Authority Control: Creating Headings for Geographic Names

Original Lecture Video

DACS 13

Geographic Names

• Use the English form of the name of the place if there is one in general use (Germany not Deutschland)
• If there is no English form in general use, use the vernacular form (in the official language of the country)
• If the country has more than one official language, use the form most commonly found in English-language sources

Geographic Reference Sources

• For US names, use the Rand McNally Commercial Atlas and Marketing Guide
• For canadian names, use the heading provided by the National Library of Canada
• For other names, use a recently published gazetteer or consult the US Board on geographic Names

Modifications:

• Drop initial articles unless retention is supported by gazetteers (i.e. Los Angeles)
• Always spell out Saint and Mount
• Drop “town” or “township”

Additions

• Add to the name of a place the name of a larger place (except for states, provinces, territories, and countries); for example “San Francisco (Calif.)
• Exception: for UK and Irish names of the country, not the country of the area; e.g. Glasgow (Scotland)
• Differentiate between otherwise identical names by adding an additional smaller places required; e.g. Basildon (Essex, England) and Basildon (Berkshire, England)
• for communities within cities, add the city and state or country; e.g. Highland Square (Akron, Ohio)

Authority Control: Creating Headings for Corporate Bodies

Original Lecture Video

Basic Rule

• Enter a corporate body directly under the name by which it is commonly identified, except when required to enter under the name of a higher or related bosy, or under the name of a government
• IE: personnel department of a business; many businesses have such a department so invoke the higher name

Order of preference for corporate body names

• Name is determined by consulting the following sources (in order of preference): name that appears most frequently in published items issued by the body IF ANY; name that appears most frequently in reference sources; the name that appears most frequently in corporate body's records; the name that appears in administrative records relating to the acquisition of the materials being determing; name that appears in other archival records

Punctuation and changes of names

• Delete any punctuations, like periods – Use IBM not I.B.M.
• Changes of name: if the name of a corporate body has changed, establish a new heading under the new name for material appearing under that name; make a “see also” reference from the old heading to the new and from the new heading to the old (this goes back to respect de fond)

Variant Names, additions, and omissions

• Variant names – use form of name found in the records according to the following order of preference: records legally establishing the crporate body; records of administrative regulations (e.g. by laws); other records of policy (e.g. minutes)
• Additions – add qualifiers for names not conveying the idea of a corporate body of to differentiate between similarly-named entities
• Omissions – omit initial articles, terms including incorporation, and abbreviations

Governments and conferences as corporate bodies

• Governments – use the conventional name of the government (e.g. Pennsylvania not Commonwealth of Pennsylvania); differentiate among governments that have the same names using qualifiers
• Conferences and Meetings – use the specific name unless there is a corporate body to which the meeting is subordinate; omit locations, numbers, frequencies, or years of convocation (this info. Will be used as qualifiers in a specific order) (SEE chapter 14)

Subordinate bodies rule

• Subordinate bodies – DACS 12.12.13) – enter a subordinate body directly under its own name unless its name belongs to one or more of the following types (see DACS); make a cross-reference from the non=preferred to preferred form of the name
• Type I: a name containing a term that by definition implies that the body is part of another (e.g. department)
• Type II: a name containing a word that normally implied administrative subordination (e.g. committee)
• Type III: a name that is general in nature or that does no more than indicate a geographic, chronological, or numbered or lettered subdivision of a parent body (e.g. research institute)
• Type IV: name that does not convey the idea of a corporate body
• Type V: name of a university faculty, school, college, institute, laboratory, ec, that simply indicates a particular field of study, interest, or activity
• Type VI: name that includes the entire name of the higher or related body (e.g. Yale University Library)
• Kent State University. School of Library and Information Science. Admissions Committee

Direct v Indirect subheading (12.14)

• If corporate body fits one+ types, enter as a subheading of the lowest element in the hierarchy that is entered under its own name
• Sometimes we can eliminate certain levels of the hierarchy
• DACS p179 and 180

Government agencies entered subordinately

• Enter a gov. agency subordinately to the name of the government if it belongs to one or more of the following types:
• Types 1: agency with a name containing a term that, by definition, implates that the corporate body is part of another
• Types 2: agency contains a word that normally implies administrative subordination in the terminology of the government concerned
• Type 3: agency with a name that is general in nature or that does no more than indicate a geographic, chronological, numbered, or lettered subdivision of the government or of one of its agencies entered subordinately
• Type 4: agency with a name that does not convey the idea of a corporate body and does not contain th name of the governments
• Type 5: agency that is a ministry or similar major executive agency as defined by official publications of the government in question
• Type 6: Legislative body
• Type 7: A Court
• Type 8: a principal service of the armed forces of a governments
• Type 9: a head of state or head of governments
• Type 10: an embassy, consultate, etc
• Type 11: A delegation to an international or intergovernmental body

