PCC Authority Source Citation Task Group

Final report, Oct. 1, 2011

Summary

In its report, the PCC Authority Source Citation Task Group makes the following recommendations:

  • There is no need at this time to change the existing subfield coding in MARC 21 Authority Format fields 670 and 675. The PCC should emphasize to its members the importance of the proper use of the existing subfield coding. The Task Group makes several suggestions for the citation of information in 670 fields.
  • PCC practice for the use of MARC 21 Authority Format fields 670 and 675 needs to be made more rational. Such a change would simplify the training of new participants in the use of these fields. The definitions of the fields need to be adjusted slightly to reflect the rationalization of practice.
  • The Task Group has identified the need for a new field in the MARC 21 Authority Format. This field will present titles associated with the entity represented by the authority record (or, in exceptional cases, titles not associated with the entity represented by the authority record) in a manner suitable for machine action.
  • The Task Group believes that the recently-defined subfield $v for source citations in various fields in the MARC 21 Authority Format is in most cases being used in a redundant manner, and that the need for simplicity would be best served if this subfield were made obsolete; or at least if subfield $v were no longer available for use in NACO authority records.
  • A means should be found for identifying frequent collaborators with the entity identified in the 1XX field of an authority record.
  • A means should be found for explicitly linking a NACO authority record to its VIAF cluster and to other addressable entity descriptions in the linked data environment.
  • PCC should establish a new Task Group, with a time line longer than that afforded to this Task Group, to consider the use of linked data in authority records.

The Task Group includes with its report a number of proposals and discussion papers related to its recommendations, ready for submission to MARBI for consideration at its Midwinter 2012 meeting.
Introduction

The PCC Authority Source Citation Task Group was formed to consider several issues related to fields 670 and 675 in the MARC 21 Authority Format. The discussions of the group, which were held exclusively via e-mail, focused chiefly on the need to find a machine-actionable place in the format to contain titles of items related to the entity represented by the authority record. During the discussions, the Task Group identified a number of additional issues related to the use of the 670 and 675 fields. Some of these issues call for restatements of PCC policy, and some call for both adjustments to the MARC format and to PCC policy.

General recommendations for source citations

The Task Group considered replacing the current 670 and 675 fields with one or more new fields. In the end, the Task Group believes that with the addition of one new field to the MARC authority format to contain titles associated with the entity represented by the authority record and the restatement of policies regarding use of the 670 and 675 fields (all described below), the current 670 and 675 fields can continue with the existing content designation.

The Task Group believes that current policy regarding the content of the 670 and 675 fields is not entirely logical (and certainly not an easy matter to describe in training), and proposes the following adjustments:

  • Any resource in which any information is found should be recorded in a 670 field. This includes resources that contain information only concerning entities related to the entity represented by the authority record (now cited in the 675 field). In general, it may be stated that whenever a source citation contains a parenthetical listing of information found in the source, that source citation should be carried in a 670 field.

Instead of this (the citation identifies only an earlier name for a conference):

675: : |a Medical applications of synchrotron radiation, c1998: pref. (International Workshop on Medical Applications of Synchrotron Radiation held in Haga, in Hyogo Prefecture, Aug. 8-11, 1997 (HAGA '97); in 1992 held in Diago in Ibaraki Prefecture (DAIGO '92)

Do this:

670: : |a Medical applications of synchrotron radiation, c1998: |b pref. (International Workshop on Medical Applications of Synchrotron Radiation held in Haga, in Hyogo Prefecture, Aug. 8-11, 1997 (HAGA '97); in 1992 held in Diago in Ibaraki Prefecture (DAIGO '92)

This does not mean that subfield $b is required in order for a source to be identified in a 670 field. In many cases, the title of the source contains all of the relevant information found in the source, and subfield $b is not used. Many historical uses of the 670 field also do not contain a parenthetical citation of information found, even though such a citation would be included were the field constructed today.

670: : |a Wallner, A. Divertimento für Hornquartett (1982), c1984.

670: : |a A history of the Beddington, Carshalton & Wallington Archaeological Society (now the Carshalton & District History & Archaeology Society), 2010

  • The use of the 675 field should be restricted to the citation of resources in which no information at all was found. The Task Group considered the possibility of making the 675 field repeatable and subfield $a not repeatable, but after the removal of citations containing parenthesized information (see the preceding recommendation) could see no compelling need for this additional change. The following example reflects current practice, which the Task Group believes to be acceptable, at least for the present.

675: : |a GEOnet, 21 July 2011; |a Wikipedia, 21 July 2011

The Task Group believes that following this refinement to the definitions of the 670 and 675 fields, the 675 field should be used for the citation of the item being cataloged in those rare instances when that item contains no information. Current practice is to cite the item being cataloged in a 670 field in every case, followed if appropriate by an indication that the item contains no information; this practice should be discontinued.

