Authority Control

I just finished reading "Got Authorities? Why Authority Control is Good for Your Library" by Kathleen Wells. She makes a good case on the importance of creating complete records and supports her arguments with specific examples. In cataloging last summer we discussed the value of the MARC records, and also the difficulty in finding public support or funding. Cataloging is one of those activities that people don't even realize exists until they don't have it or it doesn't work well.

Kathleen Wells presents information on a variety of fields that can help the search process. It will be interesting to see if any of the fields she mentions can be used to help create access to a bilingual collection. Since this was my first exposure to many of the MARC fields she mentions, I'm hoping that I will gain a better understanding of the applications while volunteering at the Biblioteca Publica.