Authority Control in Academic Libraries in the United States: A Survey

Authority control is an important part of the cataloging process, but relatively little research has been conducted related to its practice in academic libraries. In addition, few studies have been conducted regarding staffing and training issues related to authority control. To examine these issues, a survey was developed and e-mailed to academic libraries at 258 institutions designated by the year 2000 Carnegie Classification as either Doctoral/Research Extensive or Intensive level. The survey consisted of questions relating to authority control practices and staffing and training issues related to authority control. One hundred ninety-three institutions responded for a return rate of 75 percent. The survey results indicate that authority control was practiced and highly valued by the vast majority of respondents and that many would like additional time, funding, and personnel to do more authority control work in their libraries.