Share Family - Linked Data Ecosystem for Libraries

The Share Family Bulletin provides the highlights of the recent achievements and the shared vision of the Share Family community. The latest issue, Bulletin 11 (February 2026), is available at: https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareFamily:NewsAndUpdates with alternative access to the PDF version: https://bit.ly/SFBulletin_n11_Feb2026. This issue highlights progress in data management, with the advancements in LDF - Linked Data Fragments developments; the multi-tenancy infrastructure configuration has been deployed and is being progressively rolled out to the various tenants; we are working on the preliminary implementations for the new NoSQL database, which will be crucial to support a scalable and sustainable environment. The Share Family infrastructure lays on a multi-institution shared catalogue, and JCricket Entity Editor has been improved in its key features to allow for effective shared cataloguing. The integration of LOD Platform components with ILS/LSP has progressed with integration features for FOLIO and Alma that have been demonstrated during 2025. Among front-end optimisations, an important achievement is the accessibility certification that has recently been issued. As always, we commit to engage and support the community, also through a new model of cooperation within the initiative, informally called DDC - Distributed Development Community framework. We are very happy about the activity for new Share Family tenants (such as the NTU - National Taiwan University) and LOD Platform implementations (such as the Bibliographic Database of Interactive Books and several AI experimentations leveraging LOD Platform APIs). In the community area, the participation in international working groups and networks is strategic, and responds to its core principle of creating connections and increasing communication across initiatives and projects: we continue our work with Consortia, RDA, IFLA, PCC, BIG groups. We have shared our work at many events in 2025, and others will follow in 2026: follow us on the brand-new LinkedIn space to foster the outreach to our community!

On Monday 9th February, at 11am - 12pm USA Eastern time, Tiziana Possemato and Anna Lionetti will present "BIBFRAME in Practice: Powering a Collaborative Share Family Community with JCricket". This will be part of the Library of Congress February 2026 BIBFRAME Update Forum: the session will showcase BIBFRAME systems that are available to libraries and tools and modules that can be used with those systems to enable original cataloguing in BIBFRAME. The JCricket Entity Editor developed by the Share Family LOD Platform technology is one of such tools, that provides for granular and effective cataloguing in a shared space based on linked data and cooperative data curation practices. The session can be followed online at https://loc.zoomgov.com/j/1604385187__;!!BDUfV1Et5lrpZQ!RbX_jY5Grbv1EpNC5JTSJu9gFaxpC4Bj0TNWdFbcjU1sS-b9NHtiUK-WJCnWE3DDSKaripsBeL7U5T1pqbRLUlRzGAJsDCJ76ec$

The DCMI - Dublin Core Metadata Initiative Conference 2025 has seen several contributions by Tiziana Possemato covering a range of topics that touch on the Share Family commitment for a sustainable linked open data ecosystem. From the value of promoting open data, to the scenarios for a sustainable economic implementation of Share Family technology, to the focus on the National Bibliographies in linked open data supported by our initiative, this conference has been a fruitful occasion to exchange ideas and perspectives with the DCMI community. All presentations are available:
- Open borders for wider access to knowledge: connecting National Bibliographies in Linked Open Data;
- Share-VDE Economics & Sustainability;
- Open Metadata in the Share Family.

The BIBFRAME Workshop in Europe 2025 hosted presentations illustrating the application of Share Family LOD Platform technology to different use cases:
- the "Bibliographic Database of Interactive Books" consists of bibliographical information about books, manuscript and printed, ancient and modern, and prints containing interactive paper devices. Gianfranco Crupi, Michela Giacomelli, Alice Guercio, and Annalisa Di Sabato presented an introduction to the project along with a demo of the portal; the recording is available.
- The illustration of "BIBFRAME Discovery Using Generative AI" by Jim Hahn explored how knowledge representation can be fully exploited by integrating Generative AI into BIBFRAME-based discoveries, leveraging LOD Platform technology; slides and recording are available.
- The live demo by Tiziana Possemato and Annalisa Di Sabato on "Share Family linked data editors: practical experience of JCricket integration with third parties" showcased the advancements of integration of LOD Platform tools with ILS/LSP such as Alma and FOLIO; slides and recording are available.

