OCLC, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Deutsche Nationalbibliothek and Library of Congress enhance VIAF project
Library leaders to extend Virtual International Authority File to include French in single name authority service
DUBLIN, Ohio, November 14, 2007-OCLC, the Bibliothèque nationale de
France, the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek and the Library of Congress
have signed a memorandum of understanding to extend and enhance the
Virtual International Authority File (VIAF), a project which virtually
combines multiple name authority files into a single name authority
service.
Building on a previous proof-of-concept research project by OCLC, the
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (the German national library) and the
Library of Congress, the new agreement adds the Bibliothèque nationale
de France (the French national library) as a principal partner in VIAF
and will lead to the inclusion of content from name authority files
maintained by the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
The French name authority records will be added to the existing VIAF
files built from authority data from the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
and the Library of Congress. VIAF's matching routines were developed
by OCLC Research.
The long-term goal of the VIAF project is to include authoritative
names from many libraries into a global service that will be freely
available via the Web to users worldwide. The addition of content from
Bibliothèque nationale de France represents the initial step in
expanding the scope of VIAF. The newly signed agreement also provides
a framework for adding more authority files from other agencies over
time.
VIAF represents a significant step toward interoperability among
library bibliographic agencies. By linking disparate names for the
same person or organization, VIAF will in the near-term provide a
convenient means for a wider community of libraries and agencies to
make greater reuse of bibliographic data produced by libraries in
English-, French-, and German-speaking communities, and is expected to
provide the same advantages to an even wider assortment of language
communities in the years to come.
About OCLC
Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC Online Computer
Library Center is a nonprofit library membership and research
organization that has provided computer-based cataloging, reference,
resource sharing, eContent and preservation services to 60,000
libraries in 112 countries and territories. OCLC and its member
libraries worldwide have created and maintain WorldCat, the world's
richest online resource for finding library materials. For more
information, visit www.oclc.org <http://www.oclc.org/> .
About Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (the German National Library) is the
central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the
Federal Republic of Germany. Its task, unique in Germany, is to
collect, permanently archive, comprehensively document and record
bibliographically without gap all German and German-language
publications from 1913 on and to make them available to the public. The
German National Library maintains co-operative external relations on
the national and international level. More information is at
www.d-nb.de; in English at www.ddb.de/eng/index.htm.
About Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the oldest federal cultural institution in
the United States and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is
also the largest library in the world, with millions of books,
recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts in its collections. The
Library's mission is to make its resources available and useful to the
Congress and the American people and to sustain and preserve a
universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future
generations. For more about the Library of Congress, see www.loc.gov
<http://www.loc.gov/> .
About Bibliothèque nationale de France
The Bibliothèque nationale de France (the National Library of France)
is the custodian of the nation's memory. It fulfills the mission of
transmitting this heritage to present and future generations by
building, maintaining and preserving library collections and ensuring
their continuing accessibility; administering legal deposits for the
nation and creating and maintaining the French national bibliography;
conducting a strong, diversified program of cultural events,
participating in research programs, and collaborating with other
establishments at the national and international levels. Visit the BnF
online at bnf.fr <http://www.bnf.fr/> or, in English, at http://www.bnf.fr/pages/version_anglaise/english.htm.
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