About creating authority records

Who can create name authority records?

• Catalogers with a Limited or higher OCLC authorization level can create name authority records using any method (complete a workform, generate a record from a name heading, or derive from an existing record)
• Only libraries participating in the Name Authority Cooperative Program (NACO) who have one of the following authorization levels can add new records to the LC authority file:
  • NACO Regular (NAR)
  • Enhance National (ENN)
  • CONSER National (CON)

About new name authority records

• Records added to the LC authority file are automatically transmitted to the Library of Congress for approval and distribution.
• The system assigns an OCLC authority record number (ARN) and a Library of Congress control number (LCCN) to each new record.
• For approved records, the Library of Congress supplies a date/time entered in field 005.
• Newly added WorldCat records remain locked in the LC authority file until approved by Library of Congress.
• OCLC Cataloging validation rules are applied to new LC authority file records.
• You cannot export a workform not yet added to the LC authority file. Only records with OCLC authority record control numbers (ARNs) can be exported.

Online or offline cataloging

You can create original records online or offline. If you are a NACO participant and add original records to the LC authority file, to create a name authority record from a workform when you are logged off, you must define a MARC organization code. When you create an authority record from a workform when logged on, the client uses the MARC organization code associated with your logon authorization.

When to create a name authority record

• When no authority record exists for a heading
• When you have sufficient information to create a complete and accurate authority record for the heading

How to create records

Create original authority records using any of four methods:

• Derive a record from an existing authority record
• Create a workform and enter data
• Generate an authority record from a name heading
• Import records from your local system

Create records for the following formats:

• Conference Name
• Corporate Name
• Geographics
• Personal Name
• Series
• Uniform Title

Non-Latin scripts

The Connexion client supports the following non-Latin scripts for creating variant name headings in authority records: Arabic, CJK (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean), Cyrillic, Greek, Hebrew. See Work with international records for more information.

Name versus subject authority records

The system supports creating or replacing name authority records only.

For subject authority records, the system allows you to:

• Edit an existing subject authority record
• Save a subject authority record in the online or local authority save file
• Export an existing subject authority record (modified or unmodified) 

The system does not allow you to:

• Create a subject authority record from a workform
• Create a subject authority record by cloning an existing record or generating a record from a subject heading in a bibliographic record
• Add a subject authority record to the LC authority file
• Lock, edit, and replace a subject authority record

Guidelines and standards

The following documents provide guidelines, input standards, and related information:

• Authorities: Format and indexes
• NACO Participants' Manual
• The Library of Congress provides NACO documentation
• MARC21 Concise Format for Authorities