Instead of this:

670: :|a His Miscellanea variegata, anagrammata, epigrammata, disticha: seu Basilica, & heroica sacra memoriæ, 1663 |b (name not given)

The name of the author does not appear in the item being cataloged, although it can be found in reference sources.

Do this:

675: :|a His Miscellanea variegata, anagrammata, epigrammata, disticha: seu Basilica, & heroica sacra memoriæ, 1663

Instead of this:

670: :|a Timing of migration, spawning, and juvenile emergence by sockeye salmon in Bear Lake, Alaska, 2003 |b (name not given)

The heading being established is "Aleutians East Borough (Alaska)," which does not explicitly appear in the item being cataloged. The name of the Borough is needed in the parenthetical qualifier to make the name of the Lake unique.

Do this:

675: :|a Timing of migration, spawning, and juvenile emergence by sockeye salmon in Bear Lake, Alaska, 2003

This report contains a MARBI proposal concerning this re-alignment of the definitions of the 670 and 675 fields (proposal 2).

The Task Group considered the definition of more elaborate subfield coding for the 670 field. Such coding might include separate subfields for various elements now stuffed into subfields $a (introductory phrase, main entry, title, date an online resource was consulted, LCCN, and others) and $b (location of information, and information found at that location) but rejected that possibility almost immediately. The retrospective automated re-coding of existing data according to any new standard would be impossible, and the effort needed for additional content designation is better deployed for data elements that are presented in a standard format, not transcribed. The Task Group instead decided that the PCC should emphasize the importance of the proper use of existing coding.

A new field for titles

The main work of the Task Group was to consider how best to make one piece of information currently buried in the 670 field—additional titles related to the entity represented by the authority record—available in a machine-actionable manner. The Task Group's conclusion was that a new field should be defined to contain this information. A discussion paper for submittal to MARBI concerning the need for such a new field is included with this report (discussion paper 1).

Source citations in the new field, and in other fields

The Task Group considered whether or not the new field for titles related to the entity should contain a subfield for the source of the information, parallel to subfield $v available in the 046, 372 and other fields. Now that some experience has been gained in its use, the Task Group believes that subfield $v should be seen as an unnecessary over-elaboration; instead of reducing redundancy as intended, in practice subfield $v appears to increase it. The unforeseen redundant use of source subfields has resulted in records with constructions like the following:

373: : |a U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services |v Eliminating health disparities through the affordable care act and beyond, 2011

374: : |a Assistant secretary for health |v Eliminating health disparities through the affordable care act and beyond, 2011

670: : |a Eliminating health disparities through the affordable care act and beyond, 2011: |b title screen (Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH)

The information from 373 $a and 374 $a should have been included in the 670 field, and both uses of subfield $v eliminated.

The Task Group has created a MARBI proposal to declare these source subfields obsolete (proposal 1). (Our community has never felt the need to tie a 4XX field to a particular source citation, and on reflection it seems unnecessary to begin to do so for other types of information.)

If PCC does not wish to pursue this proposal, the Task Group believes that the PCC should declare that source subfields should not be used in NACO authority records. If PCC does not wish to pursue the proposal to make subfield $v obsolete in these fields or declare them not to be used in NACO records, it should provide suitable strict guidelines for the use of subfield $v, and indicate how subfield $v should be used in combination with the 670 field to reduce, and not increase, redundancy.

Further, the Task Group believes that the proposed new field for titles related to the entity described by the authority record, the existing 372 field, and similar fields, do not require the support of an explicit source citation in any case; the information in some such fields may be taken as facts established by the person creating or modifying the authority record, and some may be taken as implied by information present elsewhere in the authority record. (For example, the site of a person's activity may be implied by the location of the institution with which that person is identified.)

A new field for collaborators

It is often the case that the identification of an authority record as representing the entity of interest can be eased if names of other entities with which that entity has frequently collaborated are clearly identified. The Task Group includes with this report a MARBI discussion paper (discussion paper 3) that presents some of the issues related to this need.

Additional recommendations related to source citations

The Task Group has the following further recommendations:

  • The Task Group considered the use of linked data in authority records and sees great potential for its use. PCC should establish a new Task Group, with more time available to it than was available to this Task Group, to consider more fully the inclusion of linked data in authority records. The Task Group includes a discussion paper for MARBI (discussion paper 2) that explores some of the possibilities for linked data within the current MARC structure.
  • When citing a source of information in a 670 field, NACO participants should give all of the information found in the resource, even if that information repeats information found in other source citations. This full recording of information is critical for undifferentiated name authority records, but in all cases eases the work of others in comprehending a record when the record is re-visited in the future. Under this principle, the following should be regarded as an improper use of the 670 field, as at least the person's name must have been given in the source of information:

670: :|a Wikipedia, Sept 15, 2011: |b (born 1952)

  • As machine-actionable pieces of information currently jumbled into the 670 field are identified, a separate home should be found for them in other fields. The source of this information should continue to be recorded in the 670 field. The 670 field is the home for information transcribed from resources; information found in a resource may also be presented in elsewhere in the record (often in a standardized form). Information derived from information any of the 670 fields (alone or in combination) does not require an additional source citation.
  • When subfield $a of the 670 field contains the title of a resource, it should contain the full title as presented by the resource; words should not be abbreviated or omitted.

