PhiloBiblon: From Siloed Databases to Linked Open Data via Wikibase was one of 225 projects funded by the National Endowment for Humanities (USA) in 2021, in the “Humanities Collections and Reference Resources” category, receiving c. € 38,500.

This funding was achieved through a collective application from the different PhiloBiblon databases, including BITAGAP (Bibliografia de Textos Antigos Galegos e Portugueses).

During one year, PhiloBiblon will explore how Wikibase/FactGrid could move four siloed databases into a single online platform for access to scholarly research on medieval Iberia, including mapping of PhiloBiblon to Linked Open Data (LD) and Resource Description Framework (RDF), creating a prototype of certain modules, examining links between database access points and libraries, testing a model, and posting to GitHub.

The modernization and openness thus made possible will be vital for the continuity and survival of this extraordinary database of medieval Iberian texts and their authors, based at the Bancroft Library of the U. of Berkeley, USA. Founded as a website in 1997, from previous repositories that existed since the early 1970s, it is coordinated by Charles B. Faulhaber (while BITAGAP is coordinated by Arthur L.-F. Askins). It works collaboratively and free of charge with the help of data contributors, and grants free access to all users.

VINCULUM will contribute to this project by sharing data with BITAGAP.