About Thing 17
Purpose: Linked data is being used to highlight the creators of archival material. SNAC is one way to explore connections between people and organizations represented in archives.
Learning Outcomes: Learn more about the archival context of linked data and explore SNAC, a well-established project which makes good use of linked data to highlight relationships.
Intended Audience: Beginner
Author: Violet Fox, Northwestern University
Expected Duration: 45-60 minutes
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Getting Started
Let’s talk archives! Social Networks and Archival Context (SNAC) is an international project that was established in 2010 to help facilitate the discovery of relationships between people and organizations represented in archival collections. Reviewing a data constellation within SNAC can help reveal the context of an individual or organization, making it easier to see connections and explore potential avenues for study and research.
Activities
- Watch the first 20 minutes of Linking Data with SNAC video from the 2020 LD4 Conference, presented by Dina Herbert of the National Archives (from 1:18 to 21:30)
- Explore SNAC! Look up a well-known author, actor, or politician, or check out one of the people represented on the front page of SNAC (the front page randomly populates with each refresh). What kind of information is presented? What kind of information is not represented? Be sure to delve into the “Relationships” tab and click on the “Connection Graph” or “Radial Graph” to view visualizations.
- Skim the article Pragmatic Principles for Archival Linked Data by Elizabeth Russey Roke and Ruth Kitchin Tillman (in The American Archivist (2022) 85 (1): 173–201), focusing on the section titled "Pragmatic Principles for Creating Archival Linked Data."
Reflection
Do the four proposed “Pragmatic Principles for Archival Linked Data” resonate with you? How do you think the LIS profession might benefit by adopting these principles?
Consider sharing your thoughts in the Comments section at the bottom of the page.
Additional Resources
- SNAC Cooperative monthly newsletter
Read more about the newest training, documentation, and features.
Claim Credit
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Do the four proposed “Pragmatic Principles for Archival Linked Data” resonate with you? How do you think the LIS profession might benefit by adopting these principles?