Summary of the survey report

Characterising the IIIF and Linked Art Communities

Julien A. Raemy, PhD Candidate in Digital Humanities
DHLab, University of Basel
ORCID Google Scholar GitHub Mastodon

Linked Art WG Call | 20 September 2023

Agenda

  • Context
  • Socio-demographics data
  • Findings
  • Potential actions for the Linked Art community

Context

Linked Open Usable Data for Cultural Heritage

Perspectives on Community Practices and Semantic Interoperability

PhD Thesis supervised by:

  • Peter Fornaro (University of Basel)
  • Walter Leimgruber (University of Basel)
  • Robert Sanderson (Yale University)

Survey

⌛ 24 March to 7 May 2023
🎯 Individuals involved in IIIF and Linked Art, but also people that have heard of the communities/specifications
8️⃣ Sections
📣 Mailing lists, Slack workspaces, Mastodon

Outputs

📊 Raemy, J. A. (2023a). The LOUD Social Fabrics of IIIF. 2023 IIIF Annual Conference, Naples, Italy. 8 June 2023. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7825410

📑 Raemy, J. A. (2023b). Pseudonymised Dataset of the Characterising the IIIF and Linked Art communities survey (1.0) [Survey results]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8143828

📝 Raemy, J. A. (2023c). Characterising the IIIF and Linked Art Communities: Survey report. [Report]. University of Basel. https://hal.science/hal-04162572

Socio-demographics data

Who participated?

👥 79 participants from 20 countries
🎓 66 individuals (83.5%) with at least a Master's degree
⚒️ 52 individuals (65.8%) involved in IIIF or in both communities
⚧️ 50 Males (63.3%), 26 Females (32.9%)
🏛️ 33 GLAM, 26 Academia

Findings

Findings

  • IIIF
  • Linked Art
  • Situtating IIIF and Linked Art
  • Non involvement

Practices

  • Asking the IIIF community or other participants often goes hand in hand with using the IIIF Slack for help and discussion.
  • Consulting the IIIF website and referring to documentation, GitHub or specific tools are common practices.
  • Collaborating with experts within their organisation is often mentioned alongside seeking help from developers.

Enablers

✅ Inclusive and collaborative nature
✅ Interoperable APIs and compatible implementations
✅ Openness and friendliness
✅ Commitment to providing resources and addressing needs

Inhibitors

⛔ Time constraints for participants
⛔ Technical complexity and learning curve
⛔ High costs of in-person meetings
⛔ Lack of employer support and recognition of community work

Practices

Community Enagement through:

  1. Calls, Slack and mailing list
  2. GitHub issues and direct communication with Robert Sanderson
  3. Workshops

Enablers

✅ Friendliness
✅ Openness
✅ Common Goal
✅ Small Community

Inhibitors

⛔ Time constraints
⛔ Lack of awareness
⛔ Lack of tools and services
⛔ Community/Leadership structure

Situating IIIF and Linked Art

IIIF and Linked Art

  • Both communities prioritise usable linked data (LOUD) by emphasising open API adoption.
  • Common individuals play important roles in both initiatives.
  • They collaborate on standards, development and meetings, fostering a culture of community-led work and shared knowledge.
  • IIIF has expanded into various domains, while Linked Art remains focused on art-related objects for a smaller audience.

Non involvement

Level of awareness

Awareness (n=25) Count Percentage (%)
I have heard of both. 10 40
I have already heard of IIIF. 11 44
I have already heard of Linked Art. 0 0
I have never heard of either. 4 16

Potential actions for the Linked Art community

Insights

  • Conducting targeted outreach efforts
    Workshops, webinars, guidelines/documentation

  • Fostering interoperability beyond art museums

  • Encouraging Active Participation
    A more inclusive environment, tapping into the expertise of the Editorial Board (or revising it), define roles and responsibilities more clearly

