How to Turn On Local Authorities After Implementation in Alma
Alma needs to be configured to support local authorities. Normally, this process is done during the implementation phase. However, this page specifies the process to configure Alma to use local authorities after going live.
Having multiple subject authorities can be used by Alma. If you wish to use more than one name authority vocabulary, you would need to define priority between authority vocabularies for authority control. To configure this option, contact Ex Libris Support.
- Request Exlibris Support to enable Local Authorities.
- The respective parameter authority_usage_policy is set from Global to Local by Exlibris Support.
- After the above parameter change, the bibliographic records are linked to the local authorities in the next Authorities - Link BIB Headings job, even for bibliographic records linked to community authorities.
- Once the bibliographic records are linked to the local authorities, the following two options are enabled in Configuration Menu > Resources > Cataloging > Metadata Configuration:
Manage Locally a Global Authority
You can create local authority records, which override the global authority records provided with Alma in the Community Zone. Alma always prefers the local record over a matching global record. To link to a global authority record, you must first delete the local record.
- Select the Manage Locally option for the required global vocabulary (Configuration > Resources > Metadata Configuration > Authority Vocabularies).
Manage Locally Option
After the option is enabled, local authorities can be created in three ways:
- Creating Local Authority Records Using the MD Editor
- Copying Community Zone Authority Records to Your Local Authority Database
- Create Local Authority Records by Importing them via an Import Profile
Creating Local Authority Records Using the MD Editor
- Open the Metadata Editor.
- Select New, then select the list from local vocabularies enabled in your system.
If the template is not available, select Templates display configuration and enable the ‘Display in Menu’ option for the template of the new Local Authority Vocabulary created. Save the changes. - Select Save > Save and Release Record.
Copying Community Zone Authority Records to Your Local Authority Database
You can copy Community Zone Authority Records to your Local Authority Database via searching authorities in the Community Zone, the MD Editor, using F3, or by searching the Authority Heading in Browse Authority Heading (Resources > Cataloguing > Browse Authority Heading).
- Select Copy (or Copy to Network). The Authority Record Copy Cataloging dialog box prompts you to select the vocabulary code and originating system for the authority record that you are copying.
Authority Record Copy Cataloging - Select Continue. The record that is copied to your local authority database opens in the right pane. When the record is copied, a "035" field with the originating system and the MMS ID of the Community Zone record is added to it. You can edit this record as you normally would and Save it.
Copied record
Create Local Authority Records by Importing them via an Import Profile
- In the Manage Import Profiles page (Resources > Manage Import Profiles), select Add New Profile.
- Select the authority Profile Type.
The Import Profile Details screen displays:
Import Profile Details - Fill in the relevant fields. In the Vocabulary code field, select the vocabulary you extended with the ‘’Manage Locally” option.
- Select Next. If the normalization process or match profile is relevant to you, fill in the relevant information in the following two pages. If not, select Next until the end of the wizard and then select Save.
- Run the profile by selecting Run Import in the row actions for the profile you created.
- Choose Select File and select the XML file to import.
- Select Add.
Local authorities added by libraries that manage local authority records as part of a global vocabulary can easily identify the local record in the Browse Authority Headings screen with a (Local) indication.
Browse Authority Headings
Add Your Own Local Authority Vocabulary
A Local Authority Vocabulary can be added with the Add Local Authority option found in the Authority Vocabularies window of the Metadata Configuration List page (Configuration > Resources > Cataloguing > Metadata Configuration).
Local Authority Vocabularies can be of three Types:
Add Subject Local Authority Vocabulary (Type = SUBJECT)
Give a Name and a Code to the vocabulary. Specify the Family and if it is Multilingual.
See the table below for more information on the fields.
After selecting Add and Close, the local authority configuration that you created appears in the Authority Vocabularies section of the Metadata Configuration List page.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Enter a name to identify this local authority. This name appears in the Vocabulary Name column. |
| Code | Enter an identifying code for this local authority that appears in the Code column in the Authority Vocabularies section on the Metadata Configuration List page and the Vocabulary code drop-down list on the Import Profile Details page for authority profiles.
If the authority indication is in the bibliographic record’s second indicator 7, subfield 2, the code must match what is in this subfield 2. This is relevant for Subject and Names and Subjects types of local authorities.
For the Name type of local authority (see the note above, at the beginning of this section), the code must match the authority_names customer parameter value that was entered for your institution by Ex Libris staff. If you are unsure of the defined value for this parameter (the default for which is LCNAMES), contact an Ex Libris representative.
|
| Type | Select from the following options available in the drop-down list:
No more than one name type of local vocabulary should be created.
|
| Direct ID Prefix | Enter one or more prefixes in this field to be used for bibliographic to authority record matching and linking when there are multiple $0 entries (or $3 in UNIMARC or CNMARC records). For more information, see Authority Control Based on Multiple Authority Identifiers in a Bibliographic Record and Using Originating System IDs for Linking Bibliographic Records to Authority Records.