Enter all agencies belonging to the above types as a direct subheading of the heading for the government unless eliminating levels of hierarchy would confuse it with another agency

Special rules for Government Agencies

• government officials (14.20)
• Legislative bodies (14.21)
• Constitutional conventions (14.22)
• Courts (14.23)
• Armed forces (14.24)
• Religious bodies and officials (14.27)

Authority Control: Creating Headings for Persons

Original Lecture Video

Choice of Name

• DACS 12
• choose the name by which the person is commonly known (determine from chief source of information) and/or from reference sources in person’s language or country of residence/activity
• You may include titles of nobility or terms of honor with names lacking a surname
• Include diacritical marks and hyphens

Choice among Different Names

Order of preference – choose the name that appears most frequently in the person's published works (or any) OR; the name that appears most frequently in the archival materials being described OR; the name that appears most frequently in reference sources OR; the latest name; DON'T include nicknames

Pseudonyms

• Use these only for those individuals who have published or distributed works exclusively using that pseudonym; prefer a person's real and full name to an nicknames, pseudonyms, etc. Make a reference from the real name to the pseudonyms
• See DACS 12.2B2 for persons with “separate bibliographic identities”

Change of Name

Choose the latest name or form of name unless there is a reason to believe that an earlier name will persist as the name by which the person is better known (pseudonyms not included in this rule)

Choice among different forms of the same name

• If name varies in fullness, choose according to the following order of preference: name that appears most frequently in the person's published works if any; the name that papers most frequently in the archival materials being described; name that appears in reference sources; the latest name
• If no one form predominates, choose the latest form; in case of doubt about which is the latest form, choose the fuller or fullest form

Choice among different forms of the same name

More than one language? Choose according to the following order of preference: form corresponding to the language of most of that person's published work IF ANY; the form corresponding to the language of most of that person's papers; the form that appears most frequently in reference sources

Choice of Name: Language exceptions

• for well-established English forms of foreign names, choose the former. When in doubt, though, use the vernacular form
• For names written in a non-roman script, choose the form which has become well established in English-launguage reference sources
• If variant spellings exist due to different romanizations, choose the predominant spelling (think of the word czar or tsar)

Entry Element

• Select as the entry element that part of the name under which the person would normally be listed in alphabetic lists in his or her language or country of residence
• Use surname if found as the entry element
• Rare to include a first name as an entry element

Special Rules:

DACS chapter 12

Additions to Headings

• Additions (put in parentheses)
• Dates (add birth and death dates if known) (12.17)
• Fuller forms of name (12.18)
• Distinguishing terms (12.19)

Family names

Use the family surname followed by the term “family”

Choose the name according the following order of preference: Choose according to the following order of preference: form corresponding to the language of most of that person's published work IF ANY; the form corresponding to the language of most of that person's papers; the form that appears most frequently in reference sources

Authority Archival Control according to DACS

Original Lecture Video

Authority Control is part of the third step in describing creators, focusing on personal, corporate, and geographic names; SH come under authority control also but not focusing on this atm

Document Creator Information

• Traditionally, creator information goes directly in the finding aid (as biography or administrative history)
• But...we can also create a separate record system to manage authority information
• Benefits of separate authority file: can link this information to multiple collections (both within and outside out own repository); relationships among creators can be documented; we can control what form of name is used consistently (and track name variants as well)(last one is what we are focusing on)

What is Authority Control?

