DNB Exhibition Catalogue Data Model

Linked Open Exhibition

A unified data model for exhibition catalogues aligned with CIDOC CRM, Wikibase4Research, and Wikidata standards
Published

June 4, 2026 00:00

Overview

This data model provides a standardized schema for describing exhibition catalogues and bibliographic information within the Linked Open Exhibition ecosystem. It is aligned with three major sector standards:

  • CIDOC CRM (Conceptual Reference Model) v7.1.3
  • Wikibase4Research (WB4R) - NFDI4Culture platform
  • Wikidata - WikiProject Books

Quick Reference: Schema Mappings

Field Wikidata CIDOC CRM Wikibase4Research
Instance of P31 (catalogue) crm:P2_has_type instance_of
Title P1476 E35_Title title
Author P50 E39_Actor author
Publisher P123 E39_Actor publisher
Publication Date P577 E52_Time-Span publication_date
ISBN-13 P212 E42_Identifier not found
GND P227 E42_Identifier gnd
Described at URL P973 E42_Identifier reference_url
Image P18 E36_Visual_Item digital_object

Example: Winckelmann’s History of Ancient Art (1764)

Title: Geschichte der Kunst des Alterthums (History of Ancient Art)
Author: Johann Joachim Winckelmann (Q104039)
Publisher: C. A. Koch, Dresden
Publication Date: 1764
ISBN-13: Not applicable (18th century publication)
GND: 118634941
Catalogue URL: https://www.dnb.de/DE/Professionell/Metadatendienste/metadatendienste_node.html
Catalogue Image: Winckelmann’s portrait - Wikimedia Commons
Reference: [Wikibase Item Q5377317]


Data Structure

1. Instance of Catalogue

Field Value
German Label Instanziierung (?) ist eine…
English Label Instance of
Description The item itself is classified as a catalogue
Data Type Item
Wikidata Property P31
Recommended Value Q2352616 (Catalogue)

Schema Mappings

Standard Property Description
Wikidata P31:Q2352616 Instance of catalogue
CIDOC CRM crm:P2_has_type Type classification
WB4R instance_of Instance type in Wikibase4Research

2. Title

Field Value
German Label Titel
English Label Title
Description Official title of the catalogue
Data Type Monolingual text
Wikidata Property P1476
Example “Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting”

Schema Mappings

Standard Property Description
Wikidata P1476 Title of the catalogue
CIDOC CRM E35_Title Title entity defining the resource
WB4R title Title property in WB4R

3. Author

Field Value
German Label Autor
English Label Author
Description Main curator or art historian responsible for the catalogue
Data Type Item (reference to person)
Wikidata Property P50
Note Link to existing Wikidata person item

Schema Mappings

Standard Property Description
Wikidata P50 Author of catalogue
CIDOC CRM E39_Actor Person responsible for resource
WB4R author Author property in WB4R

4. Publisher

Field Value
German Label Verleger
English Label Publisher
Description Museum, publishing house, or institution publishing the catalogue
Data Type Item (reference to organization)
Wikidata Property P123
Examples Louvre Museum, Sprengel Museum Hannover, etc.

Schema Mappings

Standard Property Description
Wikidata P123 Publisher of catalogue
CIDOC CRM E39_Actor Organization responsible for publication
WB4R publisher Publisher property in WB4R

5. Publication Date

Field Value
German Label Erscheinungsdatum
English Label Publication date
Description Year or date when the catalogue was published
Data Type Item (date/year)
Wikidata Property P577
Format YYYY or YYYY-MM-DD

Schema Mappings

Standard Property Description
Wikidata P577 Publication date
CIDOC CRM E52_Time-Span Time span of publication
WB4R publication_date Publication date in WB4R

6. ISBN-13

Field Value
German Label Internationale Standardbuchnummer/ ISB-Nummer
English Label ISBN-13
Description 13-digit International Standard Book Number
Data Type External Identifier
Wikidata Property P212
Format 13 digits (e.g., 978-2-7118-7123-4)

Schema Mappings

Standard Property Description
Wikidata P212 ISBN-13 identifier
CIDOC CRM E42_Identifier Standard identifier
WB4R not found No WB4R mapping available

7. GND

Field Value
German Label GND-Kennung
English Label GND
Description German National Library (DNB) identifier
Data Type External Identifier
Wikidata Property P227
Format Numeric or alphanumeric GND identifier

Schema Mappings

Standard Property Description
Wikidata P227 GND identifier
CIDOC CRM E42_Identifier Standard identifier
WB4R gnd GND property in WB4R

8. Described at URL

Field Value
German Label offizielle Webseite
English Label Described at URL
Description Link to the catalogue’s page on the museum’s website
Data Type URL
Wikidata Property P973
Format https://…

Schema Mappings

Standard Property Description
Wikidata P973 Described at URL
CIDOC CRM E42_Identifier Digital location identifier
WB4R reference_url Reference URL in WB4R

9. Image

Field Value
German Label Bild
English Label Image
Description Cover image or representative image of the catalogue
Data Type Commons media file
Wikidata Property P18
Format Wikimedia Commons filename

Schema Mappings

Standard Property Description
Wikidata P18 Image of catalogue
CIDOC CRM E36_Visual_Item Visual representation
WB4R digital_object Digital object in WB4R

Best Practices for Catalogue Records

  1. Use Wikidata Items: Always link to existing Wikidata items for authors (P50), publishers (P123), and organizations to enable cross-institutional discovery.

  2. ISBN Validation: Ensure ISBN-13 numbers are valid according to the standard checksum algorithm. Use the format with hyphens (978-X-XXXX-XXXX-X) for readability.

  3. GND Integration: Cross-reference GND identifiers from the German National Library to enhance discoverability within German cultural heritage networks.

  4. Publication Dates: Use ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD) where precise dates are available, or just YYYY for year-only precision.

  5. Multilingual Titles: Where catalogues are published in multiple languages, create additional title entries using monolingual text or language-qualified items.

  6. Cover Images: Upload catalogue cover images to Wikimedia Commons (P18) to provide visual context and enhance accessibility.

  7. URL Persistence: Prefer institutional persistent URLs (with DOI or similar) over temporary web links when available to ensure long-term reference stability.


Contact & Contributions

For updates to this data model or suggestions for improvement, please contact the NFDI4Culture Linked Open Exhibition project team or contribute via GitHub.


Attribution

This data model documentation was created with assistance from GitHub Copilot (powered by Claude Haiku 4.5). The model was aligned against sector standards including CIDOC CRM v7.1.3, Wikibase4Research, and Wikidata WikiProject Books guidelines through AI-assisted analysis and formatting.