Introduction to Authority Control at Yale

1. Introduction toAuthority Control at Yale July 16, 2007

2. Outline • Overview • NACO • SACO • MARS/ExportQ • Voyager

3. 1. Overview

4. Authority control terminology • authority control: ideal state for the headings in a library catalog • authority work: activities that help to achieve goal of authority control • authority record: place to record info about a heading (name, subject, series, etc.) • authority file: collection of authority records

5. Authority control • each name, subject, series, etc., in the catalog has a unique form of heading • unique heading recorded in an authority record (1xx) • cross references for forms not used (4xx) • cross references for related headings (5xx)

6. Authority record

7. Why authority control important? • improved searching for patrons and staff • only one search needed to retrieve all items by a particular author, etc. • cross references guide users to correct headings and show related headings • similar headings (representing different persons, etc.) are differentiated rather than lumped together

8. Why not use keyword searching? • many keywords needed for comprehensive search: • words in different languages • variant spellings (English vs. American) • synonyms • grammatical variations (singular vs. plural) • typically, no obvious order to search results

9. Authority control problems (1) • authority work is time-consuming (and thus expensive) • not enough resources to control all headings in the catalog • must prioritize • which kinds of authority work to pursue • which headings will receive most attention • helpful to automate some processes

10. Authority control problems (2) • authority files are dynamic • new authority records are continually added • old authority records are frequently revised • libraries need ways to: • get new and changed authority records • do retrospective bib heading cleanup

11. Many kinds of authority work ... • Cataloging staff: • validation of headings in bib records in Orbis • authority record creation through NACO/SACO • Authority Control Librarian: • oversee automated processing of bib record headings using authorities service (MARS) • authority record deletions • retrospective bib heading cleanup in Orbis • IS&P (Systems) staff: • oversee MARS authority/bib record loads in Orbis

12. Subject thesauri used at Yale • LCSH (subjects) • MESH (subjects; accept on copy but don’t assign) • AAT (form/genre) • GSAFD (form/genre) • GMGTC (form/genre) • LCTGM (form/genre) • RBMS thesauri (form/genre)

13. Local Yale subject headings • aka “Special Collections Subjects” in OPAC • assigned in 69X fields, mostly by special collections units • often use a combination of authorized name + local subdivision • ask before using new ones! http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/authorities/69X.html

14. Where is Yale documentation? • “Authority Control at Yale” website: http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/authorities/

15. 2. NACO

16. What is NACO? • Name Authority Cooperative Program • overseen by Library of Congress • part of larger Program for Cooperative Cataloging • allows catalogers to contribute authority records to the national authority file • authority records are shared by catalogers throughout the world

17. Before NACO... • only Library of Congress could create authority records for national authority file • Yale created authority records only in Orbis • other libraries created authority records in their local catalogs • no way of sharing authority records and everyone used different forms of headings

18. Yale’s NACO process • create our NACO records in OCLC “save file” • OCLC sends them to the Library of Congress • LC distributes them widely (OCLC, RLIN, BL, CDS, etc.) • receive authority records for Orbis through the MARS service and for LCDB through the vendor Peter Ward • IS&P loads new authority records weekly

19. Yale’s NACO history • limited NACO participation before 1996 • names training by LC: 1996 • series training by LC: 1999, 2003 • all training now done locally by Authority Control Librarian

20. Reasons for expanding our NACO participation • keep Orbis authority file synchronized with national file • improve catalogers’ skills • cooperate with other libraries in shared catalog environment

21. NACO administration at Yale • NACO Coordinating Committee (NCC) • reports to Cataloging Coordinating Council • oversees NACO record review, documentation, policy recommendations, communication • monthly meetings • minutes posted on web site http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/authorities/ncc.html

22. NACO communication at Yale • YUL-NACO discussion list http://mailman.yale.edu/pipermail/yul-naco/

23. NACO training: LC vs. Yale • LC = 5 full days of name training • LC = 3 full days of series training • LC = large class size • Yale = spread out over multiple weeks • Yale = greater customization possible • Yale = smaller class size

24. Upcoming NACO Training • Last names training done in June 2007 • Next training session coming soon! • Usually use SCML classroom at Mudd Library

25. How to prepare for training (1) • save examples of headings that lack authority records • for each heading, save: • bib record print-out or ID# • photocopy of page(s) in item where the name appears (including variant forms) • photocopy of page(s) in reference source containing biographical information