• A process for managing name variants for persons, corporate bodies, geographic names and subjects
• In an authority record, which is different from a bibliographic record, the authorized version of a name is selected, and regerences are made from the unauthorized variants of the name to the authorized version

Authortiy Control, AACR2 and DACS

• AACR2 stressed authorship and “blibliographic identities” while DACS stresses creationship
• BUT...the structure and content of the chapters relating to formation of names are very similar
• End result: rarely will the rules for DACS contradict the rules for AACR2 in terms of choice of names

Constructing Authority Records for Creators

• After identifying the creator(s) of the records...
• Record the name of the entity being described in a standardized format (as prescribed in DACS 12-14)
• Record all other forms of the name “that might reasonably be sought be user”
• Describe the entity using the rules found in DACS 10
• Related persons, families and corporate bodies – record authorized names of all entities that “have significant relationship with the entity named in the authority record”; describe the relationship (unless it is already defined in the Admin/BIO history) and record the dates of the existence of the relationship; this goes far beyond what AACR2 requires
• Authority record management – record repository core; record a number that uniquely identifes the authority record, record the rules used to create the authority record, indicate the status of the record (draft, finalized, revised, etc), indicate whether information is partial or full, record date of authority record creation, record information about any sources consulted, record the name of the archivist who compiled this

Page 113-114 of DACS gives a DACS authority record

Other Information to Include in a Finding Aid

Minimum v Optimum

• Review the minimum and optimum levels of description found in DACS
• Match your description level to your institutions requirements
• Include those elements required for the level you have chosen
• Any other elements found in DACS are recommended but optional

• See Roe Appendix E, p 146-174 for examples of finding aids
• Look at which pieces of information are being included
• Good for the post workshop assignment

Administrative and bibliographic history - Describing creators using DACS

Original Lecture Video

3 steps in describing creators

• Identification of individuals, families, and corporate bodies that played a significant role in record creation (DACS ch. 9); primary and secondary creators like a family and then its members; could have creators of individual items or series like a letter writer; can write history notes for both primary and secondary creators
• Assembly of biographical information about individuals and families, or data about the history, structure, functions, and relationships of the relevant organization (DACS ch. 10); might have to go to outside information sources
• Standardization of names to facilitate retrieval of information across descriptions, systems, and institutions (aka authority control) (DACS ch. 11-14)

Identifying creators

• Who is a “creator”?
• DACS definition – a person, family, or corporate body that created, assembled, accumulated, and/or maintained and used records in the conduct of personal or corporate activity; creator can also be responsible for the intellectual content of a single item
• Creator's names have to appear in the archival description (e.g. the finding aid)
• Easiest rule of thumb: it is most often in the supplied title

Describing creators

• Assemble information from reliable sources (the materials themselves and reference works)
• Provide administrative/biographical history information for all creators and, optionally, for non-creator access points (e.g. for correspondents)
• When primary responsibility for record creation is shared between two or more people o corporate bodies, make separate histories for each creator
• Optionally: make separate histories for creators different from the primary creator at subordinate units of description

Biographical histories of individuals or families

• Minimal amount needed to included if possible
• DACS 10.14 – record information relevant to the understanding of the life, activities, and relationships of the person or family including...
• Names including all variants
• Family history, where relevant
• Dates of birth and death
• Places of residence
• Education
• Occupation, life, and activities (including important relationships with other persons or organizations

Administrative histories of corporate bodies

• DACS 10.25 – give information relevant to the understanding of the creator's functions, activities, and relations with other corporate bodies including...
• Dates of founding and/or dissolution
• Geographical areas (where head and regional offices were located)
• Mandate (legislation or other source of authority for corporate body in terms of its powers, responsibilities, or sphere of activities); law passed that established the body
• Functions
• Administrative structure
• Predecessor and successor bodies – kind of like genealogy of it
• Names of corporate bodies
• Names of chief officers

Will be important when headings are created later on

Scope and Content Notes According to DACS

Original Lecture Video

How it is you write scope and content notes in finding aids

Purpose of the scope and content note

• Give users information about the nature of the archival materials and the activities of the creator which generated them
• Helps users determine the relevance of the materials to their research question

Think of this note to be more of the archivist's opinion; archivists knowledge comes into play; acknowledging the strengths of the collection; this should be analytical; opposed to a history note which is factual

Information included in a scope and content note

• Corresponds to DACS 3.1
• Functions, activities, transactions, and processes that generated the materials being described
• Documentary forms or intellectual characteristics of the record being described (minutes, diaries, reports, etc)
• Content dates (time period) covered by the intellectual content or subject of the unit being described
• Geographic areas and places to which the records pertain
• Subject matter to which the records pertains, such as topics, events, people and organizations
• Any other information that assists the user in evaluating the relevance of the materials, such as completeness, changes in location, ownership and custody

Other important instructions

• Source of the information for the scope and content note is primarily the records themselves, thus a full note usually cannot be written without processing a collection (arranging and describing it)
• Make sure that you note gaps in the records (except for those gaps that results from appraisal decisions, which should be recorded in the appraisal element area DACS 5.3)