A Modular Ontology for MODS -- Metadata Object Description Schema
This work addresses a domain-specific problem for library and metadata professionals by enabling MODS to be used in knowledge graphs, though it is incremental as it builds on existing MODS and methodology.
The authors tackled the limitations of the Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS) for use in knowledge graphs by developing the Modular MODS Ontology (MMODS-O), which incorporates all MODS elements and attributes while balancing modularity and backward compatibility.
The Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS) was developed to describe bibliographic concepts and metadata and is maintained by the Library of Congress. Its authoritative version is given as an XML schema based on an XML mindset which means that it has significant limitations for use in a knowledge graphs context. We have therefore developed the Modular MODS Ontology (MMODS-O) which incorporates all elements and attributes of the MODS XML schema. In designing the ontology, we adopt the recent Modular Ontology Design Methodology (MOMo) with the intention to strike a balance between modularity and quality ontology design on the one hand, and conservative backward compatibility with MODS on the other.