Background 

In Aleph, staff had been instructed that name access points (1XX/6XX/7XX fields) merely had to be unique within Aleph. When Harvard implements Alma, automated preferred-term correction in Alma will change access points in bibliographic records if the access point matches a non-preferred term in the LCNAF (4XX). Thus, access points will need to be unique compared to the entire LCNAF—including non-preferred terms in LCNAF (4XXs)—to avoid erroneous access point changes.

Practice

New records

For any record either created in Alma or to be exported from Connexion to Alma, always use the preferred form from the LCNAF record if there is an LCNAF record.

If there is no LCNAF record for the name:

1. Create a LCNAF record via NACO if you can base it on a library resource in hand or a trusted surrogate of same;
2. If you are not a NACO contributor, either 
   1. pass the information on to someone who has that capacity, or 
   2. create a name access point that is unique as prescribed by RDA (see recommendations below), so that it will not be erroneously changed by Alma preferred-term correction. 

Existing records

If you encounter an incorrectly flipped heading in Alma, you have two choices:

1. Create a LCNAF record via NACO if you can base it on a library resource in hand or a trusted surrogate of same, and update the OCLC and Alma records accordingly
2. If you are not a NACO contributor, either 
   1. pass the information on to someone who has that capacity, or 
   2. create a name access point that is unique as prescribed by RDA (see recommendations below), and add the qualifying information to the heading in both OCLC and Alma to cancel the link to the incorrect LCNAF record.

Both options are acceptable, although the first is preferred. The Metadata Standards Working Group strongly discourages adding qualifiers to the Alma record without updating the OCLC Connexion record; this would not safeguard the changes from future overlays.

Specific guidance for personal name access points

The most vulnerable names are unqualified personal names—that is, X00 fields with content only in the subfield a. To ensure the uniqueness of the access point, be compliant with RDA instructions for constructing the authorized access point for a person (http://access.rdatoolkit.org.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/rdachp9_rda9-5466.html) while always taking the option of including one or more of the following additional pieces of information.

NB: RDA prefers the use of birth and/or death dates as a qualifier if they are known, with other qualifiers available if dates are not known (RDA 9.19.1.3-8). However, you are not required to track down dates if they are not readily available. 

• Date of birth and/or death http://access.rdatoolkit.org.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/rdachp9_rda9-5622.html

  • 100 1_ $$a Smith, Jane, $$d 1962-

• Title or Other Designation Associated with the Person http://access.rdatoolkit.org.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/rdachp9_rda9-5570.html

  • 100 0_ $$a Margrethe $$b II, $$c Queen of Denmark, $$d 1940-

• Fuller form of name http://access.rdatoolkit.org.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/rdachp9_rda9-5642.html

  • 100 1_ $$a Smith, Jane A. $$q (Jane Audrey), $$d 1960-

• Period of activity http://access.rdatoolkit.org.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/rdachp9_rda9-5673.html

  • 100 1_ $$a Castillo, Juan, $$d active 19th century
  • 100 1_ $$a Medley, William, $$d active 1575

• Profession or occupation http://access.rdatoolkit.org.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/rdachp9_rda9-5695.html

  • 100 1_ $$a Medley, William $$c (Pianist)

• Other Term of Rank, Honour, or Office http://access.rdatoolkit.org.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/rdachp9_rda9-11928.html

  • Includes degree
    • 100 1_ $$a Hoffman, Seymour, $$c Ph. D.

• Other designation http://access.rdatoolkit.org.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/rdachp9_rda9-9950036.html

  • The most efficient and accurate may be to use “Author of ...” or “Author at…”
    • 100 1_ $$a Alexander, Richard $$c (Author of My life on request)
    • 100 1_ $$a Alexander, Carol $$c (Author at Learning Links Inc.)
  • The phrase “Writer on...” followed by the topic of the author’s oeuvre
    • 100 1_ $$a Ward, Kevin $$c (Writer on adult education)
    • 100 1_ $$a Ward, Kevin $$c (Writer on Doe Castle)
    • 100 1_ $$a Ward, Kevin $$c (Writer on real estate business)
  • Place name is also a possibility
    • 100 1_ $$a Smith, Jane $$c (Of Bridgeport, Conn.)
  • A good source of other designation terms can be found in LC Demographic Group Terms (LCDGT) in ClassWeb Plus and at http://id.loc.gov/authorities/demographicTerms.html
  • Please note that these terms must be used in the singular (e.g. Reinecke, Ernst $$c (Cheesemaker))
  • An amusing selected list of “other designations” from the British Library (use with caution)
    • Abolitionist
    • Anabaptist
    • Called Arvidsson
    • Candidate for Wigan
    • Editor of Sporting luck
    • Executed at Stirling
    • Gentleman in prison
    • Indefatigable seeker
    • Inhabitant of Knaresborough
    • Lover of art
    • Martyr
    • Orphan
    • Revolutionist
    • Son of Pierce Bryan
    • Spinster
    • Vegetarian

Working with legacy “Harvard local name” access points

When you encounter an access point with “$$c (Harvard local name)” (e.g.,  700 1_ $$a D., T. $$c (Harvard local name)), please do not remove the qualifier without further optional work on the access point. Should you want to update this access point, there are three options:

1. If you find an appropriate LCNAF, change the access point to the established form;
2. If you do not find an LCNAF record, and if are a NACO contributor, you may create a NACO authority record if you can base it on a library resource in hand or a trusted surrogate of same, and change the access point accordingly;
3. If you do not find a NACO record, and you do not wish to create one or are not a NACO contributor, please leave the access point as it is, or qualify it with more meaningful qualifying information, as instructed above.

NB: Please do not create new access points qualified with “$$c (Harvard local name).”

Revised 2024-06-18