Obsidian Linked Data Vocabularies Plugin
This plugin adds YAML keys for the selected heading, url (optional), and broader, narrower and related headings. It also supports inserting it as inline YAML at the current selection for use with Dataview.
Currently, the LCSH Suggest2 API is implemented.
Please do not make more than 10 requests per minute. The initial request plus each heading that gets added in broader/narrower/related terms should count as one request. Please refer to this for more details.
I have made a PR to remove this plugin from the community plugins and another to deprecate the already installed version. Please don't install/use it until I have removed this notice.
According to @brimwats, overuse results in a soft-block and that this is more aimed at Google querying their site thousands of times per minute and not users of plugins like this.
I have plans to make this a fully local plugin though, one that will only require the initial download of the data and parsing with another plugin to extract only the needed data which this plugin can use.
When this is done, a new PR will be made to re-add this plugin.
See @brimwats’ explanation to understand linked data better.
Usage
In the editor, open the command palette and execute the LCSH command. Alternatively, you can set a hotkey for it.
There are two options: You can either use Enter to insert the data as YAML.
If there is no YAML block present, a new one will be created. If there is already YAML present, the new YAML will be appended to the current YAML.
Or you use Shift + Enter to insert it as inline YAML at the current selection.
As of 0.4.2 you can also add a subdivision after an authorized heading if you press Alt + Enter. Here is an explanation of Subdivisions from @brimwats.
You can of course also use the mouse instead.
There is also an implementation of LCC, LCNAF and LCCHO. They are disabled by default and can be enabled in the settings. They will not add relations (BT/NT/RT) to the YAML and are only recommended for people familiar with them. For an explanation, please refer to the links.
Configuration
You can set the limit of queries to be display. 10 is the default setting.
You can set the key names for heading, url, broader, narrower and related in the settings.
Furthermore, you can set the search type.
Left anchored searches are ordered alphabetically, case and diacritic insensitive.
Keyword searches are in descending relevance order, using the same search ranking as the main search page.
The default search type is keyword.
From my experience, keywords gives better results, but only gives good results when you type out the word fully. So archeolo wouldn't show Archeology, for that you need to type the full word.
You can also set a maximum number of headings to be added per type. The default value is 2, the maximum value you can set is 3. If you set it to 0, it won't be added.
Modal
The Modal shows the heading in bold, under it, it shows the aLabel and if existing, the vLabel.
aLabel will only return a resource whose authoritative label exactly matches the searched term. For example, aLabel:"International librarianship".
vLabel will only return a resource which has a variant label exactly matching the searched term. For example, vLabel:"Librarianship, International".
Recommendation
Use this plugin with Breadcrumbs. You can set the hierachies in its settings and will have a breadcrumbs view for navigating the heading hierarchy you create in your notes.
Explanation of linked data
Thank you @brimwats for this explanation of Linked Data!
Introduction
This plugin allows the use of structured linked data vocabularies as metadata in Obsidian notes. There are some concepts that should be understood when using this plugin. There are two sections below, one for non-technical users and ones for technical users (those familiar with linked data).
Technical Information
This plugin uses a JSON-based API to allow the browsing of linked data vocabularies constructed in SKOS. An endpoint must be provided. Local vocabularies are not supported, as an index would have to be built to implement fast parsing/a lookup table of some sort, and parsing the file would not work on mobile.
Non-Technical Information
See another explanation here and here.
When a cultural heritage institution like a library receives a new item, there are several steps that must be taken before it is made available. Most importantly, the item must be cataloged with subject headings. A subject heading is a term that is meant to serve as a keyword or topic explanation for the book. If you have ever used tags or keywords, you understand the purpose. Cataloging means that an item is given at least one a subject heading such as "Poodle" or (more often) multiple headings such as "1. Dogs" and "2. Poodles."
While this might seem obvious when we speak of a “Poodle” or a “Labrador retriever” it gets vastly more confusing when trying to organize thousands or hundreds of thousands of items. And large institutions do this sort of thing everyday, so they have to be positive that all headings mean the same thing. Should a “labradoodle” (the offspring of a Labrador and a poodle) be considered a poodle or a Labrador for purposes of classification? What about a “Goldendoodle” (a golden retriever and a poodle)? How about a “Yorkipoo”? A “Pugapoo”? What about a “Cockapoo”, a “Maltipoo” or a “Poo-Shi”?
Enter controlled vocabularies and information retrieval thesauri.
When most people think of thesauri they likely think of style thesauri, which includes websites like Thesaurus.com, or a books like Rogets Thesaurus, which offer similar or dissimilar alternatives to a word or phrase. For the word “Information” Thesaurus.com offers synonyms “advice”, “clue”, or “data”, and antonyms “ignorance”, “question”, “silence”.
