This document discusses authority records in Koha, including what they are, how to import or create them, and system preferences that affect how they are handled. Authority records are standardized forms of names, subjects, and other information used to control access points in a catalog. They can be imported, created manually or automatically by Koha. Preferences determine if authorities are automatically generated during cataloging and whether new ones can be created. Authorities are linked to bibliographic records to connect access points, and this linking can be done during cataloging or in batch processes.

1. Authority Records and Koha
ByWater Solutions
Town Hall
August 24, 2016

2. What is an Authority
Record?

3. What is an Authority
Record?
Authorized forms of:
names-personal,corporate,meeting,uniform titles
subjects-topical term, geographic name,
genre,chronological terms

4. How do I get Authority Records?
You can Import them through
Tools-Stage Marc Records
You can let Koha create them.
(machine generated)
You can create them when
cataloging: manually or z3950
import

5. System Preferences that Affect Authorities
AutoCreateAuthorities: generate/don’t generate
BiblioAddsAuthorities must be set to "allow" for this system preference to have any effect
BiblioAddsAuthorities:
Allow:When you catalog you do not have to select an existing authority
record and you have the option to create a new authority, search for an
existing authority or enter free text in the authority driven tag.
Don’tAllow:You must select an existing authority record from your system
and cannot enter or create a new authority record
dontmerge: do/don’t automatically update attached biblios when editing the
authority record.

6. “Linking” the Authorities to Bibliographic Records
Linking the Authority records to Bibliographic Records can
be done at the time of cataloging or in batch by a cron job
(runs nightly/weekly/your choice)

7. The “Linker” System Preferences

8. The “Linker” System Preferences
What links
to What?
100,600,700,800 ->100
110,610,710,810 ->110
111,611,711,811->111
130,630,730,830->130
648->148
650->150
651->151
655->155
The 440 will link to series
authority records

9. What does the ‘linking’ look like?

10. =LDR 00360nz a2200133o 4500
=001 528667
=003 COCAC
=005 20160624211546.0
=008 160624||aca||aabn|a|ad
=040 $aCOCAC$cCOCAC
=150 $aDogmatism.
=667 $aMachine generated authority record.
=670 $aWork cat.: (COCAC)10157:The Authoritarian
personality,, [1950]
=942 $aTOPIC_TERM
Basic Authority Record

11. =001 259539
=005 20160624211546.0
=245 04$aThe Authoritarian personality
=440 0$aStudies in prejudice.$9528666
=490 1$aThe American Jewish Committee. Social studies
series, publication no. 3.
=650 0$aDogmatism.$9528667
Stripped Down Bibliographic Record
linked to previous authority marc record

13. Thank You!!