From Authority Work to Wikidata (Via Wikipedia): Implementing a Workflow for Original Catalogers

ABSTRACT

This is a practical reflection on how a library cataloger can learn to create Wikidata items based on Slavic language publications, and to maintain the practice as part of the workflow. We describe our experience at the University of Toronto Robarts Library, and the path to adopting a working model for regularly contributing Wikidata items based on the cataloger’s original authority work for NACO.

KEYWORDS:

• Wikidata
• authorities
• Slavic cataloging
• internet
• academic libraries
• Slavic names
• sociolinguistics

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Alex Jung and Kyla Jemison for their guidance and training in Wikidata. Many thanks to Kelly Babcock for helpful suggestions. Early versions of this material were presented at LD4 Wikidata Affinity Group meeting in October 2022 and at the invited lecture for INF2145 course at the University of Toronto iSchool “Creation and Organization of Bibliographic Records” in April 2023. We are thankful to INF2145 course instructors Juliya Borie and Elisa Sze, and to the student audience for their insightful questions and discussion. All responsibility for the contents remains with the authors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/Toronto/Black_History_Edit-A-Thon_(February_2023)

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/Toronto/Ukrainian_culture_and_history_(Spring_2022)

3. https://www.worldcat.org/title/22098217

4. https://uk.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15866

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volodymyr_Sichynskyi

6. https://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/events/2018/oclcresearch-lih-fernandez-introduction-to-wikidata-wip-2018.pdf

7. “Zelensky’s Reacts to Trump’s Claim He Could Get a ‘fair Deal’ with Putin.” YouTube, CNN News, 20 Sept. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfoRmoXTZDg.

8. “Ukraine’s President Zelensky Tells BBC His Country Will Have F-16 Fighter Jets in Months - BBC News.” YouTube, BBC News, 21 June 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zPbzLU80X8.

9. “Zelenskyy to Address US Congress Wednesday.” YouTube, Fox News, March 15 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCKYVMKY_MY

10. “Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Meets with Pope Francis.” YouTube, Reuters, May 14 2023. www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZEafdgN99Q

11. https://www.president.gov.ua/en

12. https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/romanization/ukrainia.pdf

13. https://www.kmu.gov.ua/npas/243262567

14. The current Zelenskyi’s Wikidata page: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3874799

15. https://lccn.loc.gov/no2022105246