Undifferentiated Personal Names in RDA Cataloging
Undifferentiated Personal Names in Resource Description and Access (RDA) Cataloging Rules: guidelines, best practices, and examples
Contents:
- What is a Name Authority Record for Person
- What is an undifferentiated Name Authority Record
- What is the latest best practice on undifferentiated Name Authority Record
- Maintenance of existing undifferentiated records
- Examples of maintenance of undifferentiated Name Authority Records
- RDA attributes to create a unique authorized access point for the person being established
- Questions and Answers
Author: Salman Haider [Revised 2016-02-16 | Written 2014-02-02]
What is a Name Authority Record for Person: According to Glossary of Library & Information Science of Librarianship Studies and Information Technology blog Name Authority Record is a record which gives the authoritative form (the form selected for a heading) of a personal name in the library catalog or the file of bibliographic records, and are listed in an authority file containing headings of library items. To ensure consistency, an authority record is created for each authorized heading (authorized access point) for a proper name. An authority record is made when a heading is established, i.e., authorized for use as the main entry or an added entry for the first time, while cataloging of a library item.
What is an Undifferentiated Name Authority Record: Following is a description of undifferentiated name authority record taken from the Glossary of Library & Information Science of Librarianship Studies and Information Technology blog:
Authority Record : Glossary of Library & Information Science: ... ... ... Most name authority records for personal names are unique. This means each authority record represents a single person. Library cataloging standards like Resource Description and Access (RDA) and Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR2) provide guidelines to create a name authority record and additions to names to create a unique authorized access point for the person being established (such as date of birth, date of death, fuller form of name, etc.). But there are situations where two or more people having the same name require to be represented in the authority file by the creation of authority records for them and there are not much information available to differentiate between these persons. Distinguishing elements like their date of birth, date of death, fuller form, etc. cannot be determined from the source document as well as reference sources and no other information can be found to break the conflict. So a previous practice by catalogers was to create an “undifferentiated name authority record” for an “undifferentiated personal name” where the same authorized access point (heading) is used to represent two or more persons in the catalog. There are two ways to recognize an undifferentiated personal name authority record in a MARC 21 authority record. One way is to check the 008 fixed field. The position 32 in 008 fixed field is for “undifferentiated personal name”; if this field contains the letter “b”, then the record is an undifferentiated personal name record (letter “a” represents differentiated personal name). A second way of identifying an undifferentiated name authority record for a person is to check the NAR with a distinctive pattern of 670 fields in pairs where each pair represents a different person. The first 670 in each pair will contain a phrase such as [Author of … … …], [Editor of … … …], [Illustrator of … … … ] in square brackets. The second 670 the title of the work associated with that person. See below an example of an undifferentiated name authority record for a person from the Library of Congress Name Authority File.
What is the latest best practice on undifferentiated Name Authority Record: The latest best practice is not to make an undifferentiated name authority record in RDA (though RDA rules permit it and was made in AACR2 cataloging). Two important points are: (1). Do not create a new undifferentiated name authority record. (2). Do not add a new name to the--to an existing undifferentiated name authority record.
Authority Record : Glossary of Library & Information Science: ... ... ... Most name authority records for personal names are unique. This means each authority record represents a single person. Library cataloging standards like Resource Description and Access (RDA) and Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR2) provide guidelines to create a name authority record and additions to names to create a unique authorized access point for the person being established (such as date of birth, date of death, fuller form of name, etc.). But there are situations where two or more people having the same name require to be represented in the authority file by the creation of authority records for them and there are not much information available to differentiate between these persons. Distinguishing elements like their date of birth, date of death, fuller form, etc. cannot be determined from the source document as well as reference sources and no other information can be found to break the conflict. So a previous practice by catalogers was to create an “undifferentiated name authority record” for an “undifferentiated personal name” where the same authorized access point (heading) is used to represent two or more persons in the catalog. There are two ways to recognize an undifferentiated personal name authority record in a MARC 21 authority record. One way is to check the 008 fixed field. The position 32 in 008 fixed field is for “undifferentiated personal name”; if this field contains the letter “b”, then the record is an undifferentiated personal name record (letter “a” represents differentiated personal name). A second way of identifying an undifferentiated name authority record for a person is to check the NAR with a distinctive pattern of 670 fields in pairs where each pair represents a different person. The first 670 in each pair will contain a phrase such as [Author of … … …], [Editor of … … …], [Illustrator of … … … ] in square brackets. The second 670 the title of the work associated with that person. See below an example of an undifferentiated name authority record for a person from the Library of Congress Name Authority File.
What is the latest best practice on undifferentiated Name Authority Record: The latest best practice is not to make an undifferentiated name authority record in RDA (though RDA rules permit it and was made in AACR2 cataloging). Two important points are: (1). Do not create a new undifferentiated name authority record. (2). Do not add a new name to the--to an existing undifferentiated name authority record.
DCM Z1 008/32 that contains the workflow for resolving undifferentiated names has been updated.
