Hi Ben, On Thu, Sep 17, 2009 at 4:48 PM, Ben Ide <benide@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi! I'm Ben. Long time lurker, first time malcontent. I mean poster. ;-)
We use authority records rather extensively here. The best example that I can use to explain why would be "Mark Twain."
Samuel Longhorn Clemens chose the name Mark Twain as a writing pseudonym, but his pen name became so widely recognized that nearly everyone refers to him that way.
Having an authority record would allow you to redirect people looking for "Samuel Longhorn Clemens" to the recognized name "Mark Twain."
...or "Sam Clemens," or "Marc Twain," or one of the other pen names that he used.
It gets more useful for people like Tchaikovsky, who has multiple recognized alternate spellings of his name.
We also use it to pull together iterations of musical works, which can get more byzantine. (How many "symphony no.3" titles are there?)
Thanks for the very simple and down-to-earth explanation of authorities. It has helped clear up my understanding of the practical use of them. And welcome to the list! Kind Regards, Christopher Nighswonger Faculty Member Network & Systems Director Foundations Bible College & Seminary www.foundations.edu www.fbcradio.org