From Creation to Reconciliation: Managing BIBFRAME Work and Hub Entities at Scale — A Community Discussion

Since its introduction in 2011, the library community has made substantial progress in creating BIBFRAME data. However, far less attention has been paid to the reconciliation of BIBFRAME entities generated through large-scale MARC to BIBFRAME transformation, particularly Work and Hub entities. This presentation reports on a study that tested ten iterative reconciliation scenarios applied to BIBFRAME data derived from MARC records. The findings reveal significant technical and conceptual challenges, including inconsistent matching outcomes and the lack of shared community practices for managing reconciled entities at scale. Building on these findings, the session integrates research presentation with a facilitated discussion centered on key questions, including the roles of Work and Hub entities in library data management; their value for discovery; the need for shared infrastructure and governance; interoperability trade offs between local and community level metadata needs; and the potential role of artificial intelligence in BIBFRAME creation, validation, and implementation.