• Article Type: General
• Product: Aleph
• Product Version: 21

Description:
What is the reason for more than one authority library?

We have LCSH, MeSH, and Children’s LCSH. (We don’t have Multilingual authorities.)

Do we need three xxx1n libraries?

Resolution:
Bib subject headings need to be controlled by the correct authority.

There can be conflicts in how they are used. LC might have “carcinoma see cancer”, while MeSH could have “cancer see carcinoma”.

tab_aut has this:

SUL 2 USM10
SUM 2 USM12

If there were just one authority file (in usm10) containing both, then tab_aut would have this:

SUL 2 USM10
SUM 2 USM10

And there would be confusion when the conflicting headings were used.

• Article last edited: 10/8/2013