Of possible interest. Best wishes, Jasmin ________________________________ From: SACO Cataloging Discussion List <[email protected]> on behalf of Cataloging Policy and Standards <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, August 6, 2025 8:32 AM To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: [SACOLIST] SACO Shorts: Establishing certain entities in the name or subject authority file (frequently asked question)
H 405 Establishing Certain Entities in the Name or Subject Authority File<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.loc.gov/aba/publications/FreeSHM/H0405.pdf__;!!IBzWLUs!Sp59z42tA4n2NBsmmAOUOuIylZ6rnoyWnKt3znygRwhmV5Vk3Ih49EW30jHjd6eRLXLJ9Bwv9dAFn1c$> is a powerful instruction sheet. You may have heard this sheet referred to colloquially as “the division of the world.” The name authority or subject authority division of the world has changed over time (the long history is included in section A. Background), but the current division is as follows: 1. Headings always established according to descriptive cataloging conventions (Group 1 headings) with authority records that always reside in the name authority file. 2. Headings always established according to subject cataloging conventions (Group 2 headings) with authority records that: * Reside in the subject authority file if used only as subject headings; or * Reside in the name authority file if the headings are needed for use as descriptive access points. H 405 includes specific instructions for how to search both the name and subject authority files and establish any new headings required. It may also be the case that a heading in the subject authority file needs to be canceled in favor of establishing the heading in the name authority file, or vice versa. General rules are provided in Section C. Group 1 specific instructions are in Section D, and Group 2 specific instructions are in Section E. Apart from dividing entities into Group 1 and Group 2 headings, H 405 also indicates the MARC tag to be used with each entity. Charts with entity types, MARC tag, and notes can be found in Section F for Group 1 and Section G for Group 2. Example 1 In 1845, British naval officer Sir John Franklin led an expeditionary force of two ships, H.M.S. Erebus and H.M.S. Terror to find the Northwest Passage. According to H 405, military expeditions and ships are Group 1 entities, while waterways are Group 2 entities. Group 1: Expeditions, Military (note: Headings in this category are military expeditions that are not campaigns, battles, sieges, etc. Military expeditions that are campaigns, battles, sieges, etc., are Group 2 and established as subject headings tagged 150). 111 2 $a John Franklin Arctic Expedition $d (1845-1851) Ships 110 2 $a Erebus (Ship) 110 2 $a Terror (Ship) Expeditions and named ships can be established in the name authority file by a NACO trained cataloger. Group 2: Waterways 151 $a Northwest Passage Waterways would need to be proposed to LCSH and go through the approval process. Example 2 People visit planetariums to learn more about astronomy and outer space. According to H 405, the planetarium itself is a Group 1 entity, but the named celestial bodies, astronomical features, satellites (artificial and natural), and space vehicles you might learn about in the planetarium could be either Group 1 or Group 2 entities. Group 1: Planetariums 110 2 $a Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum Satellites, Artificial 110 2 $a Explorer 1 (Artificial satellite) 110 2 $a International Space Station Space vehicles 110 2 $a Apollo 13 (Spacecraft) 110 2 $a Atlantis (Space shuttle) 110 2 $a Hubble Space Telescope (Spacecraft) Planetariums, Artificial satellites, and Space vehicles can be established in the name authority file by a NACO trained cataloger. Group 2: Astronomical features (asteroids, comets, galaxies, planets, etc.) and Celestial bodies and Satellites (i.e., moons) N.B. PTCP recognizes that there is considerable overlap between these three categories! 151 $a Andromeda Galaxy 151 $a Ares Vallis (Mars) 151 $a Halley’s comet 151 $a Iapetus (Satellite) 151 $a Moon 151 $a Pleiades 151 $a Saturn (Planet) 151 $a Sirius 151 $a Taurus (Constellation) Astronomical features, Celestial bodies, and Satellites (moons) would need to be proposed to LCSH and go through the approval process. Deciding whether an entity belongs to Group 1 or Group 2 is a straightforward decision most of the time. However, there is a small subcategory of so-called “ambiguous entities.” These are Group 2 entities needed as descriptive access points, as described in section E. Group 2 instructions, part E.2. Heading needed for use as descriptive access point. When you have an ambiguous entity, you will need to rely on additional guidance in the DCM Z1. Name and Series Authority Records, Appendix 1, Ambiguous Entities. We will do a deeper dive into “ambiguous entities” in a future SACO Short! SACO Shorts are quick tips that cover common proposal problems or frequently asked questions. SACO Shorts are (usually) published on the first and third Mondays of the month.
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