Constructing access points (RDA 9.19) and variant access points (RDA 9.2) to represent persons

Music Cataloging at Yale ♪ RDA

Note: this page was created with music cataloging in mind.

General guidelines on constructing access points (9.19.1) | Title or other designation (9.19.1.2) | Date of birth and/or death (9.19.1.3) | Fuller form of name (9.19.1.4) | Period of activity (9.19.1.5) | Profession or occupation (9.19.1.6) | General guidelines on constructing variant access points (9.19.2.1)

(9.19.1.1) General guidelines on constructing access points
Use the preferred name for the person (9.2.2) as the basis for the access point.

Make additions to the name as instructed at 9.19.1.2-9.19.1.6, in that order, as applicable.
     ° Make the additions specified at 9.19.1.2 even if they are not needed to distinguish access points representing different persons with the same name.
     ° Make the additions specified at 9.19.1.3-9.19.1.6 if they are needed to distinguish access points representing different persons with the same name.

Optional addition: Make the additions specified at 9.19.1.3-9.19.1.6 even if they are not needed to distinguish access points representing different persons with the same name.

If no suitable addition is available, use the same access point for all persons with the same name. Use an undifferentiated name indicator (8.11) to indicate that the name is undifferentiated.

LC practice/PCC practice: Differentiating authorized access points for persons
Include the date of birth and date of death if available in the authorized access point for a person when creating a new name authority record.
If an addition is needed to differentiate the authorized access point for one person from the authorized access point for another person, apply cataloger judgment when choosing to add one of the following (not listed in priority order) to the authorized access point being established:
     ° period of activity of the person,
     ° fuller form of name,
     and/or
     ° profession or occupation.
If there are no additions readily available to differentiate the access point in the new authority record, make an addition to the existing authorized access point.
(9.19.1.2-9.19.1.6) Additions to access points representing persons
(9.19.1.2) Title or other designation associated with the person
Add to the name one or more of the following elements (in this order), as applicable:
     ° a title of royalty (9.4.1.4) or nobility (9.4.1.5)
     ° the term Saint (9.6.1.4)
     ° title of religious rank (9.4.1.6-9.4.1.8)
     ° the term Spirit (9.6.1.5)
     ° the profession or occupation (9.16) for a person whose name consists of a phrase or appellation not conveying the idea of a person.

Exceptions:
° Title of nobility: Add a title of nobility only if the title or part of the title commonly appears with the name in resources associated with the person or in reference sources.
     ° Disregard reference sources dealing with the nobility.
     ° In case of doubt, add the title.
° Saint: Do not add Saint to an access point representing a pope or an emperor, empress, king, or queen.
(9.19.1.3) Date of birth and/or death
Add the date of birth (9.3.2) and/or date of death (9.3.3) if needed to distinguish one access point from another.

Optional addition: Add the date of birth and/or death even if there is no need to distinguish between access points.

LC practice/PCC practice for Optional addition: Authority records:
New records: Add a date of birth and/or date of death to new authority records, even if not needed to distinguish between access points.
Existing records: Unless otherwise changing the 100 field, do not add a date of birth and/or date of death to an existing AACR2 or RDA authorized access point without dates.

LC practice/PCC practice (9.19.11): Giving dates for persons:
     ° If giving both a date of birth and a date of death or giving a span of dates for period of activity, separate the dates with a hyphen.
     ° If giving only a date of birth, use a hyphen after the date
          » Do not use the term "born" with the date.
     ° If giving only a date of death, use a hyphen before the date
          » Do not use the term "died" with the date.
     ° If giving a date or dates for period of activity, use "active" and "century" rather than the abbreviations "fl." and "cent."
          » The term "active" should appear before the first period of activity date (e.g., "active 12th century)

Examples:

Year of birth and death both known:
Year and day of birth needed to resolve conflict:		 Jolson, Al, ‡d 1886-1950
Schmidt, Franz, ‡d 1874 December 22-1939
Only year of birth or year of death known:
Year of birth known; year of death unknown:
Year of birth unknown; year of death known:
Year of birth unknown; year of birth questionable:		 Gragnani, Filippo, ‡d 1767-
Franck, Melchior, ‡d -1639
Bedyngham, John, ‡d -1459?
Year of birth or death known to be one of two years:
Year of birth one of two years; year of death known:
Year of birth known; year of death one of two years:
Year of birth unknown; year of death one of two years:
Year of birth and year of death both one of two years:		 Finck, Heinrich, ‡d 1444 or 1445-1527
Fischer, Johann, ‡d 1646-1716 or 1717
Johnson, John, ‡d -1594 or 1595
Leaumont, Marie Robert, ‡c chevalier de, ‡d 1762 or 1764-1812 or 1814
Approximate dates:
Approximate year of birth; year of death known:
Year of birth known; approximate year of death:
Approximate year of birth; year of death unknown:
Year of birth unknown; approximate year of death:
Both year of birth and death approximate:
Year of birth approximate; year of death one of two years:		 Bassani, Giovanni Battista, ‡d approximately 1650-1716
Janitsch, Johann Gottlieb, ‡d 1708-approximately 1763
Št'astný, Jan, ‡d approximately 1764-
Biggs, E. S. ‡q (Edward Smith), ‡d -approximately 1820
Brumel, Antoine, ‡d approximately 1460-approximately 1515
Senfl, Ludwig, ‡d approximately 1486-1542 or 1543
Active dates:
Single year:
Single approximate year:
Range of years:
Range of years; beginning date questionable:
Range of years with approximate beginning year:
Range of years with approximate end year:
Range of years with approximate beginning and end years:
Century:
Period of activity crosses centuries:		 Schlick, Arnolt, ‡d active 1512
Browne, John, ‡d active approximately 1490
Reiner, André ‡d active 1828-1831
Goscalch, ‡d active 1385?-1395
Rush, ‡c Mr. ‡q (George), ‡d active approximately 1760-1780
Courteville, Raphael, ‡d active 1687-approximately 1735
De Domarto, Petrus, ‡d active approximately 1470-approximately 1485
Ruiz de Ribayaz, Lucas, ‡d active 17th century
Anthonello, ