Authority control of Arabic persons names in the union catalog of Egyptian Universities Libraries Consortium (EULC): an evaluative study

Abstract

The study aims to monitor the reality of the Authority control of Arabic names in the Union Catalog of Egyptian Universities Libraries Consortium (EULC), in terms of identifying the rules and mechanisms used when drafting Arabic persons names entries in the bibliographic records on the Future Library System (FLS), the procedures that cataloguers perform when drafting Arabic names entries, the extent of their ability to carry out the Arabic names reference control process in bibliographic records and create reference records on the future system, and identifying the obstacles and issues that they face when drafting Arabic names entries and proposals. One of the most prominent findings of the study, there is no unified nor standardized policies and practices for catalogers rely when drafting entries for Arabic persons names in the bibliographic records in the Union Catalog, as the drafting process depends on catalogers’ diligence, whether or not they possess the skills, without relying on an already existing authority file. The study also recommended that the necessity of developing work tools and policies that are applied to train and qualify catalogers on working in the Union Catalog in accordance with modern trends in the field, and not to pay attention to quantity at the expense of quality.