SNACSchool 3.0

Module 1:

Introduction to Authority Control

Authority control is the process of establishing the preferred form of a heading, such as a proper name or subject, for use in a catalog, and ensuring that all catalog records use such headings.

Authority control is the process of establishing the preferred form of a heading, such as a proper name or subject, for use in a catalog, and ensuring that all catalog records use such headings.

Here’s an example for a corporate body name

Authority control also means applying standards to ensure consistency.

RDA (Resource Description and Access) for data content on name elements in SNAC.

EAC-CPF (Encoded Archival Context for Corporate Bodies, Persons, and Families) is the standard used in SNAC for data portability and sharing.

Pope, John Alexander, 1906-1982

International Business Machines Corporation

Hasbrouck (Family : New Paltz, N.Y.)

The Society of American Archivists defines authority control as ...

The preferred form of a heading is typically defined by a standard. Once established, the form is usually recorded in an authority file for future reference, along with cross-references from other forms of the heading, to ensure consistency.

-Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology (SAA)

Authority control ensures consistency across multiple applications and multiple repositories.

Archival authority records are similar to library authority records in that both forms of authority records need to support the creation of standardized access points in descriptions. The name of the creator of the unit of description is one of the most important of such access points. -ISAAR(CPF)

Example: Always search for Salinger, J. D. NOT Salinger, Jerome David

Where a number of repositories hold records from a given source they can more easily share or link contextual information about this source if it has been maintained in a standardized manner. -ISAAR(CPF)

What is archival authority control?Different from library authority data, archival authority data requires additional information about corporate bodies, persons, and families responsible for the creation, assembly, accumulation, and/or maintenance and use of the archival materials being described.

Creators of archival materials, as well as the materials themselves, must be described, and the EAC-CPF (Encoded Archival Context) allows for additional information not normally found in a library authority records.

Advantages of identifying and searching preferred name forms:

● Reduces duplication and error … one, agreed upon form is searched consistently● Documents relationships … facilitates consistent linking to other entities● Enhances access … search returns are more productive● Reduces maintenance … improved economy of shared authority data● Complex entity identification (i.e. name changes) … identifies variant forms/identities● Data exchange (data in common standard are easily shared) … MARC21, EAC-CPF, etc.

Why is an archival authority record useful?

● Captures useful information about archival creators● Maintained in a separate system of authority records● Makes linking records possible

What is an archival authority record?

An archival authority record, formed using the EAC-CPF standard, is a description of an entity … a corporate body, a person, or a family, associated with a body of archival materials, or other special collections. The controlled form of the entity name is used as an access point to a description of those records.

The archival authority record provides additional information and context for understanding how the entity created, used and maintained its archival materials. It also illustrates contextual relationships between two or more entities.

What types of information are required in an archival authority record?

1. Identity (name)

2. Description 3. Relationships 4. Control

Archival authority record exampleRuth Bader Ginsburg’s SNAC record provides her biographical information along with contextual links to original archival collections created by her, or archival materials about her. Her record also contains contextual links to other entities described in SNAC records.

We create archival authority records to describe entities, as creators and as subjects, and in the process, establish controlled headings for the entities ...

Corporate body entities:

Explorers Club (N.Y.)

John F. Kenndy (Aircraft Carrier)

National Park Service

United States. Embassy (Germany)

Baffin Island Expedition (1927)

White House Conference on Aging (1961)

Challenger (Spacecraft)

Olympic Games (16th : 1956 : Melbourne, Vic.)

United States. Army. 307th Infantry. Company C

Person entities:

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Chisholm, Shirley, 1924-2005

Tubman, Harriet, 1820?-1913

Mandela, Nelson, 1918-2013

Stanton, Elizabeth Cady, 1815-1902

King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968

Ride, Sally, 1951-2012

Kennedy, Robert F., 1925-1968

Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963

Family entities:

Truman (Family : Independence, Mo.)

Leonard (Family : Georgetown, S.C.)

Bacon (Family : Boston, Mass.)

Vanderbilt family

Bush (Family : Houston, Tex.)

Hoopes (Family : Reading, Pa.)

Kendrick (Family : Gaston County, N.C.)

Talmage family (McRae, Ga.)

Eastman (Family : Rochester, N.Y.)

What defines a corporate body name? (RDA Chapter 11)

A word, character, or group of words and/or characters by which a corporate body is known.

A body is considered to be a corporate body only if it is identified by a particular name and if it acts, or may act, as a unit. A particular name consists of words that are a specific appellation rather than a general description.

Typical examples of corporate bodies are associations, institutions, business firms, nonprofit enterprises, governments, government agencies, projects and programs, religious bodies, local church groups identified by the name of the church, and conferences. Ad hoc events (e.g., athletic contests, exhibitions, expeditions, fairs, and festivals) and vessels (e.g., ships and spacecraft) are considered to be corporate bodies.

What defines a corporate body name? (RDA Chapter 11)

When identifying corporate bodies, there are two categories of names:

1. preferred name for corporate body

2. variant name(s) for corporate body

What defines a person name?(RDA, Chapter 9)

A word, character, or group of words and/or characters by which a person is known.

Persons include persons named in sacred scriptures or apocryphal books, fictitious and legendary persons, and real non-human entities.

What defines a person name?(RDA, Chapter 9)

When identifying person names, there are two categories of names:

1. preferred name for the person

2. variant name(s) for the person

What defines a family name? (from RDA Chapter 10)

A word, character, or group of words and/or characters by which a family is known. When identifying families, there are two categories of names:1. preferred name for family2. variant name(s) for family

Devise a RDA-compliant heading for the entity you’ve chosen for today’s training.

1. Log in to your personal SNAC-dev account2. Search for your entity name with a standard search/advanced search3. Search for your entity name with a browse search4. When you determine that the name does not exist, formulate a heading

a. Last name, comma, first name, middle initial, middle name, life yearsb. Use any source for these name entry elements; the best place to start is the finding aid

and/or catalog description of a person’s archival collection, personal papers, etc.c. Remember to look for variant names; nicknames, nom de plume, initialisms, etc.

The instructor’s example will be polar explorer Isaac Schlossbach.

Commander Isaac Schlossbach Personal Papers, 1928 - 1973These records contain the personal papers of Commander Isaac Schlossbach, primarily relating to his participation in Admiral Richard E. Byrd's First Antarctic Expedition, 1928-1930. The photographs in the collection are of the expedition and are dated from 1928-1930. Also within the records is a 41-page transcript of an interview with Commander Schlossbach covering his life and career by John T. Mason, Jr., Director of Oral History, U.S. Naval Institute, recorded at Annapolis, Maryland, June 17, 1969. Also included is a copy of a published oral interview done with Commander Schlossbach by Amory H. Waite during the Summer of 1972.

From the information provided, devise a preferred heading. If warranted, establish variant heading(s) from this and other sources.

Sources for names and name elements …

Citations in SNAC: Sources and Format

Schlossbach, Isaac, 1891-1984 <preferred name>● Last name and first name based on the name in archives collection title● Life years found in Schlossbach’s Findagrave.com memorial

Schlossbach, Ike, 1891-1984 <variant name / non-preferred name>● information found in Schlossbach’s Wikipedia article