The Technical Notice Additions to MARC Authority Records Distributed Through the MARC Distribution Service issued March 17, 1998, announced that the Library of Congress is making changes to its automated authority files (both names and subjects) to support current MARC data elements. That announcement contains a link to Data Element Update to Authority Distribution Service that lists the data elements that may start appearing in authority records, as appropriate, issued from the Library of Congress. The changes to name authority records took place on January 20, 1999. Changes to subject authority records occurred on February 17, 1999.

Note: For the implementation on January 1, 2000 relating to Indicator 1, value "2" (Multiple surname) in X00 fields, see Implementation of Change in Indicator Value for Multiple Surnames in MARC 21.

The changes in name authority records referenced above include:

• Nonfiling indicator. This change reflects the decision to make the second indicator (Number of nonfiling characters) obsolete in fields X00/X10/X11/450/550/X51. Newly created records/fields will contain value "blank" instead of "0"; value "0" will continue to occur as there are no plans at this time to update existing records/fields containing that value.

• Language of cataloging. Newly created records will contain the code "eng" in subfield $b (Language of cataloging) in field 040 (Cataloging source).

• Subdivision Heading Linking Entry--Geographic Subdivision (781). The Library plans to include the 781 linking field for subdivision forms of geographic names in name authority records for geographic names in the future, but the exact details of implementation have not yet been worked out. NACO libraries should not include this field in records that they create or modify until further notice and after instructions for this field are issued by NACO.

SUBJECT AUTHORITY DATA ELEMENTS

The changes in subject authority records referenced above include:

• Nonfiling indicator. This change reflects the decision to make the second indicator (Number of nonfiling characters) obsolete in fields X00/X10/X11/X50/X51. Newly created records/fields contain value "blank" instead of "0"; value "0" was changed to "blank" in existing records/fields at the time that subject authority records were migrated to the Library of Congress integrated library system (LC ILS) in August 1999.

• Language of cataloging. Newly created records contain the code "eng" in subfield $b (Language of cataloging) in field 040 (Cataloging source).

• Subdivision Heading Linking Entry--Geographic Subdivision (781). New and revised subject authority records for geographic names include the 781 linking field for subdivision forms of geographic names. As of January 2003, this field was added to approximately 20,000 existing subject authority records for geographic names.

• Subdivision authority records (18X). Subdivision authority records have been created to control the approximately 3,250 form, topical, and chronological free-floating subdivisions. Based on data supplied by Gary Strawn of Northwestern University, these records contain subdivision data in 18X fields and codes in 073 fields that identify their controlling instruction sheet numbers from the Subject Cataloging Manual: Subject Headings (H 1095-H 1200). All records contain a basic usage statement, and some records contain references that may be enhanced in the future.

• Subfield code $v. The Library is now using subfield code $v for form subdivisions in new subject authority records. In addition, form subdivisions occurring in existing subject authority records are being revised to change subfield code $x to subfield code $v as time permits. As of January 2003, approximately two-thirds of the instances of form subdivisions have been recoded.

  Guidelines on form subdivisions and the application of subfield code $v in bibliographic records are included in the Subject Cataloging Manual: Subject Headings.

  LC staff began subfielding form subdivisions that function as forms as $v in Library of Congress subject headings assigned to bibliographic records on February 17, 1999.

  Note: Form subdivisions in existing bibliographic records are being recoded on a case-by-case basis only as subject headings in individual records are updated or revised for other reasons.

• Authority records for form/genre headings (155). Creation of authority records for form/genre headings in 155 fields and more widespread assignment of form/genre terms in 655 fields of bibliographic records will occur in future stages of the form/genre implementation plan and may be phased in by format or discipline. The Library is not yet projecting any specific dates for these future stages of implementation.

• Cataloging Policy and Support Office Home Page
• Cataloging Directorate Home Page
• Library of Congress Home Page