AUTHORITIES TRAINING

1. AUTHORITIES TRAINING March 14 and 28, 2006 Presented by Marcia Salmon

2. AGENDA • Introduction to Authorities • Headings to check in copy • How to search for authorities in Sirsi Java Workflows Client • How to search Validator • Introduction to Validator • Demonstration of how to search Validator • How to search Library of Congress Authorities Website • How to search Amicus for Authorities • Break • Exercises

3. Introduction to Authorities • What is authority control? • Characteristics of authority control • Why do we need authority control? • Authority records

4. Introduction to AuthoritiesWhat is authority control? • Definition of Authority Control from Wikipedia • “Authority control is a term used in library and information science to describe the practice of ensuring that any term used as a catalogue entry is correlated with all other forms of that term. This is most commonly applied to authorship details - hence the name - but the term has been broadened to cover anything where a single concept may be entered in multiple different ways. It is thus an example of a controlled vocabulary. It also serves to ensure that people with the same name can be distinguished.”--Wikipedia

5. Introduction to AuthoritiesCharacteristics of an authority control • A well-developed authority file has an elaborate syndetic structure • Syndetic structure refers to the system of cross references such as Used For (UF), USE, Broader Term (BT), Narrower Term (NT) and Related Term (RT) (Konovalov, Yuri. Cataloging as a Customer Service: Applying Knowledge to Technology Tools. Information Outlook, 1999.)

6. Introduction to AuthoritiesWhy do we need authority control? • Syndetic structure allows library users to find what they are looking for even if they do not know the authorized term, it also allows the machine to retrieve all relevant materials

7. Introduction to AuthoritiesWhy do we need authority control? • Examples: If you search by the subject E-Business the system will direct the user to the authorized heading Electronic commerce by a “See” reference

8. Introduction to AuthoritiesAuthority records • An authority record contains standardized forms for names and subjects (and in some cases, titles) that are used in bibliographic records and provides cross references in catalogues. A record includes three basic components: • Headings • Cross references • Notes Authority Tutorialcreated by Kathleen Wells and Nashaat Sayed, 2004

9. Introduction to AuthoritiesAuthority records

10. Introduction to AuthoritiesAuthority records

11. Introduction to AuthoritiesAuthority records -- Interpretation • A See From label contains a wrong form of the heading (4XX) • A See Also From label contains an earlier/ later or a broader/narrower form of a heading (5XX)

12. Introduction to AuthoritiesAuthority records – Name Headings

13. Introduction to AuthoritiesAuthority records – Series Headings

14. Introduction to AuthoritiesAuthority records – Subject Headings

15. Headings to check in copy • Local guidelines on when to check headings in bibliographic records • What headings to check • Basic procedures for checking for headings

16. Headings to check in copyWhen to check headings in bibliographic records • Determine the source of the copy from looking at the MARC field 040 in the bibliographic record • If the code “DLC” appears in the delimiter “a” MARC field of the 040 (|aDLC) 040 this means that the item was originally catalogued by the Library of Congress, and therefore heading do not need to be checked unless there is a problem. • If headings MARC field 040 has any other code than the headings need to be checked

17. Headings to check in copyWhat headings to check • Note Check Series Headings for the form of entry, traced or untraced, classed together or classed separately, local treatment notes found in the MARC field 690 in the authority record • If YORK treatment differs from the treatment in the authority record, please bring it to the attention of Doug Adams or Heather Fraser

18. Headings to check in copyBasic procedures for checking for headings • The following is the local procedures for checking for headings • Check heading in Sirsi Authority File (the |?UNAUTHORIZED beside the heading in the bibliographic record is a signal that the heading is not found in our local authority file) • Check Validator or Check Amicus for Canadian Corporate Authors • Check Library of Congress Authorities Website

19. Headings to check in copyBasic procedures for checking for headings • Check the heading in the copy against the authority file in SIRSI. • If a conflict occurs between the form of the heading in the bibliographic record and what is in the Sirsi authority record • either the copy is incorrect and should be corrected to match the authority record in SIRSI • the heading in the copy is correct and the authority record in SIRSI is outdated, this may happen if you are working from copy that was not saved recently or if you have imported updated copy for your record from SmartPort

