Technical Services Procedures
Procedures - Copy cataloging: Name authority procedures for copy catalogers
Page Editor: Leah Black
Last Updated: February 13, 2006
EDITING authority records for the MSU Libraries catalog is handled by DataCat or Cataloging and Metadata Services.
NAME AUTHORITY PROCEDURES:
1. For simple names, no authority searching is needed.
2. Search the online catalog for a name-authority record if the name on the bibliographic record is a compound name, if a subfield q is present in the name entry, and/or if the name represents an author with a lit number.
3. For compound names and name entries containing subfield q, use the form of name as established in the online catalog authority record.
If no online catalog authority record is located, search the OCLC authority file. If a record is located in OCLC, DataCat will find the heading on the "new headings list" and add the OCLC authority record to the online catalog. You need not do anything unless you wish to add additional cross-references (see examples below).
If no authority record is located either in the online catalog or OCLC, accept the entry as present in the bibliographic record. Complete an authority workform with cross-reference to any alternate form(s) of name from the piece (see examples below).
If the online catalog authority record needs cross references, complete a name authority update form (see examples below).
For |q names, if the heading on the bibliographic record is
Siebert, S. M. |q Sara Margaret
And the online catalog authority record lists
Siebert, Sara M.
An update form should be submitted to add a 400 heading to the online catalog authority
Siebert, Sara Margaret
For compound names, if the heading on the bibliographic record is
Smith-Jones, Mary
And the online catalog authority record lists
Smith, Mary
Check the OCLC authority.
If OCLC shows Smith, Mary as the authorized form, change the heading in the bib record to match.
If OCLC shows the hyphenated name as the authorized form, leave the bib record heading as is and complete a name-authority update form to change the online catalog authority to match OCLC. Include a cross-reference for
Jones, Mary Smith
If no OCLC authority is present, change the bib record name heading to match the online catalog authority.
4. Procedures for authors with lit numbers (classes PC, PG, PJ, PH, PL, PQ, PR, PS, and PT)
A "lit number" is considered to be the |a portion of an 050, 053, or 090 bib record field. Technical Services policy is to use lit numbers established by the Library of Congress.
Always check both the online catalog and OCLC for authorities for literary authors. Use the lit number appearing in the 090 field of the online catalog authority record unless there is a discrepancy between the online catalog authority lit number and the OCLC authority lit number.
Lit number discrepancies can occur when a literary work has been cataloged locally before the Library of Congress has established the lit number for that author. When discrepancies are identified it is necessary to notify DataCat so that the correct lit number to be used for current cataloging can be included in the online catalog authority record and a decision made regarding possible reclassing of existing books in the collection by the same author. Ignore Special Collections locations when identifying lit number discrepancies.
For current cataloging follow these guidelines for literary works:
If no lit number is present on the OCLC authority record use the lit number from the online catalog authority.
If a lit number is present in the OCLC authority and it is different from the lit number in the online catalog authority record, use the OCLC lit number and complete a name authority update form. Specify that there is a lit number discrepancy.
If the online catalog authority record does not include a lit number and an authority record with lit number is found in OCLC, use the OCLC lit number for cataloging. Complete a name authority update form indicating the 090 lit number to add to the online catalog authority record.
If no authority record is found in the online catalog or OCLC, use the lit number appearing on the OCLC bibliographic record. Complete an authority workform for a new author including the lit call number and submit the form to DataCat for processing as a new authority record.
If no authority record is found in the online catalog or OCLC (or the online catalog and OCLC authorities lack a lit number) and no call number is present in the record, refer to your team's "no call number" procedure.
If the OCLC authority record shows 2 different lit numbers for a multi-lingual author, use the number appropriate for the language of the piece. If the online catalog authority record for the author does not include both lit numbers, complete an authority update form.