Authority Control in Organizing and Accessing Information:
Definition and International Experience
Edited by Arlene G. Taylor and Barbara B. Tillett
An important, but often overlooked, misunderstood, or underappreciated aspect of library cataloging is authority control. As all catalogers (and, hopefully, all librarians) know, authority control facilitates access to a library's holdings by means of organization, standardization, accuracy, and consistency. It is essential for effective and seamless searching of any library catalog. The increasing amount of digital information available via online library catalogs makes authority control increasingly important and difficult, but it also affords opportunities to find creative solutions to old problems. The editors and contributors of Authority Control in Organizing and Accessing Information: Definition and International Experience understand this, and they strive to make a significant contribution to the world of authority control. They certainly succeed. This large and impressive volume, which was simultaneously co-published in two issues of the journal Cataloging and Classification Quarterly, is comprised of papers presented at the 2003 International Conference on Authority Control, in addition to several solicited articles contributed afterwards.
The book consists of five sections, each focusing on various aspects of authority control. The first section, "State of the Art and New Theoretical Perspectives", consists of three thought-provoking articles. One of the most interesting papers in the entire book is Arlene Taylor's discussion on teaching authority control in library schools. She conducted a survey of library school professors, and the results are enlightening and perhaps surprising. Survey respondents noted that teaching authority control is an important endeavor in library science, but just how much it is taught and what barriers exist for someone wanting to teach it may surprise the reader. The eight articles within the second section, "Standards, Exchange Formats, Metadata", address a wide variety of pertinent and fascinating topics of interest to all catalogers, especially metadata specialists. These include IFLA's attempts at developing the UNIMARC standard for authority data, the relationship between authority control and various bourgeoning metadata standards, and the challenge of establishing and maintaining authority control in an era of networked interoperability. The third section, "Authority Control for Names and Places", consists of eight articles that are particularly practical. One highlight in this section is Qiang Jin's fascinating discussion on using the Web pages of corporate entities as bases for established headings in authority records. The next section, "Authority Control for Subjects", addresses issues in subject authority records in its six articles, highlighted by Ana Lupe Cristán's discussion on SACO and subject gateways.
The final, and by far lengthiest, section of the book is "Authority Control Experiences and Projects", which consists of twenty articles detailing case study results of a wide variety of projects involving authority control that were recently undertaken by librarians around the world. These international experiences should have universal appeal to all catalogers. This section, which takes up nearly half of the book's 651 pages, is arguably the best reason to acquire and read this tome. It is tremendously rewarding to read about, and learn from, librarians from around the world who are finding creative solutions to such authority control problems as multiple names and language differences.
A worthwhile addition to these five sections is Michael Gorman's opinionated and incisive article on the history, current state, and future of authority control. This excellent overview of the process and rationale for authority control should be required reading for all librarians and library science students. Gorman's strong thoughts on "real cataloging" versus Dublin Core metadata (which he calls "wretched Dublin Core") and Google searching will undoubtedly cause a reaction.
This book is both practical and theoretical in nature, and focuses on both "real cataloging" and metadata. The issues addressed are not just touched upon; rather, they are explored in depth. A tremendous amount of research is conducted on authority control and librarians around the world are obviously putting a great deal of creative thought and effort into this essential aspect of cataloging. The authors' contributions are remarkably thorough and comprehensive, but the articles are as readable as they are instructive and consist of a large amount of useful information that the reader can apply to his or her own job as cataloger or metadata specialist. Those who are merely looking for a comprehensive history of authority control will find it within the book's pages. Additionally, those interested in the current state of authority control will be thrilled. And finally, those seeking ideas on where authority control may be heading will also be satisfied. The consistently high quality of writing and thinking found within the book's pages is inspiring. As an invaluable resource for practitioners and educators alike, it should find its way into library science classrooms, onto library shelves and catalogers' desks everywhere.
Published in 2004 by: Haworth Information Press, Binghamton , New York . (651 p.) ISBN 0-7890-2715-1 ($59.95); 0-7890-2716-X ( pbk . - $34.95). Co-published simultaneously as Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, Vol. 38, Nos. 3/4, 2004 and vol. 39, nos. 1/2, 2004.
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Map catalogers eagerly awaited the revision of Cartographic Materials, the classic, authoritative manual, long out of print. The revised manual came out in 2003 and is intended for use as a supplement in conjunction with the 2002 revision of AACR2. Its aim is to help catalogers to interpret and apply the rules given in Chapters 1 and 3 and, where necessary, Chapters 2, 9, 12 and 13 of AACR2 (2002 Rev.).
Cartographic Materials contains 14 chapters, 10 appendices, a glossary, a concordance, and an index. The manual is issued in loose-leaf format to aid in convenient updating of the base text. The manual is arranged according to the areas of cataloging description. The appendices contain guidelines and technical details on various issues of map cataloging, such as instruction on choosing the access points, determining scale, coordinates and date of situation. Moreover, additional information useful for cataloging series, sets, atlases, early cartographic materials, electronic resources, remote sensing images, serials, and integrating resources are found in the other appendices.