Appendix: Charge to the PCC Authority Source Citation Task Group

Charge: The PCC Authority Source Citation Task Group is charged to:

  • review the manner in which sources consulted are recorded in authority records (670 and 675 fields; and more recently subfield $v in other fields)
  • consider changes to practices that would permit greater automated assistance with heading assignment and maintenance, as well as potential uses for supporting the user needs of finding/identifying resources and support the future migration of data
  • suggest enhancements to MARC coding needed to support any changes in practice

Background: The manner in which sources consulted are recorded in authority records has not changed substantially since the adoption of the MARC format for authority data in the mid-1970s; and the MARC format simply made it possible to continue card-based practices in effect for many decades before that time. As human resources available for database maintenance activities continue to dwindle, it seems reasonable to determine whether changes to current practice could result in greater opportunities for automatic resolution of heading problems. The goal of the work of this task group is a change to the granularity of MARC content designation which will allow some strings to be treated as data, thereby increasing interoperability and machine action-ability. This goal is in support of PCC Strategic Direction number 3 (SD3).

The work of the Task Group will result in the preparation of a written report addressing the points outlined above, and any related matters that seem appropriate to the Task Group. As appropriate, the report will be accompanied by one or more separate documents outlining suggested changes to MARC coding, ready for submission to the Library of Congress for consideration by MARBI.

Time Frame:

  • Preliminary report to SCA: September 15, 2011
  • Final report to SCA: October 1, 2011.
  • Final report to Policy Committee or Steering Committee: Dec. 2011
  • Deadline for comments from OpCo and PoCo: Jan. 13, 2012

Status: In process

Chain of Reporting: The task group reports to the Standing Committee on Automation (SCA) who will report to PoCo.

Task Group members:

Karen Anderson

Robert Bremer

Stephen Hearn

Gary Strawn, Chair

David Williamson

John Wright

[Discussion paper 1]

MARC Discussion Paper no. 2012-DPXX

DATE:October 1, 2011

NAME:Identifying titles related to the entity represented by the authority record in the MARC 21 Authority Format

SOURCE: Program for Cooperative Cataloging

SUMMARY: This paper explores options in the MARC 21 Authority Format for making titles related to the entity represented by the authority record machine-actionable

KEYWORDS:

STATUS/COMMENTS:

1 BACKGROUND

Field 670 in the MARC 21 Authority Format contains citations of sources in which information related to the entity represented by the authority record was found. These fields contain two principal segments: an identification of the source (subfield $a), and information found in the source (subfield $b).

670: : |a Her The art of the table, 1962.

670: : |a Her Wines of the Graves, 1988: |b t.p. (Pamela Vandyke Price)

670: : |a Hertel, J. M. Concerto for trumpet ... [SR] p1976 (a.e.) |b labels (Bo Nilsson, trumpet) container (b. 1940, Stockholm)

670: : |a Optimization and regulation for computational inverse problems and applications, c2011: |b t.p. (Anatoly G. Yagola) t.p. verso (Prof. Dr. Anatoly G. Yagola, Dept. of Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State Univ.)

670: : |a Domenico Buratti, realtà, sogni, scritture pittoriche di un artista torinese, 2003: |b p. 9 (Italian painter, poet, book illustrator, editor) p. 65 (b. Nole Canavese, Nov. 21, 1881) p. 66 (d. Turin, May 24, 1960)

The 670 field was designed as a holder for the raw information used in the construction of the authority record or of potential use to future users of the record. In recent years, application programs have begun to mine information in the 670 field for other purposes. For example, a program loading authority records may attempt cautiously to reassign headings in bibliographic records based on a comparison of titles in bibliographic records to titles in the 670 field. While this is made difficult because subfield $a of the 670 field can contain many kinds of information in addition to a title (such as: an identification of the author, the date of publication of the resource and/or the date of consultation of the resource, the format of the resource, and the function of a heading for an entity within the bibliographic record for the item), these efforts have seen substantial success, and in general the technique can be described as valid.

Among the pieces of information that may be carried in subfield $b of the 670 field is a listing of additional titles for which the entity represented by the authority record is responsible in some manner.

670: : |a Phone call to pub., 2/23/88 |b (Ronald Fernandez, also author of Social psychology through literature)

670: : |a E-mail from Dr. Martin, 2 Sept. 2011 |b (confirms authorship of various reports emanating from ETSU, TRRL, Financial Times, Dept. of Energy; also authored doctoral thesis "The mechanical behaviour of carbon fibre composites at high rates of loading")

670: : |a Phone call to M.Johnstone, Routledge, 12-10-99 |b (John Andrew Forth; also wrote Pathways through unemployment, Rents and work incentives)

In some cases, the 670 may conversely identify items for which an entity has no responsibility: