A Conversation on the Semantic Web and Legal Information

Have you been wondering "What's next" with technology; or perhaps what APIs, open government data, linked data or the semantic web will ever mean for law libraries? This workshop will give participants an overview of the emerging linked data and semantic web in the context of legal information aimed at an audience with little pre-existing understanding of the subject.

We will start with a high level discussion of the theory behind data creation and manipulation, with demonstrations of public and closed sources for data such as APIs and open government datasets, linked data particularly, and the semantic web generally – what it is, how it has developed so far, examples of related legal projects, and some ideas about its implications for legal resources. This will be followed by a facilitated discussion of the anticipated impacts for legal research, publication, software development, and the practice of law. These emerging developments are important because they have the potential to create both opportunities and disruption in many areas of interest to CALL/ACBD members, including public service roles and those in related data fields like cataloguing and legal database development.