OCLC authority file
The OCLC authority file contains records received from the Library of Congress (LC) and records added by Name Authority Cooperative Program (NACO) participants. Connexion and Record Manager allow you to display, create, and maintain headings in authority records as part of the cataloging, reference, or acquisitions process.
Types of headings
The OCLC authority file contains authority records for the following types of headings:
- Personal names
- Corporate names
- Conference names
- Geographic names
- Uniform titles
- Series titles
- Genre headings
- Subject headings (topical terms as well as names and titles with subject subdivisions)
- Children's subject headings
- Subdivision headings
Library of Congress, PCC, NACO, and SACO
The Library of Congress (LC) and Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) libraries, which participate in the Name Authority Cooperative Program (NACO) or the Subject Authority Cooperative Program (SACO) create and contribute authority records according to the rules and specifications in the following documentation:
- MARC 21 Format for Authority Data (Library of Congress, 1999 edition)
- LC Guidelines Supplement to the MARC 21 Format for Authority Data (Library of Congress, 2002 edition with subsequent updates, aka The Blue Pages)
- RDA: Resource Description and Access
- Library of Congress-Program for Cooperative Cataloging Policy Statements (LC-PCC PSs)
- Descriptive Cataloging Manual Z1: Name and Series Authority Records (Library of Congress)
- NACO Participants’ Manual (Library of Congress, 3rd edition, 2005)
- Subject Heading Manual (Library of Congress)
- SACO Participants’ Manual (Program for Cooperative Cataloging, 2nd edition, 2007)
LC record loads
OCLC adds records created by LC staff, SACO participants, and non-OCLC NACO participants through electronic transfer. OCLC adds name authority records daily and subject authority records weekly.