The document discusses the Names Project, which aims to create a name authority service to help improve metadata and search across institutional repositories. It notes that repositories currently have issues with inconsistent author names leading to incomplete search results. The project conducted scoping work and is building a prototype database based on the FRAD model that assigns unique identifiers to individuals and institutions. This would allow repositories and search services to link information about authors more precisely across repositories.

1. Names Project Amanda Hill Hillbraith Ltd.

2. Background JISC Repositories Programmes Funding UK institutional repositories since 2002 March 2003: 6 repositories, 7,000 items July 2008: 98 such repositories Holding over 350,000 items 1 1 OpenDOAR registry ( http://www.opendoar.org) , 22 July 2008

3. February 2008

4. June 2008

5. July 2008

6. Familiar problem Author names are entered as items are deposited (in many different forms) Multiple forms of name for same individual -> retrieval of partial results (low recall) Different individuals with similar names -> retrieval of non-relevant results (loss of precision)

7. Cross-repository Possible for an individual repository to improve its metadata When information is combined from a range of repositories, the situation worsens again Intute Repository Search

8. Names Investigating potential for a name authority service for repositories, to aid with: Metadata creation as part of submission process Precise and comprehensive retrieval of items created by individuals across repositories Scope of prototype: Names of people Names of institutions Project partners: British Library Mimas, The University of Manchester

9. Names Two phases Scoping Prototype building

10. Expert Panel http://names.mimas.ac.uk/about/expert-panel/

11. Scoping Phase Landscape Report October 2007 Requirements Report February 2008 Data Analysis Report April 2008 Mappings against FRAD 1 Software Requirements Spec. July 2008 1 International Federation of Library Associations, Functional Requirements for Authority Records (2007) http://names.mimas.ac.uk/documents/

12. Prototype Building (1) Building database based on FRAD data model Creating basic records for UK institutions Devising unique identifier system Creating initial set of records for individuals Zetoc PubMed Central

13. Simpson, T. - Graham, B. 005.1 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING JOURNAL Towards a verified MiniSML/SECD system Birtwistle, G. Tofts, C. 003.3 ACM TRANSACTIONS ON MODELING AND COMPUTER SIMULATION A Denotational Semantics for a Process-Based Simulation Language Birtwistle, G. Tofts, C. 600 HP LABORATORIES TECHNICAL REPORT HPL Operational Semantics of DEMOS 2000 Birtwistle, G. Siddiqui, N. - O'Malley, A. - McColl, J. C. 687 JOURNAL OF FASHION MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT Retailer and consumer perceptions of online fashion retailers: Web site design issues Birtwistle, G. Moore, C. M. 658.87 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RETAIL AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT The Burberry business model: creating an international luxury fashion brand Birtwistle, G. Moore, C. M. - Burt, S. 658.8 EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MARKETING Channel power, conflict and conflict resolution in international fashion retailing Birtwistle, G. Co-authors DDC Journal title Article title Author

16. Prototype Building (2) Registration system to allow individuals to claim their data and add and amend the information held about themselves e.g. institutional affiliations over time Interfaces for use by repositories and other services

17. Planned features of Names service Unique identity number for individuals and institutions People may have more than one identity number (pseudonyms) All forms of name are of equal status No ‘preferred term’ Authors will be able to update information about themselves and choose what data is made available to others Best way to avoid data protection/privacy issues Repositories will be able to query or harvest the database To help their users enter consistent metadata Cross-repository search services will be able to use unique identifiers to retrieve information from different sources

18. More information Project website: http://names.mimas.ac.uk/ Email: [email_address] Phone: +1 613 394 0259