Search the Authority File interactively

Why search for authority records?

When creating or modifying a bibliographic record, determine the correct forms for names of persons, organizations, conferences, and/or titles associated with the resource you are describing.
When adding subject headings to a bibliographic record, determine established headings.

About the Authority File

The Library of Congress and NACO libraries create and maintain the authority records.
Records are stored and displayed in MARC authorities format.

Search methods, including browse

The following search methods are available for finding Authority File records:

Command line search:
Derived search:
Keyword/numeric search:
Phrase search (browse a headings index):

The following diagram illustrates how to open the dialogs you need to enter these search types:

Enter a command line search

Use a command line search to enter any type of search, including derived, keyword/numeric, or heading browse searches. The command line is for those who are experienced in searching the Authority File and already know the format and index labels for entering searches.

	Action
1	On the Authorities menu, click Search > Authority File, or click , or press <Shift><F2>.
2	In the Search Authority File dialog, in the Command Line Search box, type a keyword, numeric, derived, or phrase search. Notes: You must use the command line to enter a derived search or to enter a heading to browse. You can also enter headings to browse using the Browse Authority File dialog (Authorities > Browse > Authority File). This dialog provides expanded scans for subheadings. Or Select from the list of up to 10 of your last command line searches. Guidelines: For information about entering diacritics and special characters in search terms, see Insert diacritics and special characters. Tip: To delete all retained searches in the dialog any time, click Clear Search. The client deletes search terms from all search boxes but retains the most recent 10 in drop-down search lists.
3	Optional. Show or hide cross references in search results: To show See reference tracings in addition to the main entry for each record, click the Show See References in Results check box. Result: To show See Also reference tracings for each main entry, click the Show See Also References in Results check box. Result: To include both See and See Also references for each main entry, click both check boxes. Result: To show only the main entry for each match, clear both check boxes (default). Note: Cross reference settings apply to command line keyword, numeric, and derived search results. The system ignores these options for command line phrase searches (browsing).
4	Optional. If you want to keep the search you enter, select the Retain Search check box. Results:
5	Click OK or press <Enter> to send the search. Or Click Clear Search to clear the search and enter another. Or Click Cancel to cancel the search and close the dialog. See Use Authority File search results for more about working with results of the search.

For a list of MARC fields and subfields included in Authority File search indexes, see Authority File indexes.

Enter a keyword/numeric search

	Action
1	On the Authorities menu, click Search > Authority File, or click , or press <Shift><F2>.
2	In the Keyword Search area, type a word or phrase in the first Search for box and select one of the following indexes in the adjacent list: Note: The index list displays labels for each index to help you learn them if you prefer to type them as part of your search or if you want to use command line searching. Or Select keyword(s) from the list of up to 10 of your last search terms. Guidelines for keyword searches: Guidelines for numeric searches: See Authority File indexes for a list of index labels and MARC fields and subfields indexed for all search types. Tip: For the most precise search, use the LCCN (index label for command line search: ln), or use the OCLC ARN (index label for command line search: an). For information about entering diacritics and special characters in search terms, see Insert diacritics and special characters.
3	Optional. To combine the search term(s) you entered with a search in another index, type up to four more words or phrases in the other text boxes, select an index for each, and select AND, OR, or NOT to combine the searches.
4	Optional. Show or hide cross references in search results: To show See reference tracings in addition to the main entry for each record, click the Show See References in Results check box. Result: To show See Also reference tracings for each main entry, click the Show See Also References in Results check box. Result: To include both See and See Also references for each main entry, click both check boxes. Result: To show only the main entry for each match, clear both check boxes (default).
5	Optional. If you want to keep the search, select the Retain Search check box. Results: Tip: To delete all retained searches in the dialog, click Clear Search. (The client deletes search terms from the search boxes but retains up to ten of your last terms in drop-down search lists. The client also retains index selections.)
6	Click OK or press <Enter>. Or Click Clear Search to clear the search and enter another. Or Click Cancel to cancel the search and close the dialog. See Use Authority File search results for more about working with results of the search.

For a list of MARC fields and subfields included in Authority File search indexes, see Authority File indexes.

Enter a derived search

Use the command line search in the Search Authority File dialog to enter a derived search.

