Spicaresque:

A Spanglish blog dedicated to the works, ruminations, and mongrel pyrotechnics of Yago S. Cura, an Argentine-American poet, translator, publisher & futbol cretin. Yago publishes Hinchas de Poesia, an online literary journal, & is the sole proprietor of Hinchas Press.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

WHAT IS AUTHORITY CONTROL?

Is it just a phrase, or simple a concept? Is it a precept, maxim, tenet? Will it tuck me in at night and call me pretty when I am feeling down? Will it raise my children, and make sure the airlines don't jip me on my flier miles?

According to Library Technologies, Inc. authority control is the "assignment of a unique form of a heading and the use of cross-references from unused and related headings". In other words, authority control is the process by which librarians, but particularly catalogers, create and collocate a heading along with its related headings (like see alsos). Now, what I would like to know is if the catalogers create the actual heading, or just link it up with its related headings? Another question I might have is whether the sole objective of an authority file is to "overlay" it with the Library of Congress authority file?

The Libraries Technologies, Inc website offers viewers a front-row seat to the steps in authority control. If you are curious, by all means, please proceed here.

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