The manual has been expanded to include rules, up-to-date examples, applications, and policies for early cartographic materials, cartographic electronic resources, remote sensing images, serials and integrating resources. The glossary, including relevant parts from the glossary of AACR2, is expanded to incorporate many additional terms relating to electronic resources, cartography, and map production methods.
The rule numbers follow a similar ordering system to that used in AACR2, starting with the Area designation. Moreover, to facilitate reference to AACR2 rules, the corresponding AACR2 rule number is given in parentheses in the right hand margin next to each Cartographic Materials (CM) rule. Further assistance is provided in the section following many of the rules, with the addition of information designated as "Applications" and "Policies". When present, "Applications" interpret the rules and provide guidance for their use. Less frequently given, but equally valuable, "Policies" are provided to identify what practices are specifically followed for the rule in question by selected national agencies responsible for cataloging cartographic materials.
There were many significant changes made in AACR2 (2002 Rev.) that have had an impact on everyday cartographic materials cataloging. For instance, the terms "cartographic materials" and "electronic resources" were added to the list of General Material Designations in AACR2. In Area 3 ("Mathematical and other material specific details"), there are rule changes with respect to materials with more than one scale statement. Also, the ability to record coordinates in decimal degrees (a method of identifying coordinates used heavily in metadata and GIS schemes) is now an option (AACR2 3.3D1) that can be included in bibliographic records.
With the change in AACR2 (2002 Rev.) of the label for Chapter 9 from "computer files" to "electronic resources", the foremost impact to catalogers of cartographic electronic resources is the identification of the chief source of information in Cartographic Materials (0C7). The list of "Chief source of information for electronic resources" has grown to include title screen(s), main menus, program statements, initial display(s) of information, home page(s), the file header(s) including "Subject:" lines, encoded metadata, and the physical carrier or its labels. These are considered to be the formally presented evidence. In cases where the information varies in completeness, the rule instructs the cataloger to select the source that provides the most complete information. The manual also provides detailed instructions on what to do when the information is not available from the resource itself.
The manual also includes interpretations of new rules for digital geospatial data. In order to record the more technical description accompanying geospatial data, two new elements of description have appeared recently in map cataloging guidelines: "digital graphic representation" (AACR2) and "geospatial reference data" (Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata). The highly technical concept of "geospatial reference data" is explained in Appendix H on "Cartographic electronic resources". Catalogers who have avoided cataloging digital spatial data because of the lack of up-to-date cataloging rules should be pleased that there is finally solid guidance for this new type of cartographic material.
There is a great deal of useful information in the appendices, which can be demonstrated here with just a few well-chosen examples. Catalogers of cartographic electronic resources will find it useful to read the section on metadata (H.6) in Appendix H, which describes where metadata can be found in CDs, DVD-ROMs, and Internet resources. As mentioned earlier, catalogers now have a choice of entering the coordinates as decimal degrees found in cartographic electronic resources, as opposed to the traditional sexagesimal system of degrees, minutes, and seconds. This is addressed in Appendix B, "Guidelines to determine scales and coordinates", with Table 9. For those who catalog remote-sensing images, Appendix J is devoted to that topic and covers the pertinent guidance necessary for that task.
This revision includes an expansion of the treatment of early cartographic material. Aside from the guidelines for rare maps that are interspersed within the rules, an appendix (G) on this subject is included, furnishing more useful information. It is based on Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Booksand Manual for Cataloging of Antiquarian Cartographic Materials and provides advice in cataloging early cartographic material. The excerpts from Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Books offer useful advice on working with early forms of print letters (G.1). Abbreviated forms of standard bibliographic references used for citation of published descriptions of rare maps are included (G.3). On the more difficult concepts of reproductions of early cartographic materials, definitions of facsimile, fakes, forgeries, original, reprint, reproduction, and re-strike are drawn from various established references sources (G.5). Three pages of the appendix are devoted to various factors to consider in identifying reproductions.
The Concordance has a list of rule numbers three and a half pages long (with four columns per page) showing the correlation between AACR2 rules to those found in this manual. It also has a similar list on two-thirds of a page (divided into two columns) correlating Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Book rules to those in Cartographic Materials. Both lists prove to be very useful when catalogers want to explore the other manuals for further explication.
With everything that is included in Cartographic Materials, it should be noted that the manual is not, nor was it intended to be, a single resource for map cataloging. In its function as a manual for guidance on the descriptive aspects of map cataloging, it does not cover subject analysis and headings nor the form of name, title, geographic or other headings. Instead, it is a substantial update of a resource long considered a "bible" for map catalogers. In that capacity, it is an authoritative and invaluable tool for cartographic catalogers, as well as catalogers who deal with cartographic materials on a more occasional basis. It is also an absolutely indispensable tool for libraries with a substantial map collection.
Published jointly in 2003 by: American Library Association ( Chicago , Ill. ), Canadian Library Association ( Ottawa , Ont.) and Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals ( London , Eng. ). ISBNs: 0-8389-3539-7 ( ALA ); 0-88802-305-7 (CLA); 1-85604-516-1 (CILIP). Price: $115 ( U.S. ); ALA member price: $103; ordering now through ALA also includes the 2004 Update Pages (ISBN: 0-8389-3549-4), normally priced at $35, or $31.50 for ALA members. (The "update pages" were not included as a part of this review).