Three Authority Control Procedures for a Perfect Fit
We’ve discussed the importance of authority control in the past and how it acts as a principal access point into your catalog. How does it work? What steps have to take place in order to perform authority work and maintain it in a catalog? Types of Processing At Backstage, we break up the process into […]
Trust Your Technical Librarian, Authority Control is a Must!
Authority control can be a difficult concept to visualize for those who don’t encounter it regularly. Bibliographic records and authority records look very similar, but while a bibliographic record describes an item within a collection, the authority record describes and regulates specific headings within the bibliographic record. The two are separate but intrinsically connected. When […]
The Impact of Inclusivity in the Library Catalog
Your library can send powerful messages about how you value readers as individuals, especially if your collection acknowledges and respects the diversity of your local community. In 2019, the documentary Change the Subject shared the story of a group of Dartmouth students who challenged anti-immigrant language in the Library of Congress catalog subject headings. Library […]
Do You Know These 18 Controlled Vocabularies?
Most catalogs use Library of Congress name and subject headings to optimize patron searches. Many libraries use at least a few other controlled vocabularies that relate to areas of emphasis in their collections. And headings from other authority files are likely to find their way into your records from shared sources of catalog metadata. Backstage’s […]
Webinar Debrief: Consistency Among the Changes
The webinar “Consistency Among the Changes” is now available to watch, re-watch, and share. Any librarian will tell you that subject headings are more than just descriptive terms in library metadata. Patrons rely on precise access points that will efficiently search for and recover the materials they’re looking for, and in the last few years, […]
Four Updates to Enhance Your Authority Control
Backstage is always working to improve our services for our clients, and we’ve recently made four additions to expand your options for authority control services.