The prefix must be entered with parentheses surrounding it. If more than one prefix is required, separate them by commas. For example: (CCL1),(CCL2),(CCL3). Notice that there are no spaces separating these entries. The maximum number of characters for this field is 255. The sequence in which you enter the prefixes determines the priority order in which they are evaluated for a match when there are multiple 035 entries in the authority record to match against.
For Community Zone managed authority records, the Direct ID Prefix needs to be configured by Ex Libris. For example, the DE-588 Direct Prefix ID used in the GND (German National Library Names and Subjects) records is configured at the Community Zone level.
|
|
Family |
Select the cataloging standard (such as MARC 21, UNIMARC, or CNMARC) that you plan to use for entering the local authority records with this profile. This name displays in the Family column. |
| Multilingual | Select Yes from the drop-down list to indicate that the authority record may contain multiple language entries. See step 4 below for more information.
For Community Zone managed authority records, the Multilingual parameter (and its associated components, Language Configuration and Allow multi preferred terms) needs to be configured by Ex Libris at the Community Zone level.
See Working with Multilingual Authority Records for more information.
|
| Description | Use this option to more fully identify the local authority that you are creating. |
Add Name or Name and Subject Authority Vocabulary (Type = NAME / NAME_AND_SUBJECT)
By default, Alma has one Name or Name and Subject Authority. For example, if Alma is defined to use LCNAMES, it cannot also use GND names authorities or a local names authority vocabulary. Given these considerations, it is strongly recommended to define only one type of Name or Names and Subjects local vocabulary.
If you want to manage local authorities in your institution and you already have a global authority vocabulary defined, you can manage a local extension by enabling Managed Locally in Configuration > Resources > Metadata Configuration.
If you wish to use more than one name authority vocabulary, you would need to define priority between authority vocabularies for authority control. To configure this option, contact Ex Libris Support.
When adding a new vocabulary in authority names it requires a Full Inventory Indexing job to be run by Ex Libris Support.
After this, a record that is linked to a lower priority vocabulary can be re-evaluated during the Authorities - Link BIB Headings job run to be linked to a higher priority vocabulary.
For example, when a record is linked to an LCNAMES authority heading that is a second priority and HKCAN is the first priority, then a matching HKCAN authority is added on a subsequent run of the Authorities - Link BIB Headings job. The system relinks the record to the HKCAN authority headings.
The process for re-evaluating a linked record for a higher priority vocabulary is true for both Names and Subjects authority priority settings.
The Linking - BIB heading was re-linked to an AUT record with a higher priority report in the Authority Control Task List provides additional information regarding relinking when the Authorities - Link BIB Headings job is run. If you want to use this report, you need to enable it in the Authority Control List Type Review code table (Configuration Menu > Resources > General > Authority Control Task List Types).
Create Local Authority Records
After creating the Local Authority vocabulary, you can add Local Authorities records through the Metadata Editor or an Import Profile.
Using the Metadata Editor
- In the Metadata Editor's Records tab, select New > Templates display configuration.
Templates Display Configuration option - Enable the Display in Menu option for the template of the new Local Authority Vocabulary created. Save the changes.
- Select New. The template of the new Local Authority is now available.
Using the Import Profile
- In the Manage Import Profiles page (Resources > Manage Import Profiles) select Add New Profile.
- Select the authority Profile Type.
The Import Profile Details screen displays:Import Profile Details - Fill in the relevant fields. In the Vocabulary code field, select the vocabulary you created.
- Select Next. If the normalization process or match profile is relevant to you, fill in the relevant information in the following two pages. If not, select Next until the end of the wizard and then select Save.
- Run the profile by selecting Run Import in the row actions for the profile you created.
- Choose Select File and select the XML file to import.
- Select Add.
Authority Jobs
The following scheduled jobs need to be enabled by Exlibris Support.
- Authorities - Handle Local Authority Record Updates: This job is used when importing local authority records or updating local authority records in the Metadata Editor.
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Authorities - Link BIB Headings: Links bibliographic headings to matching authority headings (preferred and non-preferred), giving priority to local authorities (if enabled). Bibliographic headings that are linked to non-preferred authority headings are marked for preferred term correction.
If priority between vocabularies has been defined, it looks for headings matches starting with the highest priority vocabulary. If it doesn't find a match, it looks in the next highest priority vocabulary and so on.
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Authorities - Preferred Term Correction: Updates bibliographic data fields that were marked for preferred term correction by the Authorities - Link BIB Headings job.