A librarian’s guide to graphs, data and the semantic web: Chandos information professional series

Abstract

If that seems a little vague, the contents page is very specific. There are 23 chapters covering graph theory; the Semantic Web; social, commercial, scientific and library networks; RDF, metadata and ontologies; linked data; and semantic repositories. This is a book about, exploring ways to make sense of more and more data. Yes, it’s quite technical, but it is also quite practical with many examples, case studies and sample code. Most importantly, it is surprisingly readable with the authors enlivening the text with anecdotes from current research, other technical sources, historical texts and even novels. They try hard, and succeed, in getting their message across. Ontological auto-metamorphosis might not be for everyone, and SPARQL, the Semantic Web’s most widely used query language might be something you’ve not questioned, but our authors make a persuasive case for seeing the Semantic Web as an application of graph theory to information organisation. The chapters on linked data and on citation networks are excellent: clearly written and comprehensively illustrated. The text is conveniently relieved with more than 70 figures, many in colour. Complex technical content can be tackled sequentially, or cherry-picked by topic: the contents list is five pages long; the index is eight double-column pages; detail is rendered simply in tables and diagrams. Code lists encourage experimentation and open source software options are assessed for utility. This is an impressive book – not for everyone, but for those with a technical inclination, and some curiosity about Sir Timothy Berners Lee’s vision for globally connected information sources which reveal their characteristics to each other, it’s like nothing else this reviewer has seen. So, a must for systems librarians, but also likely to be of interest to other IT professionals who wonder about the future of information retrieval systems. The late Kerry Webb would have loved it. Recommended, and excellent value at 33 cents a page.