  • Encouraging Metadata Mappings and Compliant Tools/Services

Image Credits

  • [Blick auf das Spalentor]. Basel, 1938. Ernst Brunner. SGV_12N_00115
  • [Katze auf einer Mauer]. Ort und Datum unbekannt. Ernst Brunner. SGV_12N_19553
  • [Katze]. Ort und Datum unbekannt. Ernst Brunner. SGV_12N_19566
  • ["Steffenbach-Brücke" der Furka-Bahn: Bau und Erneuern der Brücke]. Kanton Wallis, 1950. Ernst Brunner. SGV_12N_36937

These images are part of the photographic archives of the Swiss Society for Folklore Studies. Licence: CC BY-NC 4.0

This presentation is about the current state of my PhD in Digital Humanities

I am doing my PhD in Digital Humanities on Linked Open Usable Data, with a focus on its (potential) use in the Humanities and the perspectives it could bring in terms of community practices and semantic interoperability. My research is grounded as part of the Participatory Knowledge Practices in Analogue and Digital Image Archives (PIA) research project, which aims to develop a Citizen Science platform around three photographic collections of the Swiss Society for Folklore Studies (SSFS).

Last July I published a survey report based on a survey I did between the 24 March and 7 May to explore the socio-technical characteristics of the IIIF and Linked Art communities

79 participants from 20 countries — 23 :us:, 12 :switzerland:, 9 :gb:, 7 :fr:, 6 :de:, 3 :belgium:/:ireland:, 2 :brazil:/:canada:/:mexico: Gender identification: 50 Males (63.3%), 26 Females (32.9%), 3 Prefer not to say (3.8%)

Participants frequently uses a combination of tools, such as image viewers (Mirador, UV), validators, documentation resources, and community platforms (Slack, GitHub). The IIIF specifications website, IIIF Awesome, and various training materials were also mentioned as valuable resources. The range of tools and services mentioned reflects the diverse needs and interests of the IIIF community. Also it marks all the dependecies.

- The IIIF community's success stems from its inclusive and collaborative nature, the availability of interoperable APIs and compatible implementations, its openness and friendliness, and its commitment to providing resources and addressing specific needs. - participants praised the IIIF community for its welcoming and generous attitude, successful implementation of the standard, and effective management structure.

Time constraints emerged as the primary barrier, with some participants (11) expressing a lack of time to engage more actively. The technical nature of IIIF was also mentioned as a barrier, with some individuals finding it challenging to grasp the terminology and complexities quickly. Limited technical knowledge and the steep learning curve were cited as additional obstacles to entry (6). Some participants highlighted the importance of in-person meetings for community building and specification development but noted the high costs associated with organising and attending such events (2). Lack of support from employers beyond a certain point and the perception of community work as separate from job responsibilities were mentioned as barriers to deeper involvement (3). Suggestions for improvement included better communication, emphasis on accessibility, and simpler implementation methods. - Multiple dependencies

The respondents drew parallels between the IIIF and Linked Art communities in terms of their focus on interoperability and linked data solutions in the cultural heritage sector . Both communities prioritise usability and the creation of usable linked data (or LOUD), with a shared emphasis on the adoption of APIs. There is recognition of the common involvement of individuals like Rob, who plays a significant role in both initiatives. Moreover, the communities are characterised by technical competence and an interest in leading-edge technologies. IIIF has expanded beyond cultural heritage, branching out into other areas due to its generic and applicable technology. In contrast, Linked Art remains primarily focused on art-related objects, catering to a smaller audience.

1) Belonging to a given commnity - before 2011 2) People that have been active prior to 2021 tend to be more active

Based on the responses from 52 participants, it is evident that IIIF is recognised as a valuable tool in various contexts. A majority of participants (33) agree or strongly agree that IIIF is essential to Open Science, helps with Citizen Science initiatives (39), and contributes to the findability (45), accessibility (37), and reusability (47) aspects of the FAIR principles. While the number of participants is significant, further exploration is needed to fully understand the extent of IIIF’s alignment with the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance

Among the 25 survey respondents that stated that they were not involved in either communities, there were varying levels of awareness regarding IIIF and Linked Art.