Library Cataloging
Authority Record Access
Why doesn't LC offer Z39.50 access to the authority files? How about their other thesauri, like the
Thesaurus For Graphic Materials? Easy access to these files would be useful. Maybe Z39.50 is "so yesterday" and SRU/SRW or an API is the answer. These are rich resources and access would be useful in ways we can't yet imagine. How about other institutions? AAT or the NASA Thesaurus, or... would be useful. This is not only about bibliographic access, but has wider issues in a Semantic Web environment.
[Later] OCLC does provide access via their Terminologies Project, see the comment for full details.
[21 Nov. 2008] Someone sent me a note saying that the Voyager software used does not support Z39.50 access to the authority records. That they are not a separate database and have very little indexing. Do check out the comments for some useful information.
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Skyriver
There is plenty of coverage of the new bibliographic utility, SkyRiver, so I'll not rehash all that's been said. The article by Marshall Breeding in Library Journal is a good place to start. However, one aspect that has not been covered is the...
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Terminologies/thesauri Pilot Program
OCLC is exploring a service that provides access to multiple thesauri for libraries, museums, and archives. The service will create consistent metadata for collections providing mappings across thesauri to assist in relating terminology. It will provide...
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Hennepin County Library Authority Files
Over on the RadCat e-mail list there has been some discussion about the sorry state of the Hennepin County Library Authority Files. As the files are currently presented they are only searchable by record number. Surely, such an important resource for...
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Naco
This is a plea to OCLC and RLN to consider providing access to the authority files as a separate product. We are a small library and cannot afford full cataloging status on either of these utilities. However, with our specialized collection and close...
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Authority Records
Great news! LC authority records are now available online from LC. They are updated daily. For far too long smaller libraries, those without access to OCLC or RLIN have had no access to authority records. There was the searchable file at DRA but that...
Library Cataloging