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An authority record contains (1) links to other forms of a name or subject. These forms are not used in bibliographic records, but show up as cross references in a catalog file as “see” references; and (2) names and subjects that are related standardized headings. They appear as “see also” references in a catalog. An authority record may also provide useful explanatory notes about the name or subject heading. Subject authority records may even provide “see also” references to broader or narrower subject terms. See the following examples:
Name:
Authoritative heading :
Cross reference :
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H.D. (Hilda Doolittle), 1886-1961
Doolittle, Hilda, 1886-1961
See: H. D., 1886-1961 |
Subject:
Authoritative heading:
Cross reference:
Cross reference:
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Motion pictures
Picture shows
See: Motion pictures
Audio-visual materials
See also: Motion pictures |
It is important to note that the formulation of headings in MARC authority records is based on accepted cataloging and thesaurus-building conventions, e.g. the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR2) for names and Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) for subjects. The MARC authority record holds or carries these headings for use in library systems. Also, unlike bibliographic records, authority records do not represent materials in a library’s collection. Instead, they are tools used by librarians to achieve consistency among bibliographic records and provide a linking framework for related headings in a catalog.
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