Here is what you should do, but see the updated instruction in its entirety as well on the PCC web site
Maintenance of existing undifferentiated records:
When information is found to distinguish a person included in an existing undifferentiated name record:
• Always create a new name authority record for that person, with distinguishing information
• Transfer information pertaining to that person from the undifferentiated name record and edit as necessary.
• If more than one identity remains in the undifferentiated NAR, and there is not sufficient information in the NAR to create new NARs for each name, leave the NAR coded AACR2.
In order to facilitate machine processing of authority records (e.g., matching, linking), when only one identity is left on an undifferentiated personal name authority record (i.e., other identities are being disambiguated and removed), take the following steps:
LC catalogers:
• Create a new differentiated NAR for the remaining single identity; the heading itself may be identical to the heading in the undifferentiated NAR
• Delete the undifferentiated NAR.
• Add the LCCN (010) of the deleted NAR in subfield $z of the newly created NAR(s).
• Always add a 667 note to a new NAR to identify the LCCN of the authority record in which information about that person had been recorded:
667 ## $a Formerly on undifferentiated name record: [LCCN of undifferentiated name record]
NACO catalogers:
- Assure that the undifferentiated NAR only contains information relevant to the single identity remaining (e.g., 670s)
- Add a 667 field to the undifferentiated NAR: 667 ## $a Last identity on undifferentiated record; reported for deletion.
- Report the undifferentiated NAR for deletion to naco@loc.gov ; LC will create a new replacement NAR and delete the old record
Example 1: Undifferentiated NAR http://lccn.loc.gov/n85108043 is deleled and two other differentiated Name Authority Records are made http://lccn.loc.gov/n2015233198 and http://lccn.loc.gov/n2015233199
| LC control no.: | n 85108043 |
|---|---|
| LCCN permalink: | http://lccn.loc.gov/n85108043 |
| HEADING: | Singh, Rajvir |
| 000 | 00960cz a2200205n 450 |
| 001 | 3861047 |
| 005 | 20141218075944.0 |
| 008 | 851219n| acannaab |a aba |
| 010 | __ |a n 85108043 |
| 035 | __ |a (DLC)n 85108043 |
| 040 | __ |a DLC |b eng |c DLC |d DLC |
| 100 | 10 |a Singh, Rajvir |
| 400 | 00 |a Rajvir Singh |
| 667 | __ |a THIS 1XX FIELD CANNOT BE USED UNDER RDA UNTIL THIS UNDIFFERENTIATED RECORD HAS BEEN HANDLED FOLLOWING THE GUIDELINES IN DCM Z1 008/32 |
| 670 | __ |a [Author of U.S.--Pakistan and India] |
| 670 | __ |a His U.S.--Pakistan and India, strategic relations, 1985: |b t.p. (Rajvir Singh) jkt. (Dr.; M.Sc. in defence & military studies; D.Phil. in defence studies; currently with Soc. Sc. Inst. for Advanced Study, Allahabad) |
| 670 | __ |a [Author of Digital design with Verilog HDL] |
| 670 | __ |a Sternheim, E. Digital design with Verilog HDL, 1990 : |b t.p. (Rajvir Singh, Nexgen Microsystems) |
| 952 | __ |a *bd12 040 055 057 04-24-91 |
<<<<<---------->>>>>
| LC control no.: | n 2015233198 |
|---|---|
| LCCN Permalink: | https://lccn.loc.gov/n2015233198 |
| HEADING: | Singh, Rajvir (Professor in defence and strategic studies) |
| 000 | 01411cz a2200229n 450 |
| 001 | 9896894 |
| 005 | 20150627024424.0 |
| 008 | 150627n| azannaabn |a aaa |
| 010 | __ |a n 2015233198 |z n 85108043 |
| 040 | __ |a DLC |b eng |e rda |c DLC |
| 100 | 1_ |a Singh, Rajvir |c (Professor in defence and strategic studies) |
| 370 | __ |a Alīgarh (India : District) |e Ayodhya (Faizabad, India) |2 naf |
| 372 | __ |a Defence studies |a Strategic studies |
| 373 | __ |a K.S. Saket P.G. College (Ayodhya, Faizabad, India) |2 naf |
| 374 | __ |a Professor in defence and strategic studies |
| 375 | __ |a male |
| 377 | __ |a eng |a hin |
| 400 | 0_ |a Rajvir Singh |c (Professor in defence and strategic studies) |
| 400 | 1_ |a Siṃha, Rājavīra |c (Professor in defence and strategic studies) |
| 667 | __ |a Formerly on undifferentiated name record: [n 85108043] |
| 670 | __ |a His U.S.--Pakistan and India, strategic relations, 1985: |b t.p. (Rajvir Singh) jkt. (Dr.; M.Sc. in defence & military studies; D.Phil. in defence studies; currently with Soc. Sc. Inst. for Advanced Study, Allahabad) |
| 670 | __ |a Rājanaitika aparādhīkaraṇa aura bhrashṭācāra ke sāye meṃ lokatantra aura rāshṭrīya surakshā, 2014: |b title page (Ḍô. Rājavīra Siṃha) title page verso (Rajvir Singh) jacket (Associate Professor in Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, K.S. Saket P.G. College, Ayodhya, Faizabad; born in Aligarh district) |
<<<<<---------->>>>>
LC control no.: | n 2015233199 |
|---|---|
