University of Utah (University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library)

For libraries taking the first step into Linked Open Data (LOD), using controlled vocabularies is an essential part of creating new data structures linking people, places, collections, and digital objects together. The Western Name Authority File (WNAF) is a first step in collaboratively analyzing existing vocabularies, developing a data model, exploring infrastructure, and testing workflows that could be used throughout the Mountain West Digital Library network of partners. Building on existing work at the University of Utah of reconciling digital collection metadata fields against existing controlled vocabularies, this project explores creating a regional vocabulary in an open and shareable format using a process that can be replicated for other regions.