I came across a conference session summary that may be of interest: “Explaining Linked Data to your Pro Vice Chancellor.” The big ‘why’ question is often asked by librarians. Catalogers, who are loathe to undergo a data conversion without a clear cost/benefit analysis, are particularly vocal on this question.
The session write up assumes that the reader is already on board the linked data train and gives strategies and talking points for communicating the value of linked data to administrators: “It’s about the outcomes and the solutions, not the technologies.” The business case for linked data includes funding opportunities, new services, and cost savings.
The arguments given for linked data may also be expanded to open data.
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