Monthly Archives: September 2010

The British Library announces new free data options

The British Library has announced that it is going to offer two new ways for libraries and researchers to access its bibliographic data including the British National Bibliography. These are:

  • A free Z39.50 service for libraries to selectively download records in MARC21
  • Bulk data sets in XML (RDF/DC) for researchers and organisations wishing to utilise the data (e.g. data mining)

The British Library is also collaborating with researchers at the University of Cambridge as part of the ‘Open Bibliography’ project investigating new models for libraries to unlock the potential of their records (e.g. as open linked data).

Anyone interested in the new services should contact: metadata@bl.uk