Connecting the Dots: Metadata and Cultural Heritage in Research Libraries

Libraries stand as cornerstones of cultural heritage, serving as vital repositories and access points for a diverse range of materials that reflect the history, traditions, and intellectual achievements of societies. Beyond their traditional role as keepers of books, modern libraries, especially academic and research institutions, house extensive special collections encompassing rare books, manuscripts, archives, local history documents, and unique artifacts. These collections often hold immense cultural and historical significance, requiring specialized care and access protocols to ensure their preservation for future generations. The Fung Ping Shan Library at the University of Hong Kong, for instance, holds the Dr. Luo Zhenfu Collection (罗祯符太医特藏), a diverse collection including artwork, manuscripts, and medical and clinical records offering insights into early 20th-century evidence and practices in medical realm.The role of libraries in cultural heritage extends beyond mere preservation. They actively contribute to development by providing access to these resources for research, education, and community engagement. In the digital age, libraries are increasingly embracing digital resources, including digitized special collections, to enhance accessibility and reach wider audiences. Projects like the Digital Repository at HKUL showcase digitized materials, including those from the Dr. Luo Zhenfu Collection, making them available to researchers globally. This digital transformation aligns with the evolving needs of library patrons who expect seamless access to information and resources, mirroring the interconnected experiences of the modern web.However, traditional cataloging practices, often relying on standards like MARC, face limitations in fully representing the complexities and nuances of cultural heritage materials, particularly those from non-Western perspectives. These systems, developed within a Eurocentric framework, can struggle to adequately categorize and describe diverse knowledge systems and non-Roman scripts. The need for more semantically rich and interconnected metadata has led to explorations of linked data concepts and the application of semantic web technologies.Knowledge Graphs, a highly interconnected and semantic data structure, offer an avenue for enhancing the representation and accessibility of cultural heritage. By structuring metadata as interconnected entities and relationships, knowledge graphs can provide richer context, improve search and discovery, and facilitate the integration of library collections with broader knowledge streams on the web. This approach can unlock new possibilities for researchers to explore cultural heritage in a more interconnected and meaningful way, contributing significantly to the development of knowledge and understanding across disciplines.Research Questions1. Regarding metadata enrichment with Machine Learning (ML): How can ML technologies be effectively complemented with human expertise to enhance the existing metadata of the special collections?2. How can the principles of Linked Data (LD) and web technologies, such as Resource Description Framework (RDF) and ontologies, be applied to represent the enriched metadata of the visual collection in a format that is both machine-readable and interconnected?3. As a kind of metadata representation, Knowledge Graph is an accessibility enhancement for sustainable development 可持续发展 of cultural knowledge. How are the advantages and challenges while adopting it along with the special collections in academic libraries?ObjectivesBy addressing these questions, the research aims to enhance metadata enrichment for collections in research and academic libraries for cultural heritage concerns.