Authority Control in Humanities: Frequently Asked Questions

Abstract

The concept authority control offers great potential for the humanities and has become an important tool in recent years. Authority control is useful when unique identifiability is required (e.g. in editions, bibliographies or dictionaries) or automatic data exchange between independent projects is desired. This article is aimed not only at those working on database projects but also at readers outside the Digital Humanities. It aims to raise awareness of the means by which scholars can benefit while incorporating authority files into their work. The paper provides information on the structure and purpose of authority control in general as well as on how to use it. It introduces the Gemeinsame Normdatei (GND), an authority file widely used in German-speaking area. This contribution also explains how the GND data can be used for research projects as well as the circumstances under which researchers can actively change the GND.