Maxwell's guide to authority work / Robert L. Maxwell.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Introduction--
2. Standards governing authority control --
3. Basic authority control procedures --
4. Authority control of names --
5. Uniform titles: general information --
6. Uniform titles: particular problems --
7. Series: general information --
8. Series authority records --
9. Authority control of terms: thesaurus building --
10. Authority control of terms: subjects --
11. Authority control of terms: genre/form --
12. The library and beyond--
Index.

"Authority work is the linchpin of the library catalog. As Maxwell puts it, "Without authority control the burden is placed on the user to think of all the possible forms a cataloger might have used to give access in the catalog to a given author or subject." From one of the preeminent experts in the field, this step-by-step guide for ensuring that your library and staff are creating and maintaining authority records with the end user in mind is a must-have." "In this text, authority work is broken down to its most basic components so that you can trace and follow the preparation of a complete authority record. Helpful illustrations identify the key characteristics of good authority records, common acronyms are defined, and cross-references throughout reinforce material." "The authoritative tool for making certain a person, author, corporate body, organization, book, or other media is appropriately accessible under its authority name, subject, and form, Maxwell's should be part of any library's toolbox."--Jacket.