How libraries can transition from MARC to linked data without disrupting cataloging workflows

MARC has shaped library cataloging for more than half a century, giving libraries a durable way to describe, exchange and manage bibliographic records across systems and institutions. That foundation still matters. But discovery now depends on more than accurate records. It also depends on clearer connections between works, creators, subjects, organizations and collections.

Linked data and BIBFRAME support that shift. They do not require libraries to abandon MARC or disrupt established cataloging workflows. They help extend existing metadata investments and prepare library data for a more interoperable future.

This growing interest reflects a practical need: library metadata must work across more systems, formats and discovery environments than ever before.

Today, many library leaders, catalogers and metadata specialists are asking practical questions: What is linked data? What is BIBFRAME? How does it differ from MARC? What would adoption look like in practice? And how can libraries begin exploring linked data while continuing to support the workflows they rely on every day?

Read on to learn more about the future of library metadata.

1. What is linked data?
Libraries create and share bibliographic information through carefully structured records. That work supports discovery, resource sharing and collection management at a scale few other information communities can match.

Linked data offers another way to structure that information. Instead of treating bibliographic description as a collection of standalone records, it expresses metadata as a network of relationships.

In a traditional record-based environment, information about authors, works, subjects and organizations is often embedded within individual records. Linked data takes a different approach. People, places, concepts and works can exist as distinct entities connected through explicit relationships.

In a linked data model a single authoritative entity connects to multiple works. Subjects, organizations and related resources can also be connected across collections and institutions. Consider the example of an author’s last name changing. In a linked data model, the author’s entity is linked to the titles written by them. One update in the author entity cascades to all the linked titles.

This structure makes it easier to:

• Express relationships between resources
• Reuse metadata across systems
• Connect with authority files and external knowledge sources
• Improve interoperability across library and information environments

For libraries, linked data is more than a new metadata format. It offers a more connected model of bibliographic description, one that can support better discovery and broader participation in the web of data.

2. What is BIBFRAME?
BIBFRAME, short for Bibliographic Framework, is a linked data model developed by Library of Congress, to support the description and exchange of bibliographic information in a web-based environment.

Where MARC organizes metadata as a structured record, BIBFRAME organizes information as a set of interconnected entities and relationships. This approach enables bibliographic information to be represented in ways that align more naturally with linked data principles and modern web technologies.

At the center of the BIBFRAME model are several core entities:

• Work: the intellectual or artistic content
• Instance: a particular edition, format or manifestation of that work

Take a simple example such as the children’s book Harold and the Purple Crayon. There is one work that embodies the title, author and illustrator information and the subjects (children’s novel, bedtime story, fantasy, etc.) and there are multiple instances, such as the original publication and the 50th anniversary edition. In BIBFRAME, those versions can be connected through a shared Work entity, making relationships between editions more explicit and easier to understand.

Importantly, BIBFRAME is not intended to discard decades of cataloging expertise. It provides a framework for expressing bibliographic information in linked data environments while preserving the rigor, standards and professional judgment that libraries rely on today.

3. MARC vs. BIBFRAME
Discussions about linked data often frame the conversation as a choice between MARC and BIBFRAME. In practice, the relationship is more nuanced.
Both models serve the same fundamental purpose: describing library resources and enabling discovery. The difference lies primarily in how they structure and connect information.
MARC organizes metadata as a bibliographic record composed of fields and subfields. Relationships between entities often exist within the record itself and may be understood by catalogers and library systems even when they are not explicitly represented.

BIBFRAME organizes metadata as a network of connected entities. Relationships between works, creators, subjects and organizations are represented explicitly, creating a structure that is designed to support linked data applications and integration with external data sources.

During the transition period, the two models are likely to work together rather than replace one another.

4. A practical path from MARC to linked data
Linked data is already influencing metadata conversations. The practical question is how libraries can begin exploring it in ways that fit their current priorities, workflows and resources.
The work does not need to start with a wholesale migration. It can start with learning, experimentation and targeted use cases that help metadata teams understand where linked data may provide value.

A staged approach can make the transition easier to plan and easier to sustain.

Stage 1: Learn and evaluate
The first step is understanding the concepts and terminology surrounding linked data and BIBFRAME. Metadata teams may begin by exploring:

• Linked data principles: RDF, Triples, ontology structure, etc.
• BIBFRAME entities and relationships
• Emerging trends in library metadata
• Community initiatives and standards development

At this stage, the goal is not a complete migration. It is building awareness and establishing a shared understanding of how linked data differs from traditional record-based approaches, the practical implications on the library catalog and construct an adoption plan for your institution.

