Brief on the future of non-MARC authority

Abstract

The Indiana University PCC Non-MARC Authorities Issues Group was formed in response to the Program for Cooperative Cataloging’s (PCC) call for "… a well-articulated plan as to how [a non-MARC authorities] future could work based on [ideas from the PCC community]." Of particular interest were ideas that could serve as a bridge "between an ideal world and what [catalogers] can do now to create [that world]." In this brief paper, the group proposes many changes that may ease the transition from MARC to library linked open data with a particular focus on authority data. The group outlines policy changes that may promote robust, granular data encoding practices and encourage the addition of meaningful linkages to FRBR Group 1 and Group 2 entities. In addition to forward-thinking policies and standards, our community is in need of a strong advocate for metadata curation systems. Having proper tools will enable catalogers to focus on the intellectual activities associated with metadata creation, curation, and strategy.