Tim Thompson
Manager, Metadata Services Unit, at Yale Library
A Gentle Introduction to BIBFRAME:
A Linked Open Data Framework for Libraries
March 19, 2026
| Standard | Label | Maintainer |
|---|---|---|
| BIBFRAME | Bibliographic Framework Initiative | Library of Congress |
| RDA | Resource Description and Access | RDA Steering Committee |
| LRM (formerly FRBR) | Library Reference Model | International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) |
| MARC 21 | MAchine-Readable Cataloging | Library of Congress |
| RDF | Resource Description Framework | World-Wide Web Consortium (W3C) |
| OWL | Web Ontology Language | W3C |
The (Library) Metadata Landscape
BIBFRAME in the Metadata Landscape
BIBFRAME: A Brief History
-
May 2011: Launch of the BIBFRAME initiative is announced.
-
March 2013: BIBFRAME 1.0 is released.
-
2015: The model is reviewed by invited experts, who recommend:
- Reusing other vocabularies.
- Linking to things, not strings.
- Rethinking the administrative metadata model.
-
April 2016: BIBFRAME 2.0 is released.
-
2018: The BIBFRAME pilot project from the Library of Congress starts.
-
2021: The project "BIBFRAME 100" begins.
-
June 2021: BIBFRAME 2.1 is launched.
-
August 2024: BIBFRAME 2.4 is launched.
Original RDA Toolkit
- Launched in 2010
LRM (Library Reference Model)
- Released by IFLA in 2017
Official RDA Toolkit
- Launched in 2020
RDA (Resource Description and Access)
Image Source: https://sites.uw.edu/uwlsemanticweb/2022/01/20/rdabfmodels001/
RDA
-
Interoperability
-
Adoption and Mapping Efforts
The BIBFRAME model
BIBFRAME 1.0
The BIBFRAME model
BIBFRAME 2.0
- Main Classes
- Hub
- Work
- Instance
- Item
- Basic Patterns
- Administrative Metadata
- Contributions
- Titles
- Subjects
- Events
- Identifiers
- Statements and Notes
- Activities
- Relationships
What is the BIBFRAME model?
What is the BIBFRAME model?
BIBFRAME, like the IFLA Library Reference Model (IFLA LRM), focuses on objects, rather than describing how objects participate in activities within a historical and social context.
However, the physical object (Item) itself gets less attention in the model, while the abstract levels of Work and Instance are more fleshed out.
What is the BIBFRAME model?
BIBFRAME, unlike the IFLA Library Reference Model (IFLA LRM) and RDA, omits the Expression entity, assigning properties such as language and content type to the Work entity.
Running example: Manifiesto del señor general Villa, a la nación
Main classes
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Work> a bf:Work,
bf:Text,
bf:Monograph ;
bf:expressionOf <https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Hub240-12> .
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Instance> a bf:Instance ;
bf:instanceOf <https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Work> .
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208-85X-1#Instance> a bf:Instance,
bflc:SecondaryInstance ;
bf:instanceOf <https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Work> .
Administrative metadata
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Work a bf:Work, bf:Text, bf:Monograph ;
bf:adminMetadata [
rdf:type bf:AdminMetadata ;
bf:status <http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/mstatus/n> ;
bf:date "1995-12-04"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#date> ;
bf:agent [
rdf:type bf:Agent ;
bf:code "CtY-BR" ;
] ;
] .Administrative metadata
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Work a bf:Work, bf:Text, bf:Monograph ;
bf:adminMetadata [
rdf:type bf:AdminMetadata ;
bf:descriptionLevel <http://id.loc.gov/ontologies/bibframe-2-4-0/> ;
bflc:encodingLevel <http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/menclvl/f> ;
bf:descriptionConventions <http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/descriptionConventions/aacr> ;
bf:identifiedBy [
rdf:type bf:Local ;
rdf:value "4128208" ;
bf:assigner <http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/organizations/dlc> ;
] ;
bflc:marcKey "040 $aCtY-BR$cCtY-BR" ;
] .Contributions
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Work> a bf:Work, bf:Text, bf:Monograph ;
bf:expressionOf <https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Hub240-12> .
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Hub240-12> a bf:Hub ;
bf:contribution [
rdf:type bf:Contribution, bf:PrimaryContribution ;
bf:agent <https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Hub240-12-Agent> ;
bf:role <http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/ctb> ;
] ;
bf:title [
rdf:type bf:Title> ;
bf:mainTitle "Manifiesto al pueblo mexicano" ;
] ;
bflc:marcKey "1001 $aVilla, Pancho,$d1878-1923.$tManifiesto al pueblo mexicano" .Contributions
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Work> a bf:Work, bf:Text, bf:Monograph ;
bf:contribution [
rdf:type bf:Contribution, bf:PrimaryContribution ;
bf:agent <https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Agent100-11> ;
bf:role <http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/ctb> ;
] .
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Agent100-11> a bf:Agent, bf:Person ;
rdfs:label "Villa, Pancho, 1878-1923" ;
bflc:marcKey "1001 $aVilla, Pancho,$d1878-1923." .
<http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/ctb> a bf:Role .Titles
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Work> a bf:Work, bf:Text, bf:Monograph ;
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Work> a bf:Work, bf:Text, bf:Monograph ;
bf:title [
rdf:type bf:Title ;
bf:mainTitle "Manifiesto del señor general Villa, a la nación, y documentos que justifican el desconocimiento del C. Venustiano Carranza como primer jefe de la revolución" ;
], [
rdf:type bf:VariantTitle ;
bf:note [
rdf:type bf:Note ;
rdfs:label "At head" ;
] ;
bf:mainTitle "Ejército Constitucionalista. División del Norte" ;
] .Subjects
Subjects
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Work> a bf:Work, bf:Text, bf:Monograph ;
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Work> a bf:Work, bf:Text, bf:Monograph ;
bf:subject <https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Agent600-22> .
