BCC2005/Auth/1

MLA liaison report to BCC from ALA Midwinter Meeting,
Boston, 2005

ACIG (LITA/ALCTS Authority Control in the Online Environment Interest Group)

Open Reporting Session (based, in part, on minutes by Stephen Hearn)

At the Midwinter ACIG reporting session, six speakers described various developments in the field:

1. Ann Della Porta (LC) - Library of Congress Update (PowerPoint)

Reported on improvements to availability of the online LC catalog, implementation of AACR changes at LC, Unicode progress (no date set for production conversion yet), and Romanization issues with ultimate goal of including non-Roman data in authority records, music authorities enhancements including report on field 053 ongoing pilot project for class ML410-ML429 with resulting 600+ authority records updated. She also reported on issues regarding headings for government-designated parks, and a CPSO pilot Database Improvement Unit. Questions from the audience included inquiris about possibility of NACO libraries adding field 053 to new authority records, also retrospectively, as well as a possibility of creating multiple 053s.

2. Ed Glazier (RLG) RLG Update

Sent a report read by ACIG chair Manon Theroux describing features of the new RLIN21 database and client. Most search options continue in the new system, as do error reporting to LC, access to earlier versions of authorities, and the authority record generator for deriving authority data from a bib record. New features include a “copy” button for deriving one authority from another; a sixty day time limit on saved records. RLIN21 for NACO is in late stage development and will be available soon.

3. Glenn Patton (OCLC) OCLC Update

Reported on the Connexion migration timetable, and on features of its upcoming versions, including a wider range of browse heading indexes and more extensive keyword indexing of authorities. For example, one of the new features will enable copying of authorities from a local system into a Connexion client. Patton also reported on OCLC's progress in linking bib headings to authorities, updating headings in the bib database, re-synchronizing the OCLC copy of the LC/NACO authority file, the sale of the MARS service to Backstage Library Works, and upcoming access to additional authority files, including HKCAN.

4. Robert L. Maxwell (Brigham Young University) Out of the Box, Not Out of Control: Authority Work for Unusual Fields

Described using authority files with locally developed tags and indexing conventions to control data and search records using relator terms, form/genre terms, hierarchical geographic names for place of publication, and standardized citation names.

5. Marlene van Ballegooie (University of Toronto) Anatomia Exposed!: Subject Access for a Digital Special Collection

Described a project to provide metadata for a file of digitized human anatomy illustrations, including the use of MeSH subject tree codes for hierarchical browsing, control of terms for materials, printing techniques, and names. The project also derived metadata records from MARC records to provide context for books containing the plates. The database also enables a visual browse of the images by body region and anatomical level.

6. Elizabeth O'Keefe (Morgan Library) ALCTS CCS SAC Task Force on Named Buildings & Other Structures

Described the work of a SAC Subcommittee studying headings for named buildings, outlining the problems that currently arise due to the division of these headings between the name and subject authority files, including differences in rules regarding qualification, subject references, and successive/latest entry.

Business Meeting:

Agenda included:

• Assessment of the open session (good turnout, over 130 attendees, however the short break should be allowed during the session)
  
  
• Review of the ALA Annual ACIG program slated for Chicago and titled XML and Authority Control. Speakers include Sally MCallum (Metadata Authority Description Schema (MADS)); Diane Boehr (XML for Authorities at NLM; the groundwork for an Integrated Authority File”; Kevin Clarke (XML Organic Bibliographic Information Schema (XOBIS)); Thomas B. Hickney (Web Service Experiments with Authority Control); Joanna Pang (XML Hong Kong Chinese Name Authority Project); and Louisa Kwok (XML Name Access Control Repository at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology).
  
  
• Discussion of possible topics for reporting session in New Orleans Midwinter 2006. No definite ideas.
  
  
• Progress report on ACIG Bibliography. (Not much accomplished)
  
  
• Discussion on potential benefits or drawbacks of becoming ALCTS Interest Group. Conclusion: members decided to petition ALCS/CCS to become their Interest Group with the name changed (“online” component needs to be dropped), but for now, LITA membership will be kept until expired. This being justified by perceived better logistical support that LITA provides routinely, such as AV setup for sessions, Web maintenance, program support, or printing schedules.

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Last updated May 7, 2005