BIBFRAME en español began in 2019 when Tim was asked to present a workshop on BIBFRAME in Spanish in Mexico City. More recently native Spanish speakers have come onboard to help develop modular training content with a train-the-trainer ethos. Idea is to remove the language barrier #bfwe2026

What does BIBFRAME adoption look like in the Global South? Uneven adoption reflects structural gaps in how the profession builds and shares knowledge; only 1 language (English) limits participation from non-native speakers of that language #bfwe2026

BIBFRAME needs to be a community-driven standard and its relevance will depend on participation that reaches beyond any single language or geographic context - a standard shaped by 1 language community is narrower and less representative than it could be #bfwe2026

BIBFRAME as a Global Standard - adoption as sociotechnical transformation; not just swapping standards, but changing the data models, tools, and how we work towards internationalisation.
#bfwe2026

"¿BIBFRAME en español? From Pilot Workshop to Open
Training Infrastructure for Linked Data Adoption" with Timothy Thompson & Irma Fraticelli-Rodríguez,
Yale Library, & Álvaro López Bustamante, EBSCO. Contributions by Daniel M. Mugaburu & Amy Rodriguez, Yale Library #bfwe2026

Transition is not just technical - it is human too; requiring investment in skills development.
Early movers who invest in BIBFRAME today will lead the next generation of metadata-driven library workflows - partnerships & collaborations are needed at global scale to ensure equity of access #bfwe2026

Wada argues that training resources and documentation to support BIBFRAME transition need to be open-access, or we risk leaving libraries in the Global South behind #bfwe2026

Implementation should be phased covering:
- needs assessment and planning inc. skills audit & funding
- curriculum development inc. local language materials
- training delivery inc. blended delivery & mentoring
- monitoring & scaling inc. policy advocacy & competency assessment
#bfwe2026

The Advanced level must address policy development and provide coordinated leadership for institutional BIBFRAME transition planning #bfwe2026

The Intermediate level addresses practising cataloguers & systems librarians to give them the opportunity to catalogue hands-on in a BIBFRAME environment, as well as experience with RDF/OWL, LD publishing & SPARQL #bfwe2026

Wada Ibrahim proposes a tiered capacity building framework with 3 segments Foundation, Intermediate & Advanced. - The Foundation level addresses an introduction to Linked Data & the semantic web - the core concepts of BIBFRAME and its differences to MARC #bfwe2026

A structured capacity-building framework is essential to ensure that no library is left behind in a global transition from MARC21 to BIBFRAME #bfwe2026

"Bridging the Skills Gap: Capacity Building & Training
Frameworks for Effective Transition from MARC to
BIBFRAME in Diverse Library Environments" with Wada Ibrahim, University of Maiduguri Nigeria
Addressing BIBFRAME adoption challenges in developing nations with limited ICT infrastructure #bfwe2026

Metadata Maker will be moved towards a Linked Data editor so that it can continue to help with metadata generation for resources, without the need for vast technical expertise #bfwe2026

BIBFRAME outputs can be ingested into library systems such as Alma - but BIBFRAME does have multiple implementations, flavours, and application profiles, so there is a need to address how this will work in a shared cataloguing environment #bfwe2026

Access at: metadatamaker.library.illinois.edu
Modules with BIBFRAME output currently are: Monographs, Monograph LD, Datasets, Ebooks #bfwe2026

It is format agnostic so can output as MARC MODS & BIBFRAME.
Metadata Maker enables staff with language and subject expertise, but without extensive cataloguing expertise or training, to create BIBFRAME data for resources. #bfwe2026

Metadata Maker has 9 modules and supports diacritics and transliteration, with dropdown menus for controlled vocabularies, & the ability to search authority files & embed URIs #bfwe2026

Metadata Maker was developed in 2015 using an innovation grant in part to address challenges with hiring language cataloguing specialists - this web-tool helps staff to create metadata without extensive cataloguing or systems knowledge #bfwe2026

"Metadata Maker as a Practical Tool for
BIBFRAME Data Creation" with Myung-Ja (MJ) K. Han. & Deren Kudeki, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Patricia Lampron, University of California, & Greta Heng, San Diego State University. #bfwe2026