20. Headings to check in copyBasic procedures for checking for headings • If this is the same heading, adjust the copy to match the form of the name in the SIRSI authority file. The authority record will contain information to help you decide if it is the same person. Look in the 670 tag in the authority record. It will usually include information regarding other works by the same person. If the title(s) of those other works are in a similar subject area to the person in your bibliographic record, it is probably the same person. If you are unsure if it is the same, please consult: D. Adams or H. Fraser

21. Headings to check in copyBasic procedures for checking for headings • if you are working from older copy or if you bring in updated copy for an item, you may find an updated form of the heading in Validator. If you are sure it is the same heading, correct the heading in your record to match the newer heading. If you are unsure please consult: D. Adams or H. Fraser • Print out BOTH the old authority record from SIRSI and the new one from Validator, etc. Staple them together with the revised heading on top and put “Revised Heading” at the top of the revised heading printout. • Check with D. Adams or H. Fraser if you are unsure as to whether or not it is the same person. • If you see that there are several headings under the incorrect form of a heading, i.e., a split file. Please make a print out and advise D. Adams or H. Fraser to arrange correction.

22. Headings to check in copyBasic procedures for checking for headings • If there is no authority record in Sirsi • Print out the authority from Validator, LC or AMICUS and drop it in the box for import. For subjects print out an authority record for the root or the main portion of the subject heading only (only search for the subject in the delimiter “a” field). Do not print out authority records for subject subdivision records.

23. Headings to check in copyBasic procedures for checking for headings • If there is no authority in Validator, Library of Congress Authorities Website or AMICUS • Accept the copy as is. If you feel that an original authority record should be created, especially in the case of a series heading, please bring it to H. Fraser. • Remember that not all headings will be under authority control. In those cases, the ?UNAUTHORIZEDmessage will remain. It cannot be removed as it is information for the cataloguer but it does not display to the public.

24. How to search for authorities in Sirsi Java Workflows Client • The document Authorities in Sirsi contains procedures and screen shots that describe how to search and display authority records in Sirsi. (http://www.library.yorku.ca/binaries/Staff/SIRSImanuals/authoritiesinSIRSI.pdf)

25. How to search for authorities in Sirsi Java Workflows Client • Demonstration of searching and displaying authorities in Sirsi • Demonstration of validating headings within the bibliographic record

26. How to search ValidatorIntroduction to Validator • Validator contains Names, Series, Subject and Subdivision headingscreated by catalogers at the Library of Congress and at institutions contributing to the file through the National Coordinated Cataloging Operations (NACO). It is divided into two separate databases : Names and Subjects. To access Validator, click on the Validator icon from the menu screen or from the Task bar (bottom of screen).

27. How to search ValidatorIntroduction to Validator • Names Database.The Names database consists of Names and Series Authority records. Name Authority records include Personal, Corporate, Meeting, Geographic terms, and Uniform Title (used mostly for music cataloguing) that may be used as a main or added entry. Series Authority records include monographic series, multipart items and series like phrases that may be construed to constitute a series. • Subjects Database.The Subjects database is primarily a listing of Topical Subject Headings. Also included are terms and subdivision headings. • It should be noted that Geographic headings such as 651 $aCanada will be found in the Names database

28. How to search ValidatorDemonstration of how to search Validator • The document Using Validator • contains procedures that describe how to search and display authority records in Validator http://www.library.yorku.ca/binaries/Biblio/usingvalidator.pdf

29. How to search ValidatorDemonstration of how to search Validator • Demonstration of how to search Validator for authorities

30. How to search Library of Congress Authorities Website • Online tutorial on searching name authorities using Library of Congress Website • file:///D:/LCnames2.html

31. Online tutorial on searching for Canadian corporate name authorities using AMICUS D:\authorities.avi How to search Amicus for Authorities

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