| LCCN Permalink: | https://lccn.loc.gov/n2015233199 |
| HEADING: | Singh, Rajvir |
| 000 | 00526cz a2200169n 450 |
| 001 | 9896895 |
| 005 | 20150627025153.0 |
| 008 | 150627n| azannaabn |a aaa |
| 010 | __ |a n 2015233199 |z n 85108043 |
| 040 | __ |a DLC |b eng |e rda |c DLC |
| 100 | 1_ |a Singh, Rajvir |
| 373 | __ |a Nexgen Microsystems |
| 375 | __ |a male |
| 377 | __ |a hin |
| 400 | 0_ |a Rajvir Singh |
| 667 | __ |a Formerly on undifferentiated name record: [n 85108043] |
| 670 | __ |a Sternheim, E. Digital design with Verilog HDL, 1990 : |b t.p. (Rajvir Singh, Nexgen Microsystems) |
<<<<<---------->>>>>
Undifferentiated NAR http://lccn.loc.gov/no2009136357 is deleted and two other differentiated Name Authority Records are made http://lccn.loc.gov/n2015233930 and http://lccn.loc.gov/n2015233931
<<<<<---------->>>>>
008/32 Undifferentiated Personal Name
General
When creating an NAR for a family name assign value “n” in 008/32.
As of November 2013, LC and the PCC have agreed to the following guidelines for persons whose preferred names are identical:
• Do not use code “b” in an RDA name authority record; all personal name authority records coded RDA should be differentiated.• Do not add a new identity to an existing personal name authority record coded 008/32 “b”Instead, apply one of the following RDA attributes to create a unique authorized access point for the person being established (See RDA 9.19):
• date of birth (9.3.2)• date of death (9.3.3)• fuller form of name (9.5)• period of activity (9.3.4)• profession or occupation (9.16)• title of the person, including terms of rank, honor, or office (9.4)• other designation associated with the person (9.6)
Questions and Answers:
Question: The LC/NACO policy now says no longer use/creation of undifferentiated personal name records, but RDA tells us that you can have an undifferentiated personal name authority records, so what to do?
Answer: Yes RDA permits the creation and use of undifferentiated personal name records (according to RDA 8.11.1.1.) But now under RDA, Chapter 9 for personal names, it is allowed to adding qualifiers to names (see above point RDA attributes to create a unique authorized access point for the person being established). So a best practice is incorporated into the Descriptive Cataloging Manual Z1 where it is suggested to no longer create a name authority record.
Question: RDA says that it's okay to have an undifferentiated personal name, but you have to go to DCM Z1, the instruction sheet for the 008/32, to find out how to deal with personal name undifferentiated records under NACO policy now. So how often is the DCM updated and where can I find the DCM Z1 document?
Answer: The DCM Z-1 is available on Cataloger's Desktop, and it's also available on the Library of Congress website policy page. And it's updated quarterly just as the RDA Toolkit is updated quarterly. A link to DCM Z1 is also provided in Cataloger's Reference Directory (check DCM Z1 for complete details).
Question: Will this RDA Blog post be revised periodically to reflect the latest changes in the best practices.
Answer: Yes, this RDA Blog post will be revised periodically to reflect the latest changes in the best practices.
Comments:
Question: RDA says that it's okay to have an undifferentiated personal name, but you have to go to DCM Z1, the instruction sheet for the 008/32, to find out how to deal with personal name undifferentiated records under NACO policy now. So how often is the DCM updated and where can I find the DCM Z1 document?
Answer: The DCM Z-1 is available on Cataloger's Desktop, and it's also available on the Library of Congress website policy page. And it's updated quarterly just as the RDA Toolkit is updated quarterly. A link to DCM Z1 is also provided in Cataloger's Reference Directory (check DCM Z1 for complete details).
Question: Will this RDA Blog post be revised periodically to reflect the latest changes in the best practices.
Answer: Yes, this RDA Blog post will be revised periodically to reflect the latest changes in the best practices.
Comments:
Aaron Kuperman, Law Cataloger at Library of Congress, United States [2016-02-15] -- At LC, there are no undifferentiated names. If a professional qualifer won't solve the problem, a "writer on [topic]" will work. Anyone who even knows what an undifferentiated personal name heading is was is now officially considered to be showing their age."
Sources: Chiefly based on information from Library of Congress; other sources consulted are Resource Description and Access (RDA) blog, Librarianship Studies and Information Technology blog, RDA Toolkit, Cataloger's Desktop
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