Authority Data in the COBISS System and Why is its Importance Increasing

Abstract

With the introduction of the IFLA Library Reference Model (IFLA LRM), authority control is becoming increasingly important, as authority data will play a key role in the network of linked data. Therefore, the preparation of authority data will help to facilitate the implementation of IFLA LRM and will be useful in the transition to RDA (Resource Description and Access). The paper presents an overview of authority data in the COBISS system, with a focus on the Slovenian COBISS.SI system, and suggests possibilities for the future development of authority records. It presents the status of the authority databases CONOR.SI and SGC, the submission of authority records to the VIAF service, and the acquisition and use of identifiers for personal and corporate body names. It also outlines IZUM’s plans for the transition to a new catalogue that will be in line with the IFLA LRM conceptual model. The basis for the development of the new COBISS catalogue is the selection of as large a set of entities as possible to be realised in authority records and the establishment of relationships between them.