# Presentation: 186932

## Library of Congress Authoritieson the Web:Accessing Authority Records via the LC Online CatalogALA Annual Conference 2002

- Library of Congress Authoritieson the Web:Accessing Authority Records via the LC Online CatalogALA Annual Conference 2002

- Ann Della Porta
-  Integrated Systems Office, Library of Congress

**Notes:**
     This is a demonstration of the new Web Authorities, implemented July 1, 2002 by the Library of Congress.  My name is Ann Della Porta.  I am Assistant Coordinator of the Integrated Library System Program Office at LC.
Introduction
	Since the Library of Congress implemented its integrated library system in August of 1999, we have received many comments about the fact that LC’s name and subject authority records were no longer available from our online catalog.  Some of you may recall that our legacy system, MUMS, did provide technical services librarians with the ability to search and download authority records in the full MARC character set for use in their own databases.  We also provided Z39.50 access to authority records.  Today I’m pleased to announce that once again librarians will be able to access LC authority data via the Web for use in their own catalogs.  The Web Authorities feature will make full MARC 21 authority records available to users outside the Library of Congress.  These records will be available for free for searching, saving, printing and emailing.

## LC Authority Data on the Web

- What’s in the LC Database
- How to search for authority records
- Navigating displays in the Web
- View, save, & email features
- Future capabilities
- Questions?

**Notes:**
Agenda
	In the 30 minutes we have today, I’d like to give you some background on the authority data in the LC Database; give instructions on how to search via the Web Authorities feature; show you how to navigate the headings displays, authority lists, and record displays; as well as view, save and email individual authority records; talk about the the features that we expect to make available in the future; and still have time for your questions at the end.

## LC Authority Data on the Web

- LC’s Database:
- 12 million bib records
- 5 million LC authority records
- national authority file (NAF) +
- LCSH

**Notes:**
	I’d like to start with a brief description of the data that reside in the LC Database or LCDB.  There are approximately 12 million bibliographic records in the LC Database.  They represent everything that the Library, has, had or will have in its collections.  There are about 5.5 million authority records in the LC Database. These authority records can generally be separated into two categories-- subject authority records and name authority records.
     As you’ll see, not all access points on bib records in our database have corresponding authority records.  There are several reasons for this:
The 12 million bibliographic records in our database were created over the course of the Library’s history.  Many of these records are not AACR2 and authority records for their access points may only exist on manual cards in our old Official Catalog.  Although we converted many of our manual authority records to MARC records in the 70’s and 80’s, not all manual authority records are represented in the LC Database.  I should note that all subject authority records in the Library of Congress Subject Headings or LCSH are in the LC Database.
Another reason you won’t see authority data for every string in access points, is that our current policy does not call for every subject heading with a free-floating subdivision to be represented by an authority record in our catalog.  Some examples would be Twain, Mark, 1835-1910 – Homes and haunts or Twain, Mark, 1835-1910 – Humor.
The same applies to titles.  For example, works about the magazine entitled the New Yorker do not have an associated authority record for that title.
So don’t expect to find an authority record for every access point.  Of course, as LC catalogers add new bib records, they are creating authority records for new headings according to the current policies I’ve described.

## LC Subject Authority Records

- 260,000 subject authority records
- LCSH & Annotated Card Program records
- 2,300 subject subdivision records not available July 1, 2002

**Notes:**
     Subjects:
	LC subject authority records contain headings that are valid Library of Congress Subject Headings and headings valid for the Annotated Card Program, which provides cataloging tailored to the needs of children and young adults.  Both LCSH and AC headings and references are part of the controlled vocabulary that LC maintains using an editorial process that’s designed to ensure the integrity of the syndetic structure of LCSH.
     You will also be able to see proposed subject headings.  That is subject headings that have been proposed by LC catalogers or participants in the Subject Authority Cooperative program (SACO).  These headings can be identified in two ways: 1) the LCCN has the prefix “sp”; and 2) the bracketed term “proposed” appears at the end of heading string. 
	There are about 260,000 thousand subject authority records in LC’s database.  All LC subject authority records have been loaded in LC’s Database.  That includes about 2,300 records for subject subdivisions, but subdivision records will not be available via the Web Authorities feature when we implement on July 1.