Stage 2: Experiment with linked data workflows
Many libraries begin by exploring proof-of-concept projects or limited pilot initiatives. This allows catalogers and metadata specialists to:

• Gain familiarity with linked data concepts
• Understand how entity-based descriptions work
• Evaluate potential benefits and challenges
• Identify opportunities for future adoption

Pilot activities can provide valuable hands-on experience while minimizing risk. Some examples include selecting a special collection that is manually cataloged and creating this catalog in BIBFRAME. Or, select a group of MARC records (or perhaps a work with multiple instances) and cataloging them in BIBFRAME to see the differences.

Stage 3: Create and manage linked data entities
As familiarity grows, institutions may begin working directly with linked data entities.
At this stage, the focus shifts from understanding linked data to applying it within metadata workflows. Catalogers begin thinking less about individual records and more about the relationships between entities and resources.

Stage 4: Expand linked data participation
Over time, libraries may choose to expand linked data activities by:

• Connecting to authority files
• Incorporating external identifiers
• Enhancing metadata relationships
• Participating in broader metadata ecosystems

These efforts help improve interoperability while creating richer connections between collections and information resources.

Stage 5: Operate a hybrid environment
In the near term, most libraries are unlikely to work exclusively in MARC or exclusively in BIBFRAME.
Many will operate in hybrid environments where both approaches coexist. MARC-based cataloging workflows can continue to support day-to-day operations as linked data capabilities are introduced incrementally.

This hybrid model allows libraries to move forward at a pace that reflects their goals, staffing and technical readiness.

How Alma supports linked data adoption

For linked data to become practical, metadata teams need tools that fit into real cataloging work.

Those tools need to support new metadata models without disrupting established workflows, especially while MARC and BIBFRAME continue to coexist.

Alma supports this gradual evolution by enabling libraries to work with traditional standards such as MARC and emerging linked data formats such as BIBFRAME and RDA/RDF within a flexible metadata environment. It also supports linked open data for MARC, with authority control maintained across metadata standards to promote consistency and interoperability.

Supporting MARC and BIBFRAME side by side
Many libraries are not looking to replace existing cataloging processes. They want the flexibility to explore linked data while preserving established practices.

Alma supports this approach by enabling MARC and BIBFRAME workflows to coexist, giving institutions the freedom to adopt linked data incrementally rather than all at once.

This allows libraries to:

•  Maintain existing MARC workflows
• Experiment with linked data initiatives
• Expand capabilities as needs evolve
• Reduce the risks associated with large-scale change

The Linked Open Data Editor
The Linked Open Data Editor provides a dedicated environment for creating and managing BIBFRAME works and instances directly within Alma. Key capabilities include:

• BIBFRAME-based templates for creating records
• Form-based editing guided by the ontology
• Integration with Alma cataloging workflows
• Lookups to external authority sources and identifiers

Because the editor sits within Alma, catalogers can work with linked data concepts without moving far from familiar operational workflows.

Work Search and entity management
As linked data environments grow, managing relationships between entities becomes increasingly important.

Alma’s Work Search capabilities help libraries navigate entity-based metadata structures and support efficient management of connected bibliographic information. This makes it easier to locate, evaluate and manage relationships between works and related resources.

Linked data enrichment for MARC records
Linked data adoption is not limited to organizations that are actively creating BIBFRAME entities.
Alma also supports linked data enrichment within MARC records through configurable enrichment capabilities. This enables libraries to improve connectivity and metadata quality while continuing to work within existing cataloging frameworks.

For many institutions, this flexibility creates a practical starting point for engaging with linked data without requiring major workflow changes. Additionally, it helps improve the legacy metadata and enrich it with identifiers that will improve the quality of the record when converted to BIBFRAME.

Metadata changes as information access changes.
Today, libraries manage collections that are increasingly digital, interconnected and distributed across multiple systems. Researchers and patrons expect discovery experiences that provide context, relationships and pathways between resources rather than isolated search results.

That shift is pushing metadata beyond records alone and toward more connected information networks.

Metadata as part of a broader knowledge ecosystem
Collaborative metadata work is already familiar to libraries through authority control, cooperative cataloging and shared standards.

Linked data extends this tradition by enabling bibliographic information to connect more directly with external datasets, identifiers and knowledge sources.

That creates an ecosystem where resources, creators, organizations and subjects can be understood through explicit relationships rather than standalone descriptions.

Improving interoperability and discovery
Improved interoperability is one of the clearest opportunities linked data offers.

As metadata becomes more connected, libraries gain greater flexibility in how information is exchanged, enriched and discovered across platforms and institutions.

For users, these richer relationships can contribute to more intuitive discovery experiences and stronger connections between related resources.

Building on existing strengths
The next stage of library metadata starts with the systems, standards and expertise libraries already have.

MARC remains essential to library operations. BIBFRAME and linked data expand what metadata can do by making relationships more explicit, improving interoperability and extending the reach of library data beyond traditional system boundaries.
For most institutions, the practical path forward is not a choice between MARC and BIBFRAME. It is a working environment where both can coexist, preserving what works today while preparing metadata for the future of discovery.