Data.labs.loc.gov will be a space for discovering and using exploratory data packages made available by the Library of Congress.
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In the summer of 2024, LC Labs will officially launch a new and improved space for discovering and using exploratory Library data. For updates on this launch, subscribe for updates from LC Labs or The Signal Blog.
Background
This space was made possible by the Computing Cultural Heritage in the Cloud (CCHC) initiative funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Since, September 2019, the LC Labs team has been testing a cloud-based approach for interacting with digital Library material as data. In the years since, LC Labs collaborated with subject matter experts and IT specialists at the Library to experiment with solutions to problems that can only be explored at scale. This effort led to a model for curating, processing, documenting, and publishing Library data for public use. This included data.labs.loc.gov, a public online space for sharing Library data in the form of data packages, a data publishing format that combines normalized metadata, metadata enrichments, media files, standardized documentation, narrative context, and other usability features such as code samples and notebooks.
After incorporating input and feedback from Library staff and outside experts, LC Labs will host a launch event in the summer of 2024 at the conclusion of the grant period to share their findings and demonstrate what is possible with this new space.