Name Authorities Metadata Working Group, November 15, 2013

Chew Chiat Naun

Context

A few things to remember about the library authority file:• Ostensibly comprehensive (though obviously

not really)• Cataloguers function as third party• Access by filing order

Headings vs identifiers

PCC Undifferentiated Names report• Use of identifiers• Potential to simplify rules• Implications for good practice

Qualifiers vs attributes

• RDA separates attributes from headings• Attributes seen as information in their own right

References vs relationships

• Authority files started life as cross-reference structures with two basic kinds of relationships: see and see-also.

• RDA drastically expands the range of relationships.

• Not just the names, but also the relationships need to be controlled.

References vs relationships

MARC under strain, e.g. with multiple related identities

100 1# $w r $i Alternate identity: $a Orwell, George, $d 1903-1950400 1# $w r $i Real identity: $a Blair, Eric Arthur, $d 1903-1950

Silos vs mashups

• Even expansion of relationships under RDA is not enough.

• Do you still try to fit everything in a single scheme, or mix and match?

Questions?