[Koha] Authorities help

[Chris Nighswonger]

Hi Ben,

On Thu, Sep 17, 2009 at 4:48 PM, Ben Ide <benide at 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