Semantic metadata enrichment and data augmentation of small museum collections following the FAIR principles

Abstract

How can semantic technologies help small heritage organisations share their digitised collections holdings? Over a decade has passed since the European Agenda for Culture (2007) recognised digitisation as a fundamental driver for fostering cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue, but the promise of digitisation is yet to be realised by many small and regional museums across Europe. The chapter discusses the benefits and challenges of making the cultural heritage data of small regional museums findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR). Using the Archaeological Museum of Tripoli, Greece, as a case study, it demonstrates how the employment of semantic methods, such as semantic enrichment and linking to Linked Data resources and semantic technologies, such as the CIDOC-Conceptual Reference Model (CRM) and other standard ontologies, can help alleviate some of these challenges and help small museums make their data FAIR. It also discusses how a semantics-based approach can facilitate collaboration between Digital Humanities and Information Studies researchers and cultural heritage institutions, by providing a common means of communication that means cultural heritage data can be reused, repurposed and redeployed efficiently.