## LC Name Authority Records

- Ca. 5.5 million name authority records
- personal names
- corporate bodies, incl. meetings
- geographic places, i.e., jurisdictions
- uniform titles, incl. series

**Notes:**
 Names:
     The rest of the 5+ million authority records in LC’s database are name authority records.  That is, authorized forms of headings for: persons; corporate bodies (which include meetings); jurisdictions (that is, geographic places that meet the AACR2 definition of a corporate body); and uniform titles (which include series authority records).
     LC catalogers have created most of these authority records, but over a million name authority records were contributed by NACO participants.  There are over 300 institutions in the U.S. and abroad that are members of the Name Authority Cooperative Program, which is part of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging or PCC. By the way, LC catalogers add about 100,000 new authority records each year.  The NACO libraries contribute more than 125,000 new authority records per year.  So over  200,000 new name authority records are added to the LC Database each year. 
     Name authority records constitute what is commonly referred to as the national authority file.  OCLC, RLG and the British Library maintain copies of that file.  As copy-holding participants in NACO, these sites have agreed to serve as nodes for the contribution and distribution of name authority records on a daily basis.
[click on next slide]
 This is a simplified picture of the contribution/distribution process. Subject authority records are not part of this process. Each day, the three nodes FTP files of new and changed name authority records to LC to load into our database.  LC then distributes all those records from the NACO participants along with all the name authority records added or changed by LC catalogers.  In this way, the copies of the national authority are synchronized with the master copy of the NAF at LC within 48 hours.  That is, the copies are identical with the exception of additions, changes, or deletions made during the previous 48 hour period.

## NACO Contribution/Distribution

- LC DB

- OCLC

- RLIN

- BL

- Distribution to
-  OCLC, RLG, BL

**Notes:**
     These contribution files arrive at LC each morning via FTP, which means that records created in the bibliographic utilities by NACO libraries on a Monday are put in a queue and delivered to LC on the following Tuesday morning.
[LC then splits each file into two smaller distinct files: one for new name authority records and another for changed name authority records.  The new records are bulk imported into the LC Database using a duplicate detection profile to ensure that LC Control Numbers (010 fields) are not duplicated in our database.  The changed records are processed and bulk imported to merge with existing records if the 005 field on the incoming records also matches the 005 field on the record in the database.  Because the 005 field contains the date and time (down to a tenth of a second) of the latest transaction, it ensures that the change coming into the database has used the latest version of the record in the master copy of the name authority file at LC.  This way no information is lost because a change to an earlier version will not overlay a later version.  Those of you who are NACO participants may have received notices from the utilities that your records failed contribution for this reason.  Of course you can re-submit a change.
     So now all Monday’s records are in the LC Database and are part of the master copy of the LC NAF.  But we must distribute the NACO contributed records together with the LC-generated authorities out to all the copy-holding participants.  So we export all the day’s authority transactions, in one distribution file, which we send to all three sites via FTP.  The export process happens overnight so that the distribution files are usually loaded by by our NACO partners the following morning.  This means that the records loaded into the LC Database on Tuesday are distributed overnight and available on Wednesday.  That is how we maintain the national authority file within LC and among our partners.]
     And of course LC’s Cataloging Distribution Service, or CDS, also makes LC’s authority data available to its customers via the MARC Distribution Services. CDS is announcing its new fee-based service called Classification Web, which provides Web access to Library of Congress Classification and LC Subject Headings at this conference.

## LC Authority Data on the Web

- Address for Web Authorities:
-  _authorities.loc.gov_

**Notes:**
And here’s the address: authorities.loc.gov
     This address will take you to the Library of Congress Online Catalog Web Authorities interface.  You will be searching the same database that is presented in our Web OPAC at catalog.loc.gov.  The LC Web OPAC and Web Authorities are two different interfaces to the same Library of Congress Database.  This is the live database that LC staff use for creating and updating bibliographic and authority records.  It represents the most current forms of headings for records in the national authority file.  

## LC Authority Data on the Web

- Pilot project to begin July 1, 2002
- Comments welcome at
- _[Ils@loc.gov](mailto:Ils@loc.gov)_
- Limited access during peak hours

**Notes:**
     Please note that this is a pilot project.  We’re making this feature available on a trial basis beginning July 1, 2002. LC is eager to hear from users of this new feature and will consider user feedback in evaluating the pilot.  Please send comments to: ils@loc.gov 
     Due to the high volume of users in the LC Online Catalog, the Library of Congress currently limits simultaneous access to the LC Database in order to ensure system performance for public users and staff.  These limits will also apply to users of the Web Authorities feature.  The LC Online Catalog has proven so popular that it is often the case that all connections are in use between 10:00am and 2:00pm (Eastern Time), Monday through Friday.  We are aware how frustrating this is for our users and we are working to increase the number of simultaneous external users. 
      Please note that this feature will be available on Monday, July 1st, 2002.

## authorities.loc.gov

**Notes:**
     This is the welcome screen to the LC Web Authorities feature.  I think that my colleagues on the LC Public Catalog Technical Group have done a beautiful job in designing this interface.
In case you’re wondering, this is an image of Justice, taken from one of the panels in the Great Hall of the Library’s Jefferson Building. 
     This interface is different from the LC Online Catalog welcome screen that you see when you go to the address catalog.loc.gov.  
It’s still the same database, just a different view.  We’ve refined this interface to make search and retrieval of authority record as efficient as possible.  If at any time you decide that you really want to look at bibliographic records and holdings, you can get to the catalog.loc.gov interface by clicking here on Library of Congress Online Catalog either at the bottom of this page or in the upper right hand corner of any search display, as you’ll see.
     To get get to authority records just click on “begin searching.”

**Notes:**
     There are four index choices for searching authority records and each has accompanying “search tips” on this screen:
Subject Authority Headings 
     Authority records for all name headings as well as subject headings can be retrieved via this index.  An authority record that’s coded as appropriate for use as a subject added entry will be listed in the subject headings display.  So personal and corporate names as well as titles are included along with subject headings.
Name Authority Headings
     Authority records for all personal names  and corporate bodies, including geographic headings for jurisdictions can be retrieved via this index.
Title Authority Headings
     Authority records for all title headings, that is, uniform titles entered under title, can be retrieved via this index.  This includes series authority records.
Name/Title Authority Headings
    Authority records for name/title headings, that is uniform titles entered under a name can be retrieved via this index. 
     All of these searches are browsable, so you can move up and down within these headings displays as I’ll show you in a minute.
     There is no keyword searching of authority data and you cannot search by LCCN (LC Control Number).

**Notes:**
     There is a wealth of information in the Help Pages.  The help screens provide extensive instruction about what’s in the LC Database, searching for authority records and interpreting search results.

**Notes:**
I’ll do a name authority headings search for oxford. 

**Notes:**
     Here you can see a typical OPAC headings display, with a new set of icons in the “number” (#) column.  In the headings column you can see the authorized form from the authority record (or from the bib record if there is no authority).
     It’s important to note that although you can see the number of bib records that are associated with a heading (in the second column), you cannot view bib records via the Web Authorities interface.  If you want to look at the bib records, you’ll have to leave this interface by clicking on the LC Online Catalog link in the upper right hand corner.
     As I said before, not all access points on our bib records have corresponding authority records.  That’s why you don’t see the “authorized heading” icon for the first heading here.  We have no name authority record for “oxford” alone.
     You also see headings that have no associated bib records.  When we requested this feature from the vendor, we specified that all authority records had to be available to our users and we knew that would result in hits that had no associated bib records.  Because LC has responsibility for maintaining the national authority file, we’re accustomed to having authority records in our database without corresponding bib records.  We believe that most users of the web authorities feature will be technical services librarians who will accept the fact that we have blind headings and references.
     In the fourth or rightmost column you can see the type of heading: corporate name; personal name; meeting name; etc.  The type will vary by index.

## LC Authority Data on the Web

- Authority icons
- Authorized Heading
- References
- Notes
- Auth/Ref
- Auth/Note
- Authorized/Refs & Notes

**Notes:**
  Before we do more searches, I’d like to explain the 6 icons you’ll see that indicate that there is some type of authority data associated with a heading listed in the browse display.
     Authorized Heading means that there is an authority record with that form in the 1XX field.
     References indicates that there is a cross reference leading to another heading.
     Notes indicates that there is a note, usually a scope note with more information, from an authority record.
     Auth/Ref indicates that there is an established heading in a 1XX field on an authority record and also a reference leading to another heading.
     Auth/Note indicates that there is an established heading with a note, such as a scope note.
     Authorized/Ref & Notes tells you that there is an established heading in a 1XX field on an authority record; a reference leading to another heading, as well as a note.
     Remember that if there is no icon, there are no authority data associated with that heading.

**Notes:**
  Going back to our oxford search you see two of the icons I mentioned.
Let’s click on the icon for the Oxford & Cambridge Musical Club.

**Notes:**
   This is the next display that leads you to the authorized form listed here as a 1XX.  If I click on that heading ...

**Notes:**
I go directly to the authority record.  We have two displays for individual authority records.  
The first tab is the MARC Display.  It is the default and shows the full MARC 21 authority record.

**Notes:**
     The second tab “Labelled Display” shows the authority record labelled in natural language that describes each field.
     At the bottom of both displays you have the option to save,print or email individual authority records.  Note that it isn’t possible to select multiple records for saving, printing or emailing in a group.  Just click on the option you want.
     One other caveat, especially for those of you who work with materials in languages other than English, is that the display and save feature does not utilize the full MARC 21 character set.  It’s only Latin 1.

     So now I’ve shown you the two displays of an individual authority record and how to get authority records for your own catalog, I’d like to do more searches to demonstrate how to navigate the search displays.

## LC Authority Data on the Web

- Authority icons
- Authorized Heading
- References
- Notes
- Auth/Ref
- Auth/Note
- Authorized/Refs & Notes

**Notes:**
   Remember the six icons?  Let’s do another search so that you can see examples of each.
     Authorized Heading means that there is an authority record with that form in the 1XX field.
     References indicates that there is a cross reference leading to another heading.
     Notes indicates that there is a note, usually a scope note with more information, from an authority record.
     Auth/Ref indicates that there is an established heading in a 1XX field on an authority record and also a reference leading to another heading.
     Auth/Note indicates that there is an established heading with a note, such as a scope note.
     Authorized/Ref & Notes tells you that there is an established heading in a 1XX field on an authority record; a reference leading to another heading, as well as a note.
     Remember that if there is no icon, there are no authority data associated with that heading.

**Notes:**
  I’m going to search on oxford again.

**Notes:**
And click on the “references” icon.

**Notes:**
Here you see the options I have.  I can click on the Authority record lick and go directly to the authority record.  Or I can click on the “see” reference, which will execute another search, this time on the authorized form.

**Notes:**
Here you see the results of that search and the authorized heading.

**Notes:**
This time let’s do a subject authority headings search on “gardening.” 

**Notes:**
Here you see a new icon in the left column that shows you there are references and a scope note in addition to the authorized form on an authority record.
     I’d also like to point out the “type of heading” in the right hand column.  Because this was a subject heading search, you see the various types of subject headings that LC has in its database: LCSH, LC Subject Headings for Children (or AC headings); national Agricultural Library subject headings; Thesaurus for Graphic Material; and we also have some subject access points that are coded as not applicable.
    Let’s click on the Authorized/Refs & Notes icon.

**Notes:**
This is a picture of a part of the display.  Note that you can click on the scope note ...

**Notes:**
That says “Here are entered works on the practical operations in the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and ornamental plants.”

**Notes:**
Back to the Reference Information display.  You can see that the listing of narrower terms looks like it’s sorted alphabetically.

**Notes:**
But if you scroll down you see at the bottom that the list is actually in random order with “Hillside gardening” and “Native plant gardening” listed after “Winter gardening.”
     I also want to pint out that at the top we have a see also reference to “Horticulture.”   You can click on any of these headings to search on these terms. 
    Note that this software does not currently have the capability to display both broader and narrower terms. 

**Notes:**
Here’s a name heading search taken from the rules ... Jackson, Laura Riding is a pseudonym.

**Notes:**
We can click on the Authorized/Refs & Notes button ...

**Notes:**
  Here we have the option to select the authority record, just the scope note, or launch a name heading search on any one of the other pseudonyms.

**Notes:**
I clicked on the 1XX to get to the authority record, but I could still chose to go to one of the other headings from this display.

**Notes:**
Here’s the MARC display showing most of the authority record.

**Notes:**
Here’s the rest of the record in the MARC display.

**Notes:**
In the Labelled Display the see also references are hotlinked and I can click on any of them to launch another name heading search.  Here I’ll click on the link for Rich, Barbara

**Notes:**
And you can see the results of that search.

**Notes:**
If I click on the scope note you can see that this particular author writes under several pseudonyms herself, but she also writes together with another author under the pseudonym Barbara Rich.

**Notes:**
	I’d like to continue with some title searches.  I’ll do a title authority heading search for geological. 

**Notes:**
In the headings list you can see that both the non-series title and the series title have the icon that shows authority data are available.  Both these icons lead you to the same authority record.

**Notes:**
Here you can see the difference in the labelled display for the series authority record with the title “Geological Association of Canada special paper.”  The heading has square brackets.  This is a bug that we have reported to the vendor.

**Notes:**
I’d like to do a staff name/title headings search on Dvoák, Antonín 1841-1904 to find the name authority record for one of his works.  

**Notes:**
I can click on any of the “Reference” icons to get to the authority record ...

**Notes:**
I click on “authority record” ...

**Notes:**
And click again to get to the authority record.

**Notes:**
In this labelled display you can see the complete authority record for the name/title uniform title.  You can also see that the full MARC 21 character set is not available.  The hacek over the “r” in Dvorak and the “c” in perlicky are missing.

## LC Authority Data on the Web

- Next steps
- Z39.50
- MARC 21 character set
- subject subdivision records

**Notes:**
Our next steps
     We’re eager to complete the implementation of the Web Authorities feature and we look forward to being able to provide Z39.50 access to our authority data, as well as the full MARC 21 character set, along with all of our subject subdivision records.
      I can’t tell you right now when that will happen.  But we are working with Endeavor Information Systems, Inc., our ILS vendor, to refine the Web Authorities feature, so that all our MARC 21 authority records can be searched, displayed, printed, downloaded, and accessed via Z39.50.

## LC Authority Data on the Web

- Questions?
- authorities.loc.gov
- Comments to: ils@loc.gov
- Presentation available at:
- _[www.loc.gov/](http://www.loc.gov/ils)__[ils](http://www.loc.gov/ils)_

**Notes:**
     I’d be happy to answer any questions that you have.
On the screen you see a reminder about the address that will be available on July 1 of this year: authorities.loc.gov
We will be seeking comments on this new feature when it becomes available.  You can send us your feedback at this address: ils@loc.gov
This PowerPoint presentation will be available next week on the ILS Program Office’s public homepage at the address on the bottom.