SECTION II

READING AND INTERPRETING NAME AUTHORITY RECORDS

The main purpose of a name authority record (NAR) is to display the authorized form of a personal, corporate, or conference heading. It is also a tool used to answer questions about the heading, such as:

• Which forms of the heading are not considered to be the authorized form?
• Is the heading in question linked to other authorized headings?
• What is the difference between seemingly identical names?
• What are a person's birth/death dates?

Name authority records are located in the National Authority File (NAF). The NAF can be accessed via OCLC Cataloging Micro Enhancer (OCLC CATME) or the Library of Congress Authorities online site.

Given below are examples of typical authority records for personal, corporate, and conference names, with explanations of key fields. A quick reference list of essential name authority record fields and codes can be found in the Appendix in a document entitled Name Authority Record Codes.

Personal name authority record - DIFFERENTIATED

Key fields:

• Name ------ Code a means the heading in field 100 is used by one person ("differentiated")
• Rules ------ Code c means AACR2 rules were used to formulate the field 100 heading
• 040 ------ Institutions responsible for creating and editing the record - you can look up participating institutions here
• 053 ------ Library of Congress classification number with the 100 heading
• 100 ------ Authorized form of the name
• 400 ------ Unauthorized form of the heading; not to be used
• 500 ------ An authorized personal name heading related to the field 100 heading. All 500 headings must also have their own separate authority records.
• 670 ------ Source in which the field 100, 400, or 500 heading is found

Personal name authority record - UNDIFFERENTIATED

Key fields:

• Name ------ Code b means the heading in field 100 is used by more than one person ("undifferentiated")
• Rules ------ Code c means AACR2 rules were used to formulate the field 100 heading
• 040 ------ Institutions responsible for creating and editing the record - you can look up participating institutions here
• 100 ------ Authorized form of the name. Used for all persons with the same name
• 400 ------ Unauthorized form of the heading; not to be used. (Code nna in subfield w means that this heading is the Pre-AACR2 form of the field 100 heading)
• 667 ------ A general information field that confirms the fact that field 100 is an undifferentiated name. The 667 field is no longer used for this purpose, but still exists this way on older NARs.
• 670 ------ Source in which the field 100 or 400 heading is found. (Multiple 670 fields are used to identify separate individuals who share the field 100 name)
• 675 ------ Source consulted for information about the field 100 heading, but no information was available.

Corporate name authority record

Key fields:

• Name ------ Code n means the heading in field 110 is not a personal name.
• Rules ------ Code c = AACR2 rules were used to formulate the field 110 heading
• 040 ------ Institutions responsible for creating and editing the record - you can look up participating institutions here
• 110 ------ Authorized form of the name
• 510 ------ Established headings for earlier and later names of the field 110 heading. All 510 headings must also have their own separate authority records.
  • Code a in subfield w means "earlier heading"
  • Code b means "later heading"
• 670 ------ Source in which the field 110 or 510 heading is found
• 675 ------ Source consulted in which the field 110 heading was not found, but may cite source or sources for information relevant to the heading such as earlier, later and related corporate names.

Conference/Meeting name authority record

Key fields:

• Name ----- Code n means the heading in field 111 is not a personal name.
• 111 ------ Authorized form of the name
• 411 ------ Unauthorized form of the heading; not to be used
• 511 ------ Established headings for earlier and later names of the field 110 heading. All 511 headings must also have their own separate authority records.
  • Code a in subfield w means "earlier heading"
  • Code b means "later heading"
• 670 ------ Source in which the field 111, 411, or 511 heading is found
• 675 ------ Source consulted in which the field 111 heading is not found, but may cite source or sources for information relevant to the heading such as earlier, later and related conference names

Uniform title authority record

Key fields:

• 130 --------- Uniform title
• 430 ------ Unauthorized form of the heading; not to be used
• 670 ------ Source in which the field 130 or 430 heading is found
• 675 ------ Source consulted in which the field 130 heading is not found, but may cite source or sources for information relevant to the heading such as different transliterations of the title

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