Authority data in a European context: The CERL Thesaurus

Transcription

1 Authority data in a European context: The CERL Thesaurus

2 Authority data: a new conceptional model? Machine readable cataloguing, relational databases 1984: Guidelines for authority and reference entries, idea of ISADN 1998: FRBR published. 1999: FRANAR: extend the concept of FRBR to authority data 2009: FRAD published

3 Ancestors of authority data? Traditional catalogues: PR, CR (Munich) IFLA s lists of uniform titles Encyclopedias, biographical reference works Indexes and registers

4 Authority data in a European context IFLA international context CERL European context Consortium of European Research Libraries - HPB: Heritage of the Printed Book Database - CERL-Thesaurus - CERL-Portal for manuscripts and printed books

5 CERL Thesaurus Authority data in a European context Contents and structure Methods of providing content Editing procedures Use of the CT Further developments Role of authority files for organizing intellectual content

6 Names of Contents of the CERL Thesaurus Imprint Places Imprint Names Personal Names Corporate Names Reference Works connected to book production in Europe from 1450 to ca

7 International Scope 54 authority files From libraries in 12 European countries - multilingual Fully Unicode compliant - multiscript UNIMARC inspired format Virtual keyboard for non-roman scripts 7

8 Contributing libraries Belgium University Library, Antwerp Denmark: Royal Library, Copenhagen Germany: Bavarian State Library, Munich Common Library Network, Göttingen National Library of Germany, Frankfurt a. M. Herzog-August-Bibliothek, Wolfenbüttel 8

9 France: Contributing libraries Bibliothèque nationale, Paris Bibliothèque municipale, Lyon United Kingdom: British Library, London Cathedral Libraries Middle Temple Library Private contributions 9

10 Italy: Contributing libraries Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo Unico, Rome Croatia: National Library, Zagreb Netherlands: National Library of the Netherlands, The Hague Poland: University Library, Warsaw 10

11 Spain: Contributing libraries Library of the Complutense University Hist. Library of the Univ. of Salamanca Sweden: Royal Library, Stockholm Switzerland Basel University Library 11

12 Content of the CERL Thesaurus Records in total: Imprint places Personal names Corporate names Imprint names Reference works

13 Contents of the CERL Thesaurus Places of printing and publishing Variant spellings ( find, identify ) Vernacular forms Fictitious names Links to printers' records ( contextualize ) Geographic co-ordinates (in autumn 2009) Sources ( justify ) 13

14 Content of the CERL Thesaurus Printers, publishers, booksellers, Variant names Biographic information Links to predecessors and successors Printing places Printers' devices 14

15 Content of the CERL Thesaurus Persons Authors, owners, editors, translators, Variant names Pseudonyms Biographic information Links to related persons (relatives etc.) Links to related corporate bodies Links to provenance information 15

16 Content of the CERL Thesaurus Corporate bodies: Authors, owners, General information Variant names Links to predecessors and successors Provenance information 16

17 THESAURUS Allows for different standardized name forms in parallel ( justify : quoting the agency Not prescriptive or selective of content Creating added value

18 Editing procedures Machine procedures:create records, Integrate existing records, merge with existing records Machine supported manual editing: merge records Manual editing: create records, merge records, edit records WINADH- software Multilingual records

19 Accessing the CERL Thesaurus WWW free for everybody SRU upon agreement with CERL 19

20 Web interface Search box Help Information on recently added files 20

21 Search options Index Virtual Keyboard 21

22 Browsing the Index Automatic selection of identical records 22

23 Short display Full display Display of Standard Forms 23

24 Full display 24

25 Navigation Back to the Shortlist Print Annotations Display of Standard Forms Display of Related Records Internal format 25

26 Related records Display related records List of printers who had been active in Munich 26

27 Provenance information Restrict the search to records with provenance information 27

28 Provenance information Display provenance information from remote library catalogues 28

29 Provenance information These libraries hold books owned by the person in question 29

30 Provenance information Books formerly owned by Carl Ketelhodt, now in the Herzog-August-Bibliothek, Wolfenbüttel 30

31 Printers' devices Links to images of printers' devices 31

32 Sources of printers' devices England & Scotland McKerrow, Ronald B.: Printers' and publishers' devices in England & Scotland London, 1913 Italy Censimento nazionale delle edizione italiane del XVI secolo. [Rom, s.a.] 32

