Authority Control Configuration

Summary :

The WRLC Network Zone runs two different jobs in Alma for authority control: the Link BIB Headings job, and the Preferred Term Correction job. The former links authority headings to an authority record, and the latter changes the heading from the non-preferred term to the preferred term. Both jobs run daily for records linked to the Network Zone; they are specifically applied to bibliographic records that have been updated or added to the repository since the last job, and for headings linked to authority records that have been updated since the last job. More information can be found in the Alma Knowledge Center.

Ex Libris runs a re-indexing job on all repository records twice a year (from November to January, and from May to July). This process applies both authority control jobs to all records in the repository; this is the only time that the jobs will run on old records as well as new ones.

The WRLC did not have authority control jobs running in the Network Zone until 2022. In the Fall of 2021, the WRLC Metadata Committee reviewed authority control in Alma and came to the conclusion that, although the jobs are not perfect, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. A detailed description of this review can be viewed in the Authority Control Testing Fall 2021 document created by the WRLC Authority Control Subgroup. The official WRLC Policy on Authority Control can be found in the WRLC Network Zone Bibliographic Record Policies document.

In addition, WRLC created several Authority Control rules to mitigate some of the mistakes commonly committed by the Link BIB Heading and Preferred Term Correction jobs. Detailed information about WRLC’s authority control rules and their functions can be found in the Issues and Solutions for Authority Control in Alma document presented to the Metadata Committee in January of 2022.

The jobs and rules mentioned above are configured in the Network Zone, and therefore only apply to records linked to the Network Zone. Below are instructions on how to recreate WRLC’s Authority Control Rules for the Institution Zone, so that they are applied to Institution Zone only records.

Institution Zone Instructions : 

Use the following instructions below if you wish to recreate the NZ settings in your own IZ

User Roles Needed :

• Catalog Administrator OR General systems Administrator

Instructions :

1. Turn on the Link BIB Headings job and the Preferred Term Corrections job in your Institution Zone

   1. Ex Libris support must be contacted in order to enable both jobs in your IZ. See the Alma Knowledge Center for more information

   2. Create the following 3 Authority Control Rules under the Link BIB Heading tab :

Name : Motion Pictures $$x Periodicals $$x History

Input Parameters:

• • • Bibliographic Headings Value Contains Motion Pictures Periodicals History
    • Vocabulary = LCSH
    • Field = 650

Workflow Setup:

Do not link

 

Name : Shakespeare, William, $$d 1564-1616 $$x Comedies.

Input Parameters

• • • Bibliographic Headings Value Contains Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 Comedies
    • Vocabulary In List  LCSH, LCNAMES
    • Field = 600

Workflow Setup

Do not link

 

Name : Undifferentiated personal name

Input Parameters:

• • • Undifferentiated personal name = True

Workflow Setup:

Do not link

 

C.Create the following 2 Authority Control Rules under the Preferred Term Correction tab

Name: Undifferentiated non-preferred personal name

 

Input Parameters:

• • • Indication rules = Undifferentiated 400 field (see Additional Instructions)
    • Vocabulary = LCNAMES

Workflow Setup:

Do not apply preferred term correction

 

Name: 655 LCSH Headings

Input Parameters:

• • • Field = 655
    • Vocabulary = LCSH

Workflow Setup:

Do not apply preferred term correction

 

Additional Instructions :

Creating an Authority Control rule for Undifferentiated non-preferred personal names (see here) requires an Indication Rule. Below are instructions on how to copy the NZ Indication Rule into your Institution Zone, so that you can use the rule for your Authority Control rule.

1. Go to the Metadata Editor
2. In the upper left-hand corner, select Rules and then select Indication to view all Indication Rules
3. Search for the Indication Rule titled WRLC Undifferentiated 400 field. Right-click on the name of the rule, then choose Duplicate
4. A Duplicate Rule save page will appear. Click Save.
5. The new indication rule is saved to the Institution Zone, and can be used on Authority Control Rules in the Institution Zone.

Resources : 

• Working with Authority Records
• Authority Control Rules
• WRLC’s Authority Control Testing Fall 2021
• WRLC’s Issues and Solutions for Authority Control in Alma

Posted 12/06/2022 by Jackie Saavedra (WRLC Network Zone Manager)

Edited 04/14/2023 by Jackie Saavedra (WRLC Network Zone Manager)