A derived search uses a specific number of initial characters from the words in a name, title, or subject.
The "derived" segments of the words are separated by commas.
The number and pattern of letters and commas tells the system which Authority File index to search.
The following index labels for derived searches are optional, except that they are required if you combine derived searches (example: to search for Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind, type pd:mitc,mar, and td:gone,wi,t,w)

Personal name (pd:)
Corporate, conference, and geographic (cd:)
Uniform title (td:)
Topical subject (sd:)

Derived search formats

The following table gives the four types of Authority File derived searches, the formats for entering them (number of initial letters and commas required for each), and examples:

Derived search type

Format

Example

Personal name

(pd:)

4,3,1

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus

Type pd:moza,wol,a

Corporate/Conference/Geographic Name

(cd:)

=4,3,1 or cd:4,3,1

American Chemical Society

Type cd:chem,soc, or =chem,soc,

(Note that American is a stopword, and is therefore not included as part of the search, and that two commas are included even though there is no third element)

Title

(td:)

3,2,2,1

Realism in Modern Literature

Type rea,in,mo,l

Subject

(sd:)

5,3

civil rights

Type civil,rig

Note: Even if a derived search has fewer than the required number of words, you must type all required commas.

Example:
For a title search for Roots, type roo,,,

For a list of MARC fields and subfields included in Authority File derived search indexes, see Authority File indexes.

Tips for derived Authority File searching

Use a circumflex (^) for greater precision. In a derived personal name, corporate/conference name, or topical subject search, you can enter a circumflex in the second or subsequent portions of the search key. The circumflex indicates that the segment contains no additional characters.

Example:
To search for the corporate name Library of Congress, use a circumflex in the second segment: cd:libr,of^,c.

Enter fewer than maximum characters in a segment (no circumflex). In a derived personal name, corporate/conference name, or topical subject search, you can enter fewer characters than the maximum allowed without using the circumflex. Doing so expands the search; the system assumes that the segment may contain any additional characters or no additional characters.

Example:
Personal name search smit,b, retrieves records for the surname Smith with any forename beginning with B.

Notes:

For a derived title search, the system treats an incomplete segment as if it contained a circumflex. As a result, the system retrieves only records matching the characters you enter.
You cannot use wildcards in a derived search. Wildcards include truncation (asterisk (*)) or character masking (question mark (?) or number sign (#)).

Stopwords for derived corporate/conference/geographic name index

Omit stopwords in corporate or conference names if they appear in the first position. Include stopwords that follow a significant term.

Example:

In a search for Conference on Urban Planning Information Systems, both conference and on are treated as stopwords. Type: cd:urba,pla,i or =urba,pla,i

If all words in a corporate or conference name are stopwords, ignore the stopword list and include all words in the search key.

The following table lists stopwords for derived corporate, conference, and geographic searches:

Derived Corporate Name Stopword List

Alabama

Alaska

American

and

Arizona

Arkansas

Association

Australia

Board

Bureau

California

Canada

College

Colloquium

Colorado

Commission

Committee

Commonwealth

Conference

Congress

Connecticut

Council

Delaware

Department

Dept.

Division

East

Federal

Florida

for

France

Georgia

Great Britain

Hawaii

House

Idaho

Illinois

India

Indiana

Institute

Institution

International

Iowa

Joint

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Meeting

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

National

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North

North Carolina

North Dakota

Office

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Organization

Parliament

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

School

Seminar

Senate

Society

South

South Carolina

South Dakota

State

Subcommittee

Symposium

Tennessee

Texas

the

U. N.

U.N.

United Nations

United States

University

U. S.

U.S.

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Workshop

Wyoming

Enter a phrase search (browse) with optional expanded terms

When you browse for a heading, the system scans Authority File indexes for the exact phrase you type.

You can browse for all forms of a heading or you can enter a subheading (expanded term) to limit the search to only instances of the heading that contain the subheading.

Most search techniques (truncation, character masking, Boolean operators, and combining searches) cannot be used for browsing. The phrase you enter is matched–character by character, from left to right–against the characters of the terms in the heading indexes.

To browse the Authority File for heading phrases, you can either:

Use the command line search in the Search Authority File dialog (Authorities > Search > Authority File). When the Authority File Browse List opens, you have the option to enter a subheading and do an expanded scan.

For the procedure, see Enter a command line search above.

