Home LITA Membership LITA Interest Groups Authority Control (LITA/ALCTS) 2005 Annual Conference Presentations

CHAIR = Manon Theroux

REPORTER = Stephen Hearn

EMAIL = s-hear@umn.edu

CONFERENCE = Annual

MEETING = Program

PROGRAM TITLE = XML and Authority Control

ATTENDEES = 300

CURRENT ACTIVITIES = XML and Authority Control: ACIG Program Report

ACIG chair Manon Theroux introduced six speakers who discussed various aspects of XML and authority control.

1. MADS (Metadata Authority Description Schema), a MODS Companion (PowerPoint)
   Sally H. McCallum, Chief, Network Development and MARC Standards Office, Library of Congress.
   
   McCallum discussed characteristics of XML that make it useful for encoding metadata schemas, including extensive hierarchical capability; compatibility with XML based tools, protocols, and other data structures such as METS; flexible internal and external linking; and tagging freedom, though this freedom needs to be constrained by rules and conventions for the sake of interoperability. MADS is an XML schema for authorities, derivable from MARC authorities and depending on the XML bib format MODS for some of its substructural definitions. Development of the MADS schema is ongoing.
   
   
2. XML for Authorities at NLM: the Groundwork for an Integrated Authority File (PowerPoint)
   Diane Boehr, Head of Cataloging, National Library of Medicine.
   
   Boehr discussed NLM's use of XML to provide integrated authority control across a number of NLM databases. Local modifications to NLM's MARC authority records have enabled staff to include labeled headings and references belonging to non-AACR2 databases. Converting the data to an XML name authority schema enables the creation of XML authority files compatible with each database and capable of linking to heading forms in the other databases.
   
   
3. XML Name Access Control Repository at the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology Library (PowerPoint)
   Louisa Kwok, Head of Cataloging, HKUST Library.
   
   Kwok described HKUST's development of a name access control file in XML, following the model of the Virtual International Authority File (VIAF). Records representing three levels -the person, the names used by the person, and the forms of each of those names- correspond roughly to the FRBR work-expression-manifestation hierarchy. The file can link different name forms together without imposing the use of a particular preferred form across all files.
   
   
4. Organic Authorities: XOBIS and the Metamorphosis of Library Data
   Kevin S. Clarke, Digital Projects Programmer, Firestone Library, Princeton University.
   
   Clarke discussed the XML schema XOBIS developed at Lane Library, Stanford University. The XOBIS project analyzes cultural knowledge metadata into ten principle elements with defined attributes and relationships, and uses XLM's internal linking capabilities to maintain records for all the entities in a single coherent structure. XOBIS Handout (Word)
   
   
5. Web Service Experiments with Authority Control (PowerPoint)
   Thomas B. Hickey, Chief Scientist, OCLC.
   
   Hickey described OCLC's research into using XML, OAI metadata harvesting protocols, and ERRoLs (Extensible Repository Resource Locators) to provide flexible, distributed access to authority data. ERRoLs make it possible to link between Dspace repositories and name authority files. XML can assist with assigning ranking values to authorized names for improved search results. The VIAF project enables efficient linkages between national authority files using XML tools and conventions.
   
   
6. Hong Kong Chinese Authority (Name) Project: the HKCAN XML Version (PowerPoint)
   Joanna Yi-hang Pong, Cataloguing Librarian, Run Run Shaw Library, City University of Hong Kong.
   
   Pong discussed the HKCAN project, which has constructed a centralized database of XML authorities to link between headings in different catalogs, languages, and scripts for seven Hong Kong academic libraries. HKCAN enables users to begin a search in one file and transform the search terms to match the authorized form in other files.

FUTURE ACTIVITIES = Midwinter 2006--managed discussion of authority developments with with reports from LC, OCLC, RLG, and authority vendors.

Annual 2006--program on expanding and non-traditional approaches to authorities, including their use in archives, bi-lingual and e-commerce websites, the incorporation of folksonomies, and other developments.

Anaclare Evans is continuing to prepare a retrospective authority control bibliography with the help of Wayne State students at the request of ACIG.