26. How to prepare for training (2) • review in Cataloger’s Desktop: • AACR2 chapters 21-26 & LCRIs • MARC21 for Authority Data • NACO Participants’ Manual • review on Yale website: • Authority Control Workflow for Catalog Librarians http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/authorities/acworkflow.htm

27. For more information • NACO section of the “Authority Control at Yale” website http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/authorities/names.html

28. NACO questions?

29. Part 3: SACO

30. What is SACO? • Subject Authority Cooperative Program • part of Program for Cooperative Cataloging • overseen by Library of Congress • allows catalogers to propose new subject headings for LCSH (and changes to existing subject authority records) • all proposals must be approved by LC

31. Yale’s SACO history • informal and infrequent participation • local documentation first issued 2002 • started conducting local LCSH training for catalogers in 2004; repeated in 2005, 2006 • SACO Coordinating Committee formed 2005

32. SACO administration at Yale • SACO Coordinating Committee (SCC) • reports to Cataloging Coordinating Council • oversees SACO record review, documentation, policy recommendations, communication • infrequent meetings on “as needed” basis • minutes posted on web site http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/authorities/scc.html

33. Before proposing a heading… • review in Cataloger’s Desktop: • Subject Cataloging Manual • MARC21 for Authority Data • SACO Participants’ Manual • review on Yale website: • “SACO + Subjects” links http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/authorities/subjects.html • SACO Workflow http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/authorities/sacoworkflow.htm

34. List of Yale SACO headings • Examples: • East Rock Park (New Haven, Conn.) • ENIAC (Computer) • Male language (Ethiopia)  • Papal States--History--Paul V, 1605-1621. • Waterphone (Musical instrument) http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/authorities/saco.htm

35. SACO questions?

36. 4. MARS/ExportQ

37. What is MARS? • MARC Record Service • automated authority control service • corrects headings in bib records • sends matching authority records • sends authority record updates • sends reports (many!)

38. Why do we use MARS? • to “clean up” incorrect and obsolete headings in bib records • to eliminate need for staff to import authority records manually • to keep Yale authority file current

39. MARS history • developed by the Washington Library Network (WLN) • owned by OCLC 2000-2004 • owned by Backstage Library Works since late 2004 • Yale used another authority control service (OCLC ACS) from 1997-2000

40. MARS administration at Yale • Authority Control Advisory Committee (ACAC) • reports to CCC • oversees testing, documentation, policy recommendations • monthly meetings • minutes posted on web site http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/authorities/acac.htm

41. How does MARS work? • staff use ExportQ program to flag finished bib records for export to MARS • IS&P extracts flagged bib records on weekly basis and sends to MARS • MARS processes and returns records • IS&P loads returned records back into Orbis (overlaying original records)

42. How long does it take? • usually less than one week • bib records sent to MARS each Sunday night • bib records loaded back into Orbis by Friday • matching authority records also loaded weekly

43. While records are at MARS... • ExportQ window displays red warning • ExportQ icon flashes in system tray • must not edit, suppress, or delete any bib record that is out for MARS processing • okay to edit holdings and item records

44. Who needs to use ExportQ? • anyone who “finishes” the cataloging for bibliographic records • anyone who edits, suppresses, or deletes “finished” bibliographic records • staff who only work with in-process records, order records, or records for items going to a backlog do not need ExportQ

45. When you “finish” a bib record... • use ExportQ to flag your record for export to the appropriate utilities and to MARS • most units = send to RLIN, OCLC, and MARS • nonroman units = send to OCLC and MARS • select your export destinations and click “send”

46. Keep in mind... • red warning won’t appear immediately after you “send” the record for export • warning only appears when IS&P does the real export (usually the following week) • okay to make further changes to the bib record before real export happens

47. If you edit “finished” records... • check the ExportQ window or icon before you start to edit, suppress, or delete a “finished” bib record • if you see a red warning message or the icon is flashing, stop! • come back to the record in a few days after the warning has disappeared

48. If you ignore ExportQ warning… • any changes you make will get overlaid when the record returns from MARS and is loaded back into Orbis • if you suppress the record, it will revert back to unsuppressed • if you delete the record, a new one will load • don’t do it!!!

49. How can I tell if record is back from MARS? • ExportQ warning message will no longer display • bib record “History” tab will say “MARSBIB” and show date of record overlay

50. For more information • MARS section of the “Authority Control at Yale” website http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/authorities/mars.html • ExportQ section of the “Authority Control at Yale” website http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/authorities/exportq.html