Date:         Thu, 22 Jul 2004 14:50:34 -0400
Reply-To:     Metadata Object Description Schema List <[log in to unmask]>
Sender:       Metadata Object Description Schema List <[log in to unmask]>
From:         "Rebecca S. Guenther" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:      Re: MODS and authority control
Comments: To: Metadata Object Description Schema List <[log in to unmask]>
In-Reply-To:  <[log in to unmask]>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=X-UNKNOWN

On Thu, 22 Jul 2004, Renee McBride wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> As a member of the Music Library Association's (MLA) Metadata
> Standards Working Group, I'm heading up a subgroup that is looking at
> MODS. A member of our subgroup recently asked me how authority control
> fits into our work (which has been focused on issues of description to
> this point). She noted that we can include the source of the authority
> as an attribute, but wondered how this works in practice. E.g. if you
> type in Rite of spring, how do you reach the authority record that
> leads you to the uniform title? I don't know the answer and would
> greatly appreciate your help in understanding.

You could either indicate in the authority attribute that the form of name
is from "naf" or some other authority file and/or you could use the xlink
attribute to give a URI to link to the authority record. Since the Library
of Congress has recently registered the Library of Congress Control Number
(LCCN) as an info: URI namespace in the NISO info: registry, you could use
the info URI form. Example:

In LC authority file:
Rite of spring (Choreographic work)
LCCN: n 94024219 
as an info: URI becomes:
info:lccn/n94024219 

MODS record:
<titleInfo authority="naf" xlink="info:lccn/n94024219"><title>Rite of
spring (Choreographic work)</title></titleInfo>

(see the info registration:) 
http://info-uri.info/registry/OAIHandler?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=reg&identifier=info:lccn/

It should be possible to use only the xlink with LCCN and no content
between the tags (except that the MODS schema now requires at least one
child element under titleInfo; that should probably be changed to allow
for only using a URI).

> Also, about authority attributes: I see in the MARC/MODS mapping the
> <subject authority> and <genre authority> attributes, but I don't see
> authority attributes for name, title, or series (under <related
> item>). Again, I would greatly appreciate your help in understanding
> how this works for names/titles/series, as well as how MADS relates to
> all this.

There's nothing in the MARC record in 1XX and 7XX that gives that
information on authority, while in subject there is an indicator and/or $2
that tells you the source of the term. Hence we couldn't map anything
going from MARC to MODS. In MODS you can indicate an authority however.
Again, in MODS you could use xlink to point to an authority record.

MADS would provide an authority record like the MARC authority record and
is intended to be consistent in its structure and elements with MODS. In
the future, you could use xlink for a URI in the MADS namespace (once
established). I think this was brought out in an earlier message to the
list (from Andy Houghton).

Rebecca

 > 
> many thanks!
> 
> Renee McBride
> 
> 
> ********************************************
> Renée McBride
> Humanities & Music Cataloger, UCLA
> phone : (310) 206-5853
> fax: (310) 206-4974
> e-mail: [log in to unmask]
>