Authority Work Procedures:
Verifying and Establishing Headings

Introduction

The copy-cataloguing procedures for verifying and establishing name and uniform title headings are likely to change before long, once arrangements for an external authorities vendor have been made and in-house authorities workflow has been determined, if not before then.

In lieu of a complete re-writing of our verification and establishment procedures of 1991, here is a “quick-and-dirty” summary of procedures at the present time, to be used when doing OCLC-member copy cataloguing.

The introduction to the 1991 document, as annotated in 1999, should also be consulted.  For further details, please ask your trainer or check part C of the 1991 document in consultation with your trainer or the Database Management/Authority Control Librarian, to confirm whether the details are still currently applicable.

You may expect some changes to these procedures!

Please note:

• Sequence of steps:  Follow these steps until you have either found an acceptable heading or have reached the point of needing to consult with your trainer or the Database Management/Authority Control Librarian.  In many cases, you may stop with step 1, searching the LC/NACO authority file.

• Creating Voyager authority record:  The statement “Create a Voyager authority record if appropriate” appears repeatedly in the instructions below.  To determine whether a local authority record is appropriate, consult “Categories of Authority Records Needed in the TULANET Authority File” (1990 document, as annotated in 1999) and “Useful Types of Cross-References and Additional Information about Headings” (1989 document, revised in 1999).

• Printing out records:  The instructions also indicate in various situations that you should print out records.  If there are a large number of records (particularly in the OCLC bib file), first consult with your trainer or the Database Management/Authority Control Librarian, since (s)he may be able to consult the records online with you and thus save some time and paper.

Searching steps

1. Search the LC/NACO authority file in OCLC:

   If you find:

   • Single authority record:
     • Heading that appears correct:  Accept the heading.  If necessary, edit your bib record heading to match.

     • Heading that appears problematic:  Print record out.  Continue searching (step 2).

       E.g.    Your bib record:

               100 1  $a Raffeneger, Ermentrude K.

       LC/NACO authority record, for author writing on same topics (based on 670):

               100 1  $a Raffeneger, Ermentrude G.

       [middle initial conflict]

       E.g.    Your bib record:

               710 1  $a Grand Fenwick (Duchy). $b Dept. of Hopeless Confusion

       LC/NACO authority record:

               710 1  $a Grand Fenwick (Duchy). $b Dept. of Utter Confusion

       [could this be a name change? problem!]

   • Multiple authority records:  Print them out; bring the information to your trainer or to the Database Management/Authority Control Librarian.

   • No authority record:  Continue searching (step 2).

   ---

   Return to top of document

   ---

2. Search for TULANET Authority File (TULAF) records in Voyager:

   Use “Staff Name Headings Search,” “Staff Subject Headings Search” (if there is a good chance that the person or body may appear as a subject), “Staff Title Headings Search,” or “Staff Name/Title Headings Search,” as applicable.  (See also “Voyager Authority Searching.”)

   If you find:

   • Single authority record:
     • Heading that appears correct:  Accept the heading.  If necessary, edit your bib record heading to match.

       If you previously found a problematic LC/NACO record, bring the information to your trainer or to the Database Management/Authority Control Librarian.

     • Heading that appears problematic:  (see examples above, under step 1)

       Print record out.  Continue searching (step 3).

   • Multiple authority records:  Print them out; bring the information to your trainer or to the Database Management/Authority Control Librarian.

   • No authority record:  Continue searching (step 3).

   ---

   Return to top of document

   ---

3. Examine any bib records in Voyager:

   If you find:

   • Other bib record(s):
     • Heading form consistent with heading form already in your bib record 1xx, 240, or 7xx:  Accept the heading unless it looks highly suspect.  Create a Voyager authority record if appropriate.

     • Heading form(s) that conflict(s) with heading form already in your bib record 1xx, 240, or 7xx:  Print record(s) out.  Continue searching (step 4).

     • Heading not yet in your bib record:  Print record(s) out.  Continue searching (step 4).

   • No other bib records:
     • Heading already in your bib record:  Accept the heading unless it looks highly suspect.  Create a Voyager authority record if appropriate.

     • Heading not yet in your bib record:  Continue searching (step 4).

   ---

   Return to top of document

   ---

4. Examine any bib records in OCLC

   Use derived “4,3,” author search

   E.g.    hark,mar,

   unless it would result in an unmanageable number of headings.  If derived search is not manageable, use “fin au” keyword search, repeating “and au” before second and third elements of name.

   E.g.    fin au harkness and au marvin

   If you find:

   • Other bib record(s):
     • If you are trying to resolve a problem:  Print record(s) out; bring the information to your trainer or to the Database Management/Authority Control Librarian.

     • If you want to add a heading not yet present in your bib record:
       • Heading form consistent with usage form in your bib record 245 or 500:  Accept the heading unless it looks highly suspect.  Create a Voyager authority record if appropriate.

       • Heading form(s) that conflict(s) with usage form in your bib record:  Print record(s) out; bring the information to your trainer or to the Database Management/Authority Control Librarian.

   • No other bib records:
     • Heading already in your bib record:
       • If you are still trying to resolve a problem:  Bring the information to your trainer or to the Database Management/Authority Control Librarian.

       • If by now your problem has been resolved:  Based on the resolution, accept the heading in your bib record or edit it.  Create a Voyager authority record if appropriate.

     • Heading not yet in your bib record:
       • Personal name:
         • If personal name meets these criteria:
           • Standard “Western” name
           • Single surname
           • Showing up in only one form in your piece:

           Add heading to your bib record.  Base it on the usage form in your piece.  Arrange heading in standard form:

           Surname, First name or initial, any Middle name or initial

           E.g.    Harkness, Marvin C.

         • If personal name does not meet these criteria (i.e., it is not a standard “Western” name, a compound surname may be involved, or if you have variant forms in your piece):  Bring the information to your trainer or to the Database Management/Authority Control Librarian.

       • Corporate body name:  Bring the information to your trainer or to the Database Management/Authority Control Librarian.

       • Uniform title:  Bring the information to your trainer or to the Database Management/Authority Control Librarian.

HTML document last reviewed:  20 December 1999