Lead: Lisa Goddard

Persistent identifiers (PIDs) to represent discrete entities (people, places, concepts, things) are the sine qua non of linked open data and a crucial component of DH infrastructure. Increasing the PIDs available for cultural research in Canada is essential to growing the ecosystem. The Persistent Identifier Research Cluster members are undertaking a number pilot projects.

PIDs for objects: Because cultural objects can only be linked to if they have PIDs, Lisa Goddard, AUL Advanced Research Services, and Dean Seeman, Head of Metadata at UVic, will spearhead a project to assign DataCite Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) to all of the digital objects in the UVic Libraries digital asset management system, Vault, and to work with other Canadian Academic Libraries to facilitate the production and maintenance of DOIs for local digital collections, prioritizing EDID-oriented collections.

PIDs & Respectful Terminology: The National Knowledge and Language Alliance (NIKLA) Respectful Terminology project is an Indigenous-led initiative to create an open, national linked data platform to enable a set of dynamic, multilingual terminologies applied to Indigenous Peoples, places, knowledge, and cultures, and thereby replace outdated and problematic terms used in many settings. The success of the platform rests with its ability to integrate into cultural institution workflows, including the use of available PIDS. In this pilot, project leaders Stacey Allison-Cassin (Dalhousie) and Camille Callison (UFV Library) will assess PID sources for use by the project, and prototype ways to integrate existing data respectfully and appropriately into an Indigenous linked data platform.