Authority Work Procedures:
Verifying and Establishing Headings

Summary of Interim Procedures for OCLC-Member Copy Authority Work


Document sections

Introduction Searching steps


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:


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Searching steps

1.  LC/NACO authority file 3.  Voyager bib file
2.  Voyager authority file 4.  OCLC bib file

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

    If you find:


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  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:


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  3. Examine any bib records in Voyager:

    If you find:


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  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:


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Draft, 7 December 1999; rev. draft 20 December 1999

HTML document last reviewed:  20 December 1999