33 Sources of Printers' Devices Paris Renouard, Philippe: Les marques typographiques parisiennes des 15e et 16e siècles. Paris, 1926 Spain Vindel, Francisco: Escudas y marcas de impressores y libreros en Espana durante los siglos XV a XIX ( ). Barcelona,

34 Sources of Printers' Devices in preparation: Heitz, Paul: Elsässische Büchermarken bis Anfang des 18. Jahrhunderts. Strassburg,

35 Commenting on a record Open the annotations window Leave your own comment Read other users' comments 35

36 SRU Interface Access to the CERL Thesaurus data from within other applications SRU 1.1 compatible Exchange formats: CT internal format (in MARCXML syntax) Variant Names for Assisted Searching (proprietary format) Indexes: Same as in the web interface 36

37 Assisted Searching in the HPB database A search for "Munich" as a printing place returns 15,245 hits Variant names can be added from the CERL Thesaurus 37

38 Assisted Searching in the HPB database Use all variant name forms for a new search 38

39 Assisted Searching in the HPB database Including all the variant names for "Munich" returns a set of 19,514 records 39

40 Assisted Searching in the Search for variant names in the CERL Thesaurus CERL Portal Select the name forms to be included in the search 40

41 Everybody: How to join in? Enrich the CERL Thesaurus records by adding comments and annotations Librarians: Provide CERL with your authority files Allow for your provenance information to be searched via the CERL Thesaurus Use the CERL Thesaurus to support searching within your local information systems 41

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46 Conclusion Useful functions of the CERL Thesaurus: - Definition of an entity: Providing an object identifier (and maintaining all object identifiers of contributing libraries), Gathering name forms (dictionary function, vocabulary function) Providing necessary (basic) information about an entity (multilingual) - Tool for standardisation: The CERL Thesaurus is not prescriptive for standardized entry forms, but distinguishes (and indicates) chosen standardized name forms (from different origins, thus multilingual) from variant name forms (multilingual). - Establishment of relationships: controlled: e.g. predecessors, successors, pseudonyms, fictious name forms, and machine processed: related place names for printers etc. (format questions, interpretation of notes and commentaries) - Pathfinder function, finding aid: pointing to relevant material, allowing for post-coordination (where pre-coordination is not sufficient: this is in the WWW), helps to discover more - Sophisticated implementation needed clever user to naviguate the interlinked cosmos

47 Conclusion Development of the CERL Thesaurus to better accommodate information on manuscripts Assets: personal names (PAN, PMA), reference works, multilingualism, annotation tool - Imprint places: place names: paper mills (Bernstein project), regional information, production places of mss. - Subject and concept terms: No files yet in place, but feasible (and necessary): materials used, decoration and illumination (Icon Class), dating terminology, handwriting terminology, (construct records out of reference works, e.g. Muzerelle) - Use and develop existing products: bookbinding (e.g. EBDB), watermarks (e.g. Bernstein, Piccard online) - Personal names: Scribes, Provenances - Corporate names: Mss holding institutions, former owners (etc.), standardized name forms available - Uniform titles (under consideration for the CERL Thesaurus) with incipit and explicit

48 Conclusion Reuse and cooperate: Authority records are expensive to build and to maintain, join forces for better and fuller information, just serving not only your own purpose but multiple interests Standardize (instead of reinvent) any name form is admitted they must be integrated into one entity, name record. The common denominator is the object identifier, not any name Distinguish: free text (individual projects) standardized entries Tools like the CT allow for searching any structured information with a wide vocabulary. The researcher describes, the librarians standardize (to provide wider access)

49 Semantic Web You are invited to enrich the CERL Thesaurus as a backbone of Semantic Web application Thus caring for its growing relevance in content Thus ensuring its long-term sustainability and effectiveness Access: Through the CT to your records From your records to the CT From the CT to other related records = semantic web?