Derivative Relationships and Bibliographic Families Among Creative Works: A Systematic Study of Their Application by the Wikidata Community from the FRBR and BIBFRAME Perspective

Abstract

This paper examines how the concept of bibliographic families and derivative relationships, foundational to modern bibliographic models like FRBR and BIBFRAME, manifest within Wikidata's community-driven knowledge base. Through systematic analysis of over 2,2 million creative works across audiovisual, musical, literary, and video game domains, we explore the emergent patterns of relationships between works. Our findings reveal that while traditional WEMI relationships represent only 2% of the identified connections, a rich ecosystem of other relationship types dominates the descriptive landscape. The research provides insights into how non-professional contributors intuitively approach complex bibliographic relationships, suggesting opportunities for more flexible, user-centered bibliographic models that better accommodate contemporary transmedia content ecosystems.