FAQ on access points in the LC Online Catalog labelled "[from old catalog]"

1. Background
2. What does it mean when I'm searching the LC Online Catalog and see the phrase "[from old catalog]" at the end of an access point in a bibliographic record?
3. When creating/modifying authorized access points in NACO records, should catalogers report BFM on "from old catalog" access points found in the LC Online Catalog?
4. Should access points with the label "[from old catalog]" be considered in the universe for conflict in determining RDA formulation of access points in NACO authority records?
5. When creating/modifying access points in NACO records, could information found on access points with the label "[from old catalog]" be used?
6. When I discover that an access point with the label "[from old catalog]" in the LC Online Catalog is out of synch with the authorized form, should these be reported to LC?

1. Background.

Searching the LC Online Catalog is not a requirement for NACO participants; however, we recognize that NACO catalogers often search the LC database anyway. The following FAQ is provided to help NACO catalogers interpret some of the information they will find in LC bibliographic records that does not appear in other databases (e.g. OCLC).

2. What does it mean when I'm searching the LC Online Catalog and see the phrase "[from old catalog]" at the end of an access point in a bibliographic record?

When LC created its current catalog in 1999, it incorporated several million older bibliographic records that had not been maintained over time. To alert catalogers and catalog users that the access points in these records may not be up-to-date, the label "[from old catalog]" was added to the end of each access point. The access points themselves were not analyzed against the authority file, thus, some may match an authority record exactly (except for the label), and others may be quite different from the current authorized access point. Many others will not be represented by authority records at all. These bibliographic records are not distributed by LC’s Cataloging Distribution Service and will not be found (as LC-issued records) in the bibliographic utilities.

3. When creating/modifying authorized access points in NACO records, should catalogers report BFM on "[from old catalog]" access points found in the LC Online Catalog?

No.

4. Should access points with the label "[from old catalog]" be considered in the universe for conflict in determining RDA formulation of access points in NACO authority records?

   No, it is not necessary for NACO catalogers to take these “[from old catalog]” access points into account when determining the form of access points in NACO authority records. Note that the LC Online Catalog should not be considered the "database of record" for NACO participants, given the large number of access points that do not display in the public version of the catalog (e.g., access points that have not been used in LC bibliographic records currently display only in the staff modules and separately in Library of Congress Authorities). Remember, searching the LC Online Catalog is not a requirement for NACO participation and the PCC does not encourage libraries to search beyond their immediate database of record in order to determine the form of an access point.

5. When creating/modifying access points in NACO records, could information found on access points with the label "[from old catalog]" be used?

Sure, the LC Online Catalog may be used as a reference tool. Care must be taken when using information found in old catalog records, in part because of the unreliable aspects of some of the data. If citing these records, please use the following example:

• 670 $a LC database, date $b (access point.: ... [from old catalog])
6. When I discover that an access point with the label "[from old catalog]" in the LC Online Catalog is out of synch with the authorized form, should these be reported to LC?

No, these reports will not be acted on and will only prove frustrating to both the sender and the receiver. LC is well aware that the access points in its bibliographic records are not necessarily consistent with the authority files due to the integration of the records with "[from old catalog]" access points. LC has embarked on special projects on occasion to tackle subsets of these access points and, over time, more will be corrected.

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Last Update: Jan. 31, 2017
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