Or
Open the Browse Authority File dialog (Authorities > Browse > Authority File).

Use the following procedure:

	Action
1	On the Authorities menu, click Browse > Authority File, or click , or press <Alt><F2>.
2	In the Browse Authority File dialog, in the Browse for box, enter the first words of a heading. Or Select a previous term from the list of up to 10 of your last searches. Guidelines:
3	In the index list, select one of the following indexes:
4	Optional. In the Expanded Term box, enter the first letters or words of a subheading. Or Select a previous term from the list of up to 10 of your last searches. Including an expanded term shows the expanded subheadings for the closest heading match. Alternative: Leave the Expanded Term box blank and expand the scan in the browse results window: Tip: By default, the client keeps your search term and index selection (but clears your expanded term if any) the next time you open the Browse Authority File dialog. To clear the Browse for box, click Clear Search. The client retains your last index selection, clears the Browse for box but retains the last ten terms for both the Browse for box and the Expanded Term box in the drop-down lists.
5	Click OK or press <Enter>. Results: Or Click Cancel to cancel browsing and close the dialog.
6	To view the authority record, or to view a list of matching records if multiple records match: Double-click an entry in the Browse Authority File List, or highlight an entry and press <Enter>. Results of opening an entry that represents multiple records:

Search results too large

Problem

Your search in the Connexion Authority File retrieves too many records, and you have difficulty finding the specific record you need.
You cannot limit the search effectively. For example, you need a record for a broader heading found in many records for specific headings.

Strategy

Browse for authority records, instead of searching, using the same term and index. In the Browse Results list, click the term to view a list of the records retrieved. Browsing may produce a smaller result set that you can sort by main entry.

Enter the heading in a bibliographic record and then control the heading:

	Action
1	In the bibliographic record you are editing, add the appropriate type of heading field. Then type the heading in the added field.
2	With the cursor remaining in the added field, on the Edit menu, click Control Heading > Single, or press <F11>. Result:
3	To view the authority record(s), click the hyperlinked heading(s).

Example

Search or browse to find a record for the corporate name heading Catholic Church. A search retrieves over 5000 records. A browse retrieves over 1500 records.

Add a 110 or 710 field to a bibliographic record, enter the text Catholic Church in the field, and on the Edit menu, click Control Headings > Single. The system retrieves two records that exactly match the heading you entered.

For more information see Control headings in bibliographic records.

Pattern headings for LC subjects

The Library of Congress (LC) has identified headings that are representative of particular categories. Such headings are called pattern headings. These headings are in the Subject Authority File with a set of subdivisions appropriate for use with other headings belonging to the category. Pattern headings can help you:

Verify subject headings in an existing bibliographic record.
Select appropriate subject headings to include in an original record.

The following table lists the LC-identified pattern headings:

Subject Field	Category	Pattern Heading(s)
Religion	Religious and monastic orders	Jesuits
	Religions	Buddhism
	Christian denominations	Catholic Church
	Sacred works (including parts)	Bible
History and Geography	Colonies of individual countries	Great Britain x Colonies
	Legislative bodies (including individual chambers)	United States. b Congress
	Military services (including armies, navies, marines, etc.)	United States x Armed Forces United States. b Air Force United States. b Army United States. b Marine Corps United States. b Navy
	Wars	World War, 1939-1945 United States x History y Civil War, 1861-1865
Social Sciences	Industries	Construction industry Retail trade
	Types of educational institutions	Universities and colleges
	Individual educational institutions	Harvard University
	Legal topics	Labor laws and legislation
The Arts	Art	Art, Itialian Art, Chinese Art, Japanese Art, Korean
	Groups of literary authors (including authors, poets, dramatists, etc.)	Authors, English
	Literary works entered under author	Shakespeare, William, d 1564-1616. t Hamlet
	Literary works entered under title	Beowulf
	Languages and groups of languages	English language French language Romance languages
	Literatures (inclluidng individual genres)	English literature
	Musical compositions	Operas
	Musical instruments	Clarinet Piano
Science and Technology	Land vehicles	Automobiles
	Materials	Concrete Metals
	Chemicals	Copper Insulin
	Organs and regions of the body	Heart Foot
	Diseases	Cancer Tuberculosis
	Plants and crops	Corn
	Animals	Fishes Cattle

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