Authorities for Archives Webinar
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
10:00 am - 12:00 pm EST
 

In this 2 hour session, we’ll cover authorities - how we determine the best name for the people (singular and in groups, like businesses), places & subjects that we use in our description. Are you new to archives? Wondering if/how/why you might get some control over all of the names in your institutional repository, digital archives or other web related database? In this class, we'll talk about the pros/cons of authority control, explore the basic elements of a well constructed name and identify tools to remediate (fix!) your metadata as well as check and verify names. Through exploration of examples, attendees will gain practical exposure to the fundamentals of authority work following RDA principles and insights into tools. Upon completion of the class and exercises, attendees should be able to identify basic resources for verifying authorities and be able to construct a name following RDA principles. No previous authorities work is needed, although a familiarity with MARC or Dublin Core may be useful.

Resources: Curated authorities resources, presentation materials, and exercises will be available after class. 

Audience: All library staff who work with or are interested in authorities, especially those working with or interested in archives, special collections, or institutional repositories as well as those who are interested in the role of metadata in systems

Note: While not specific to MARC records, catalogers working with MARC records may find new insights into authority work  


Presented by: Robin Fay

Robin Fay is a Metadata and Technology Librarian with over 15 years of experience. She has worked with ARL libraries, the Library of Congress, the Digital Public Library of America, among others.