There are three basic rules that occur in thesauri are UF, BT/NT and RT.
- Use/Use For (USE/UF),
- Broader Terms and Narrower Terms (BT/NT), and
- Related Terms (RT).
USE/UF
According to the Library of Congress:
USE references are made from an unauthorized or non-preferred term to an authorized or preferred heading. Under the heading referred to, the code UF (Used For) precedes the term not used… USE references are made from an unauthorized or non-preferred term to an authorized or preferred heading. Under the heading referred to, the code UF (Used For) precedes the term not used. The codes USE and UF function as reciprocals
This is the strictest of all the rules in a thesaurus. It tells the cataloger to use one word in place of another (USE FOR), or that the material that they are looking for is under a different term (USE).
For example:
Cars (Automobiles) → USE Automobile
Automobiles → UF Cars (Automobiles)
USE references are made from synonyms, variant spellings, variant forms of expression, alternate constructions of headings, and earlier forms of headings. USE references are also made when it has been decided that words should not be used as a heading even if the heading and the unused words are not truly synonymous.
Broader Term and Narrower Term
The abbreviations BT (broader term) and NT (narrower term) indicate hiararchy.
The code BT refers to the class of which the heading is a member. So Automobiles is a broader term for Volvos. Dogs is a broader term for Poodles.
The code NT refers a member of the class represented by the heading under which the NT appears. So Volvos are a narrower term of Automobiles. Poodles are a narrower term of Dogs.
The broadest (parent) terms tend to be incredibly vague ideas, like “Art”, which then generally need to be narrowed down more to be useful, so it will have muliple NTs, or narrower terms, such as
Art → NT Western Art → NT Indigenous Art → NT Asian Art → [etc.]
These NTs will often have further NTs, so Art
- NT Western Art
- NT Western Sculpture
- NT Modern Sculpture
- NT [etc.]
- NT Modern Sculpture
- NT Western Sculpture
Related Terms
The abbreviation RT (Related Term), links two headings that are associated in some manner other than by hierarchy (BTs/NTs). For example,
Birds → RT Ornithology
Ornithology → RT Birds
In the most basic sense, RTs just assert that there are connections between the current subject term and another one. For a cataloger, this enables them to consider connected terms to catalog their material under. For a user, this allows them to check under both subject headings to ensure that they have reviewed all of the relevant information.
RTs allow broader information institutions to control terminology.
Searching for vocabularies:
-
You may search the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) here: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects.html
-
A repository of vocabularies exists here: https://lov.linkeddata.es/dataset/lov/
Subdivisions / Complex Subjects
For LCSH, this plugin also supports what are called "Subdivisions" or complex subjects. A subdivision is a way for the cataloger (aka the plugin user, aka you) to be more specific with a generic subject heading.
For example, if I wanted to catalog my note as dicsussing the Ancient Phonecians and their religion I would use this plugin to add Phonecians to my note. This would meet many people's needs. But what if I had a lot of notes about Phonecians, if I wanted to distuingish between my notes on "Ancient" and "Regular" Phonecians, or if I wanted to distinguish between notes about Phonecian religion and notes about their gods?
LCSH does not have Ancient Phonecian Gods so—enter subdivisions! Subdivisions are 'addon' terms that follow the first. Use this secondary term following the first when a more specific heading does not exist.
First find Phonecians and then press alt+enter/return to enter into complex mode, where you could pick --Religion or --Ancient.
Kinds of Subdivisions
There are five different kinds of subdivisions
- Topic Subdivisions, which represent actions, attributes, or aspects, of the first term.
- For example
Helicopters--Flight testing;Drinking water--Aluminum content;Mental health--Nutritional aspects. Topical subdivisions are used as a standard way of expressing concepts, methods, or techniques that are common to several fields.
- For example
- GenreForm Subdivisions, which indicate what the item is rather than what it is about. You would use this if you had a specific kind of note.
- For example, the most frequently used form subdivisions, are
--Bibliography,--Juvenile literature, and--Periodicals
- For example, the most frequently used form subdivisions, are
- Temporal Subdivisions, which indicate time periods covered in the contents of the work. These are usually associated with a historical treatment of a topic and are used after the subdivision
--History,- for example,
Women--History--Nineteenth Century.
- for example,
- Geographic Subdivisions, which indicate the geographic area to which treatment of a topic is limited. They may designate where something is located, or where something is from, depending upon the topic.
- For example:
- Language Subdivisions, which indicate what language the item is in.
- For example:
Bees--French Language. - If you click this link though, you'll notice that it is an empty page—this subdivision is being phased out!
- For example:
More Info on Subdivisions
If you're interested in reading more, here is documentation from the Library of Congress on Types and purpose of subdivisions.
And here is another explainer of subdivisions.
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