[Koha] Publisher Authority Type

[Hernandez, Heather]

Hi, Krishna--

I have some ideas about your question number 2, but unfortunately I don't
know enough about Koha to address your question number 1--so sorry!

About your question number 2:  yes, publisher name(s) transcribed from
items is properly in either the 260 $b field in pre-RDA records or the 264
$b in RDA records.  In my experience, it is uncommon for libraries to want
publisher names in an authority controlled field--I have only seen this
done in special collections libraries like rare book collections, some
museum libraries, and libraries with collections about publishing and book
history.  So most records will not have an authority controlled field for
the publisher name.  And, yes, when the publisher name is in an authority
controlled field (which should be 710 for a corporate name added entry), it
may be mapped to "author" since it would be a "corporate author"--that is,
a corporate entity with responsibility for the item's existence.

So since this is a very uncommon practice for most libraries, I think this
will cause you challenges--you will probably have to add a 710 to every
record and then download or create authority records (with 110 fields) for
every publisher, if you truly want to have authority-controlled publisher
name access.

We are a museum library, and we do not have authority-controlled access for
publishers' names--for us, the keyword access that Koha provides to every
word in the record (including publishers' names transcribed into the 260 or
264 field) is enough for us and works well.  Considering all these
challenges to providing authority controlled access to publishers' names,
is it worth it for your users?  Do you have the specialized focus in your
library that would make it worthwhile to do the extra work to create or
download authority records for the publishers' names, and add a matching
710 field to every record?  The "best practice" is often different for each
library--what is the best practice for us may not be the best practice for
you.

I hope this is helpful, and I wish I had better suggestions for you.  Best
regards,
Heather
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heather Hernandez
Technical Services Librarian
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Research Center
2 Marina Blvd., Bldg. E, 3rd floor, San Francisco, CA  94123-1284
415-561-7032, heather_hernandez at nps.gov
https://www.nps.gov/safr/learn/historyculture/research-center.htm

"The sailor does not pray for wind, he learns to sail."--Gustaf Lindborg