Regional Connections to National Authority Files

Abstract

Local and regional authority files exist to cover gaps in national and international authority files. These types of authority files should not exist alone if they are going to be fully utilized by other institutions that may have resources about the same individuals or topics. This article discusses how the Western Name Authority File, a regional controlled vocabulary of personal names and corporate bodies, can link to larger authority files such as the Library of Congress Name Authority File and Wikidata. Workflows and issues encountered with linking this local authority file to larger authority files are discussed.