Hi Louise,
The Archives Hub cataloguing tool provides for archivists to add the VIAF ID. That is, the Virtual International Authority File ID: https://viaf.org/
This is probably the most global choice, as VIAF brings together name authority files on a global level.
Of course, not all names will have a VIAF ID. But, where they have, the advantage is that we are linking out into the global data environment, rather than thinking in terms of the archival domain.
So, for example, Winston Churchill has a permalink: http://viaf.org/viaf/94507588/. This brings together a huge variety of forms of his name and also links into Wikipedia. It means that we can assert that the names Winston Churchill, Winston S Churchill, Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill all refer to the same person.
If a researcher was interested in Scottish Women’s Aid, then the new description on the Hub now has the VIAF ID: https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/data/gb1534-swa:
<corpname authfilenumber="http://viaf.org/viaf/137672803" role="creator" rules="ncarules" source="viaf"><emph altrender="name">Scottish Women's Aid</emph>
That links it to wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7438034#sitelinks-wikipedia
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Women's_Aid
WorldCat: http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-nr2004-66/
Obviously this is not perfect, and, especially without life dates, names can fail to match. But it gives the best potential to actually link archives and other sources together by individual personal or organisational name.
At the moment this is more about potential than implementation, but it does seem to me that the importance of name authorities should be that they allow us to unambiguously identify people and organisations and to connect data.
It gives the potential for a service like the Archives Hub to pull in other data, or link to these other sources, or for other interfaces to be created bringing together all of these sources.
cheers
Jane.
Jane Stevenson
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> On 13 Jul 2017, at 14:35, HUGHES, Louise <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Thanks to those who have replied already. I thought I’d share Theresa Doherty’s comprehensive reply on the identifiers:
>
> Assigning Individual Authority Record codes.
>
> This topic has gone a bit quiet. There are still not that many offices that are writing authority records – I happen to be a big fan as users find them really helpful and ARs can head off a number of enquiries and make cataloguing more effective.
>
> The National Archive codes
>
> The National Archives index of record creators all have codes (the creators are taken from our annual accession returns for The National Register of Archives).
>
> Go to Advanced Search and there is a tab for Record Creators.
>
> All of creators listed on TNA should have authority record codes e.g. corporate - Royal College of Nursing = GB/NNAF/C236315
>
> Or our RCN founder Sarah Swift’s record is here http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F274234
>
> The TNA code
> = GB/NNAF/C236315
> = Country code / Name of Office ‘NNAF = National Name Authority File’ (sic) / Corporate or Person or Family (C/P/F)+ number
>
> A family example can be seen here http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F23547
>
> Individual Archive Office Codes
>
> Locally at RCN Archives we don’t actively assign codes – There is a CALM default code e.g. DS/UK/25668 but it’s not exactly ISAAR compliant.
>
> We are currently focusing on building up our authority records. Here’s an example of our record for Sarah Swift http://archives.rcn.org.uk/CalmView/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Persons&id=DS%2fUK%2f25668&pos=1
>
> I haven’t heard anyone asking about authority record codes recently in the CALM user group. So I think most people will be using the default (which was set up when ICA was drafting ISAAR)
>
> We’re not sharing data with external aggregators yet, and I don’t know of anywhere which is actively using individual archive office authority records (rather than aggregator indices). Hence, so far the code hasn’t been an issue
>
> ATOM – Borthwick
> BTW Some atom users are posting up authority records, like Borthwick, but I can’t see any codes on there, e.g. : https://borthcat.york.ac.uk/index.php/alcoholics-anonymous
>
> TNA – v- Local Codes
>
> Several years ago Bill Stockting and I had a long debate about whether creators should have one central code, i.e. use the TNA NRA index code, OR whether we needed local ones as well. I’m not sure we came to a conclusion at the time.
>
> Thinking about it now, there is always going to be a need for individual archive office versions of authority records, as creators are by their nature spread over many different archive offices. And each office holds material that reflects different facets of a creator. A good example (thanks to Geoff Browell!) is Winston Churchill – politician, prime minister, personal, artist? Each brief biography is going to be different reflecting the records an archive office holds.
>
> Logically if we have individual archive office versions of creator authority records then we need individual codes for each authority record
>
> SNAC
> SNAC was doing some work on sharing people indices and biographical data, but I haven’t kept an eye on it recently http://socialarchive.iath.virginia.edu/
>
> Final Thoughts
>
> I guess if I were to ‘correct’ our existing codes our Sarah Swift code would look something like:
> GB/1199/P25668
> Country/Institution code / Person+Number
>
>
> From: Archivists, conservators and records managers. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of HUGHES, Louise
> Sent: 13 July 2017 11:06
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Authority Record Identifiers
>
> Dear list,
>
> Is anyone willing to share how they structure their local authority record identifiers (ISAAR 5.4.1)? I’m trying to establish if there is any best practice or standard format for the creation of an identifier from scratch.
>
> Also, if the dates of existence are unknown, is it ok to put “unknown” or should I include an approximate date?
>
> Many thanks,
>
> Louise
>
> Louise Hughes
> Special Collections and University Archivist
>
> Special Collections and Archives
> University of Gloucestershire
> Francis Close Hall (QU024)
> Swindon Road
> Cheltenham
> GL50 4AZ
> Tel: 01242 714851
> www.glos.ac.uk/archives
>
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