Archival Name Authority in a Library Setting

1

• Archival Name Authority in a Library Setting
• Susan Hamburger, Ph.D.
• Manuscripts Cataloging Librarian
• Penn State University Libraries
• SAA session 707 Making a Contribution Archives
  Catalogers Participation in NACO and SACO
• August 20, 2005

2
Background

• Archivist and Librarian
• Catalog archival and manuscript collections
• Create name authority headings
• Review and approve other catalogers name
  authority headings
• Organization
• Six format-based teams
• Internal review process

3
Archivist as Reviewer

• Name authority and standards proponent
• Experience searching Library of Congress
  Authority File (LCAF)
• Natural editor
• Understand AACR2 rules
• NACO training
• Volunteer

4
The Penn State Experience

• Review from email list of Save File numbers
• Accept batches of ten names
• Reviewing workload
• Shared among several staff
• Increased as productivity increased
• More manuscripts cataloged more NACO headings
  created

5
The Penn State Experience

• Maintaining productivity and interest
• Additional staff trained
• One-on-one consultation
• Refresher training
• Unmatched headings reports
• Outside vendor (OCLC/MARS)
• 2 staff (part-time duties) do maintenance

6
The Penn State Experience

• Workflow to creating name authorities
• Special Collections staff gives to Manuscripts
  Cataloger to catalog
• Finding aids
• Small, foldered collections
• Manuscripts Cataloger catalogs from finding aids,
  boxed collections she processes, and small,
  foldered collections, and creates authority
  records
• Special Collections Cataloging Team catalogs and
  create authority records

7
The Penn State Experience

• OCLC Connexion (new)
• Search in new window while bibliographic record
  is open
• Click button Edit Control Headings Single
• Searches LCAF automatically
• Inserts correct heading

• OCLC Passport (old)
• Separate logon to LCAF
• Search LCAF
• Cut and paste heading

8
The Penn State Experience

• Connexion (new)
• Creating LCAF
• Put cursor on 1xx
• Click on Tools Macros Manage OCLC
  Generate Authority Record - Run
• Imports name and title
• Finish manually

• Passport (old)
• Creating LCAF
• Set up macro to import name and title
• Finish manually

9
The Penn State Experience

• Authority records
• Decision to create
• Discretion of each cataloger
• No conflict with established heading
• Our responsibility for authors we collect and
  Penn State related names
• Likelihood of contributing useful name
• For other Penn State collections
• For others use outside Penn State
• Decision not to create
• Obscure, minor, local person
• Never published anything
• No conflict with established heading
• No substantive information about him/her

10
Researching Names

• General
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
• American National Biography
• Biography and Genealogy Master Index (BGMI)
• Encyclopedia Britannica
• Who's Who in . . .
• Oxford Guide to . . .
• Cambridge Guide to . . .
• Literary
• Contemporary Authors
• Dictionary of Literary Biography

11
Researching Names

• Musicians
• New Grove Dictionary of Music Online
• Artists
• Union List of Artists Names Online
  http//www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/
  vocabularies/ulan/
• Dictionary of Art 34 vol. (Gale, 1996)
• Bénézits Dictionnaire Critique et Documentaire
  des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs de Tous
  les Temps et de Tous le Pays 4th ed. 14 vol.
  (Paris, 1999)
• Artist Biographies Master Index (Gale, 1986)

12
Researching Names

• Architects
• Brief Biographies of American Architects Who Died
  Between 1897 and 1947 http//www.sah.org/old
  site06012004/aame/bioint.html
• Photographers (from SAA Visual Materials Section
  Web page gwpdb)
• Macmillan Biographical Encyclopedia of
  Photographic Artists  Innovators
• International Guide to Nineteenth-Century
  Photographers and Their Works
• Directory of Civil War Photographers (Vols. 1-3)

13
Researching Names

• Local files and county histories
• Internet sources
• FamilySearch, the Church of Jesus Christ of
  Latter-day Saints online genealogical database
  
  earch.asp
• Google
• RootsWeb.com
• Others finding aids (e.g., Columbia Universitys
  
  uides/Appleton/index.html)
• Famous Americans
  
• Internet Movie Database
• Political Graveyard /

14
Conclusion

• Archivists relationships with Cataloging
• One-stop shopping within Special Collections
  dept.
• Compartmentalized and specialized
• Parallel operations between archives and library
• Archivists and LCAF
• Archival catalogers
• Coursework, experience
• Collaborative work culture
• Inclusiveness
• Respect
• Sharing research