-paced learning curriculum on linked data.
Sara Ring has been named by Library Journal as one of their 2024 Mover & Shakers. Nationwide, they select just 50 librarians to honor each year. Ring was singled out for her leadership in the creation of 23 Linked Data Things, a self-paced learning curriculum. Ring first became interested in linked data over a decade ago, in 2012. "I saw that linked data can be a way to make library data more discoverable and easier to work with," she says. "But I couldn't find much in the way of learning opportunities on the topic of linked data. 23 Linked Data Things became an effort to make learning about linked data a little more accessible to staff."
Library Journal's 2024 Movers & Shakers were divided into six categories: advocates, community builders, change agents, educators, ban battlers, and innovators. Ring was honored as one of the innovators. "23 Linked Data Things was a group project," she hastens to add. "It was so fulfilling. It gave me the chance to work with a bunch of really cool metadata librarians. It could never have happened without their dedication and the support of Minitex."
"Sara is a talented and dedicated librarian," says Minitex Director Maggie Snow. “She brings curiosity and expertise to the collaborative projects she leads for Minitex.”
Ring's next project will focus on expanding the recent Wikimedia pilot she completed with colleagues from Minitex and the broader library community. "I want to focus on making archival digital collections more discoverable," she says.
More About 23 Linked Data Things
23 Linked Data Things is a self-paced online learning program for library staff and others who want to learn more about linked data principles and explore how linked data can transform the way we think about metadata. The elements of the series provide a structure for investigating linked data projects and getting hands-on experience in creating linked data.
Project Team and Authors
- Greta Bahnemann, Metadata Librarian, Minitex
- Lizzy Baus, Metadata Librarian, Macalester College
- Violet Fox, Cataloging and Metadata Librarian, Northwestern University
- Hsianghui Liu-Spencer, Cataloging & Digital Services Librarian, Carleton College
Guest Authors
- Claudia Berger, Sarah Lawrence College
- Joe Cera, Berkeley Law Library, University of California, Berkeley
- Annie Larson, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University
- Jackie Rubashkin, Berkeley Law Library, University of California, Berkeley
From Library Journal
The new class of Movers and Shakers, showcased in LJ’s May print 2024 issue and online, represent an inspiring sample of the work being done in and around libraries today. They are developing programming for patrons with disabilities, providing a place to land after school for teens, creating and restoring balance to their boards, connecting libraries with federal funding, helping design sustainable facilities, teaching community members how to archive their collections, battling censorship attempts, and more—the 50 individuals profiled here demonstrate 50 different ways to move library values forward.
“Our 2024 Movers represent a range of innovative, proactive, and supportive work; they are imaginative and kind and brave in a world that needs those qualities—and the results they produce—very much,” said Library Journal Executive Editor Lisa Peet.
