Minutes of the meeting of the Working Group on Functional Requirements and Numbering of Authority Records (FRANAR)
Sunday 22 August, 9.30 - 11.30 a.m.
BITEC Conference Center, Bangkok

Present:

Excused:

Observers:

Mar Hernandez, Biblioteca Nacional, Spain
Agneta Holmenmark, Royal Library, Sweden
Pia Leth, Royal Library, Sweden
Monika Münnich, University Library, Heidelberg
Eva Tedenmyr, Royal Library, Sweden
Retha Snyman, University of Pretoria, South Africa

1. Opening of the meeting - Welcome

Members were asked why they had interest in the WG's proposed activities and how those fitted into their own. Mr. Walravens explained that his interest was twofold:

• he was chair of the Section on Serial Publications and also responsible for a German serials database

• he was involved in standards as Director of the International ISBN and ISMN agencies.

Mr. Snyder was Professor of History at the University of California (Riverside) and Direct or of the Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research. He was involved in STC (Short Title Catalogue (18th century) and in the Consortium of European Research Libraries (CERIL). He was also the Chair of the IFLA Section on Rare Books and Manuscripts. He had addressed a recommendation to IFLA concerning the ISADN during the ICNIBS in Copenhagen.

Ms. Murtomaa, in addition to her special interests and related activities at the National and University Library of Finland, had been part of the former WG on MLAR.

Mr. Rinn represented Ms. Hengel-Dittrich. He was involved in several projects related to authority files and reported on the joint Library of Congress I Deutsche Bibliothek project of linking name authority files.

Ms. Tillett also reported on the ILC/IDIDB project in which she was personally involved. She had chaired the WG on MLAR.

Mr. Patton was manager of cataloguing products at OCLC. He reported on a project related to a database of records created under different cataloguing rules.

Concerning the observers, Ms. Hernandez was also involved in Project Author. Ms. Snyman made a study of South African names. Ms. Münnich was participating in several projects including Re-use. Ms. Leth reported that authority control was a very important concern of the Royal Library in Stockholm. Her colleagues Ms. Tedenmyr and Ms. Holmenmark were respectively Head of the National Bibliography: Monographs and Head of the National Bibliography: Serials.

2. Background

The above mentioned study on International Cooperation in the Field of Authority Data (1993) devoted nearly all its third part to an international system for authority data, the structure of an ISADN and other recommendations.

At the end of an international seminar on authority files held at the National Library of Russia in St. Petersburg in 1995, a recommendation was addressed to IFLA concerning the ISADN.

The Working Group on MLAR and the ISADN was created in May 1996 under the auspices of the IFLA UBCIM Programme. It was chaired by Barbara Tillett. Members agreed that it seemed better to define the Minimal Level Authority Record first. The WG produced a report at the end of 1998 (see above) in which it was advised to create a WG for the follow up, including the feasibility of an ISADN.

Ms. Bourdon also mentioned the results of the Project Author (1996-1998).

During the Seminar on the "Function of Bibliographic Control in the Global Information Infrastructure" held in Vilnius in June 1998, recommendations were addressed to IFLA. Liv Aasa Holm, in her paper on "Authority Control in an International Context in the New Environment", published as most of the other papers in ICBC, 28(1), January-March 1999, concludes: "An ISADN for personal and corporate names and for titles seems to be a good solution. Hopefully it can be realized".

During a Workshop titled "UNIMARC in Transition" held during the IFLA Conference in Amsterdam, a recommendation concerning the ISADN was also issued.

Lastly, as already mentioned, this question was raised again by Mr. Snyder during the International Conference on National Bibliographic Services (Copenhagen, November 1998).

Outside IFLA there were also organizations considering linking numbers such as ICA and INDECS. INDECS recognizes the necessity of making a list of data which should be put in records in order to allow producers to manage rights. Two INDECS meetings have already been attended by FRANAR members. Mr. MacEwan attended a meeting held in May in London, focussing on the Directory of Persons which is one of the deliverables the Project team expects to produce. Ms. Bourdon attended the Evaluation Conference in July in London. Ms. Plassard mentioned that she had been invited to an INDECS meeting to be held in London on 29 September for all affiliate members. There were interest and pressure from different users.

Ms. Bourdon referred to the proposed terms of reference of the WG and said that there were three priorities:

1. define functional requirements for authority records

2. examine the feasibility of the ISADN, define its possible use, who would be the users, what types of authority records are concerned; then, decide on the structure of the number (if the number is needed), and what type of management would be necessary; alternatively, could one reuse a special number and, in that case, which?

3. keep in touch with all interested parties: ICA, CERL, INDECS.

Mr. Walravens said that names are more or less easy to handle but corporate bodies are a real concern. It is important to tackle the issue.

Concerning the feasibility of the ISADN, a unique identification number, it would be useful to have a list of publications in Europe and the US and see if there were unique numbers which could be linked to create an international system. Ms. Bourdon suggested to divide the work in between members: some could work on persons, others on corporate bodies. One could perhaps use an already existing system. Should the system be national or cultural, should it be a language system? It is a very serious political issue: see, the case for example of Silesia, in relation to Germany and Poland. One should resolve the problem of linking existing systems and avoid duplication. One should also avoid the expense of creating records all over again. We should be "capping" the work done by others.

Mr. Walravens commented on both possibilities: creating a unique identifier or linking existing systems. Linking existing systems would be in line with the ISO standard on ISIL, A unique identifier would have to be a new number.

Mr. Patton said that OCLC extended authority records to indicate: language time period subject matter.

It is sometimes easier to derive information from local sources but it depends on practices.

Ms. Murtomaa thought that people involved in copyright issues would want to know what function the copyright holder has. It thus seems better to have a significant number. Ms. Hernandez added that function was also indicated in Spain. Ms. Bourdon thought that the information could be in the record but not necessarily in the number. All these statements refer to personal names only. The computer produces the number linked to the identifying number. Once the system is defined, retrospective work will have to be considered.

Mr. Walravens mentioned IWOC (building authority files for rights management) and the ISAN (international Standard Audiovisual Number). He added that with INDECS the motivation laid in copyright management. This was not really for the interest of the library community.

Ms. Bourdon felt more information about numbering systems was needed, one should check what has been done with authority control in numbering systems. Mr. Snyder asked about retrospective work and about the methodology the WG should use. It seems that the first step was to gather work already done.

Several tasks were assigned to members. Ms. Tillett would retrieve the entity relationship model for functional requirements (Action List 1). Mr. Walravens would provide information on various numbering systems (Action List 2). Mr. Snyder would draft a document on retrospective work (Action List 3). Ms. Hengel-Dittrich would provide information on LC/DDB project (Action List 4). Mr. Patton would explain how this numbering would be helpful (using Ed O'Neills research) (Action List 5). Mr. MacEwan would report on LC/BL joint activities (Action List 6). Ms. Bourdon would provide a bibliography of former relevant studies and reports and would also make a synopsis of reports provided by WG members (Action List 7 and 8).

The Working Group endorsed the terms of reference proposed by Ms. Bourdon:

1. to define functional requirements of authority records: continuing the work that the Functional requirements of bibliographic records" for bibliographic systems initiated.

2. to study the feasibility of an International Standard Authority Data Number (ISADN): to define possible use and users, to determine for what types of authority records such an ISADN is necessary, to examine the possible structure of the number and the type of management that would be necessary.

3. to serve as the official IFLA liaison to and work with other interested groups concerning authority files: INDECS (Interoperability of Data in E Commerce Systems), ICA/CDS (International Council on Archives / Committee on Descriptive Standards), ISO/TC46 for international numbering and descriptive standards, CERL (Consortium of European Research Libraries), etc.

The first task of the WG would be to gather information. There were 10 members on the WG (list attached). One could add "resource persons": Liv Aasa Holm, INDECS. Corresponding members could be Ms. Snyman and Tom Delsey.

The WG would work essentially by e-mail and would meet again during the IFLA Conference in Jerusalem. It might be necessary to meet before the IFLA Conference but funding should be secured. Ms. Bourdon would explore the possibility of getting funds through Division IV.

As there was no other business, the meeting ended up at 11.30.

Action List