Authority control is reviewed as represented in the literature from circa 1900 to the present Catalog codes and handbooks are examined for statements on authority files; recent efforts to develop authority files are summarized; and some consideration is given to the impact of automation on authority control. A list of recommended reading is included.
Plans have existed for some time to include series authority records within the national online authority system. There are many problems with series that need to be resolved before a workable system can he created. This article examines some of finite problems, including the fnlloeuing: (1) the method by which titles might be selected for inclusion in a series or title authority file; (2) the kinds of information in addition to the title that need to be included in series authority records; (3) how series headings in the authority file might be constructed; and (4) a method for handling simultaneous minor variations in series titles through the use of uniform titles.
A group of users of UTLAS have cooperated with each other, the bibliographic utility, and the National Library of Canada to produce the content of an automated authority control system. This paper describes the history, operating procedures, and current activities of the group.
This paper reports on a study exploring the extent to which duplicates in the OCLC database are affecting the usefulness of the system. Searching the OCLC database is becoming increasingly time-consuming and expensive, and OCLC 's search enhancements are of questionable value. Eliminating duplicates and splitting the database into separate files based on format might alleviate some of the problems caused by the great size of the database.
The archive tape processing system described in this article is designed to process tapes received through the OCLC-MARC Subscription Service, thereby constructing and maintaining a master database of bibliographic records for the libraries of each of the three participating instilulions: Duke University, North Carolina State University at Raleigh, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The problems addressed by the Triangle Research Libraries Network tape processing system and the manner in which they were resolved are discussed.
Current practices in the cataloging of loose-leaf publications have created numerous problems for both librarians and users. Many of these problems result from the effort to fit loose-leaf publications into a monographic cataloging format. It is argued that library needs demand, and AACR2 perhaps permits, the treatment of several types of loose-leaf publications as serials.