The Share Family Workshop took place on June 30th, 2025, as part of the ALA Annual Conference. Engaging presentation were delivered by various speakers:
BIBFRAME has Entered the Chat, by Jim Hahn;
BIBFRAME at Last!, by Lisa McColl;
How to improve the dialogue and interaction between JCricket and FOLIO, by Tiziana Possemato;
Consortia Perspectives, by Kirsten Leonard, Tina Baich, Jill Morris;
Share Family Response, by Nina Servizzi.
The slides of all presentations are available, along with the recording.

The Share Family Workshop will take place on Monday, June 30th, from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM EST at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room 202 B, as part of the ALA Annual Conference. This engaging session will bring together members of the Share community to share their experiences and insights on implementing Share technologies across institutions.

Workshop topics include:

• Co-operative cataloguing using the JCricket data curation tool
• Advanced use cases involving Linked Open Data (LOD) Platform APIs and Alma
• Practical integration strategies with FOLIO
• The benefits of Share Family tools for library consortia

The event is free and open to all attendees, offered in a hybrid format, both in-person and online. The session will also be recorded and made available for later viewing.

To attend online, participants must register via Zoom at the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_w54WyQ7nQo62Wf1UCuY4dQ.

We look forward to welcoming you—whether in Philadelphia or online.

We’re excited to announce the LOD Platform Version 3, which will be soon rolled out across all Share Family institutions. This new release strengthens global collaboration in the bibliographic ecosystem, enhancing discoverability and interoperability for libraries, archives, and museums.

The platform supports an entity-based approach, compatible with BIBFRAME, IFLA LRM, and other major ontologies, powered by the Cluster Knowledge Base, JCricket Entity Editor, and a robust API backbone.

Key updates include:

• Updated Open Metadata Policy
• Liaison Protocol with RDA Steering Committee (RSC)
• Bulletin #10

Read the complete press release in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. For more information about the Share Family, visit our wiki at https://wiki.share-family.org/.

The Share Family Bulletin provides the highlights of the recent achievements and the shared vision of the Share Family community. The latest issue, Bulletin 10 (April 2025), is available at: https://wiki.share-vde.org/wiki/ShareFamily:NewsAndUpdates with alternative access to the PDF version: https://bit.ly/SFBulletin_n10_Apr2025. This issue highlights the improvements of version 3 and the developments of the LOD Platform, including the evolution of the entity model supporting the mature Share infrastructure, the advancements in JCricket Entity Editor and the integration with third parties systems. Much has also been done in the Community work area, where Share Family staff and members are committed to nurturing the liaisons with the library information experts and linked data and BIBFRAME communities. Check out the recent news about the liaison protocol established with the RDA Steering Committee and the publication of the new Open Metadata Policy. Looking ahead to the next events, there will be the chance to meet at many conferences and meetings, including ALA Annual Conference 2025 where the Share Family Workshop will be held on Monday June 30th (a full announcement will be shared as soon as more details for participation are available). Other important past and future events are listed and will be shared on https://www.share-family.org/en/events. Among the informative resources, check out the Share Family’s series of informative videos about the “Share Family: Linked Data for Libraries, by Libraries”, addressing the vision and core concepts of the initiative:

• COOPERATIVE
• SUSTAINABLE
• OPEN
• INCLUSIVE
• DYNAMIC

Subscribe to the Share Family YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@Share_Family to keep up to date with our presentations and events, access informative materials and more! 

We are very happy to announce that a liaison protocol has been signed to establish the relationship at the strategic level between the Share Family Advisory Council and the RSC - RDA Steering Committee. 
The protocol has been published on different sources:
- on RDA Chair Documents page: https://www.rdatoolkit.org/rsc/chair-documents;
- in RDA protocols and liaisons page: https://www.rdatoolkit.org/rsc/RSCprotocols;
- as a RDA news item: https://www.rdatoolkit.org/rsc/ShareFamilyProtocol.
This step is considered particularly fruitful also in consideration of the activities that libraires from different countries and continents are bringing forward in the Share Family Working Groups with the scope of enhancing the practical implementations and the concrete interoperability of the emerging bibliographic ecosystem based on linked open data.

The Share Family Open Metadata Policy has been approved by the Share Family Advisory Council on April 9th 2025. It outlines Share Family's support and commitment in open data to freely share information, and encourages open access to data produced by Share Family processes supporting the discovery of library and cultural heritage resources. The previous version of the policy was published in 2023.