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Agent600-22> a bf:Agent, bf:Person, mads:PersonalName ;
mads:authoritativeLabel "Carranza, Venustiano, 1859-1920" ;
mads:isMemberOfMADSScheme <http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects> ;
rdfs:label "Carranza, Venustiano, 1859-1920" ;
bflc:marcKey "60010$aCarranza, Venustiano,$d1859-1920." ;
bf:source <http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects> .Subjects
Materias
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Work> a bf:Work, bf:Text, bf:Monograph ;
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Work> a bf:Work, bf:Text, bf:Monograph ;
bf:subject <https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Place651-25> .
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Place651-25> a bf:Topic, mads:ComplexSubject ;
rdfs:label "Mexico--Politics and government--1910-1946" ;
mads:authoritativeLabel "Mexico--Politics and government--1910-1946" ;
mads:isMemberOfMADSScheme <http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects> ;
mads:componentList (
[
rdf:type mads:Geographic ;
mads:authoritativeLabel "Mexico" ;
]
[
rdf:type mads:Topic ;
mads:authoritativeLabel "Politics and government" ;
]
[
rdf:type mads:Temporal ;
mads:authoritativeLabel "1910-1946" ;
]
) ;
bf:source <http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects> .Events in BIBFRAME
Credit: Library of Congress, "BIBFRAME 2.0: Event Model"
Identifiers
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Instance> a bf:Instance ;
bf:identifiedBy [
rdf:type bf:OclcNumber ;
rdf:value "ocn685562136" ;
] .Statements and notes
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Instance> a bf:Instance ;
bf:note [
rdf:type bf:Note ;
rdfs:label "Caption title." ;
] .Activities
Activities
<https://bibfra.mx/data/4128208#Instance> rdf:type bf:Instance ;
bf:provisionActivity [
rdf:type bf:ProvisionActivity, bf:Publication ;
bflc:simplePlace "[Mexico]" ;
bflc:simpleAgent "[s.n.]" ;
bflc:simpleDate "[1914]" ;
], [
rdf:type bf:ProvisionActivity, bf:Publication ;
bf:date "1914"^^<http://id.loc.gov/datatypes/edtf> ;
bf:place <http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/countries/mx> ;
bflc:simplePlace "[Mexico]" ;
bflc:simpleAgent "[s.n.]" ;
bflc:simpleDate "[1914]" ;
] ;
bf:publicationStatement "[Mexico]: [s.n.], [1914]", "[Mexico]: [s.n.], [1914]" .Relationships
Relationships
<http://id.loc.gov/resources/works/21641945> rdf:type bf:Work> ;
bflc:aap "\"Que aya virrey en aquel reyno\"" ;
bf:relation [
rdf:type bf:Relation ;
bf:relationship bf:hasSeries ;
bf:seriesEnumeration "17" ;
bf:associatedResource [
rdf:type bf:Series, bflc:Uncontrolled ;
bf:status <http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/mstatus/t> ;
bf:title [
rdf:type bf:Title ;
bf:mainTitle "Colección La Corte en Europa. Temas ;" ;
] ;
] ;
] .
<http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/mstatus/t> a bf:Status> ;
rdfs:label "transcribed" ;
bf:code "t" .Items
Items
<https://trellis.sinopia.io/repository/yale/2ad0d06f-0610-4d20-a3f0-795885852e95> rdf:type bf:Item ;
bf:itemOf <https://trellis.sinopia.io/repository/yale/119b36ce-e1f1-4edb-85b8-3901791d1f47> ;
bf:heldBy <http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/organizations/ctybr> ;
bf:sublocation "beingen"@eng ;
sinop:hasResourceTemplate "Yale:RT:BF2:Monograph:Item-CtY-BR" ;
bf:identifiedBy [
a bf:Barcode ;
rdf:value 39002131452626.0
] ;
bf:identifiedBy [
a bf:Local ;
bf:source <http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/organizations/ctybr> ;
rdf:value "Cc5 5 15.2"
] ;
bf:usageAndAccessPolicy [
a bf:AccessPolicy ;
dcterms:relation "nocirc"@eng
] ;
arm:markedBy [
a arm:Marking ;
rdf:value "Manuscript annotation"@eng
] ;
bf:contribution [
a bf:Contribution ;
bf:agent <http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n88077555> ;
dcterms:relation [
a yale:Evidence ;
yale:evidenceLabel "inscription"@eng ;
yale:evidenceURI <https://rbmsvocabs.github.io/vocabulary/provenance/0.1/rbprov40> ;
rdf:value "Yale College Library"@eng
]
] ;
armch:hasCustodialHistory [
a armch:CustodialHistory ;
dcterms:hasPart [
a armch:Donation ;
bf:contribution [
a bf:Contribution ;
bf:role <http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/dnr>
]
]
] .Thank you!
Questions?
Demos
Blue Core is "a community-operated BIBFRAME datastore where ownership and creation of the metadata are shared among member institutions, eliminating the need for duplicative institutional copies, and bringing library linked open data to production at scale."
It has a shared back-end datastore that both Sinopia and Marva (Linked Data Editors) can connect to.
- Set up a local instance of the BlueCore stack for development and experimentation (not connected to the shared datastore that partner libraries of BlueCore are a part of)
BlueCore
Alma BIBFRAME Editor
A Gentle Introduction to BIBFRAME: A Linked Open Data Framework for Libraries
By Tim Thompson
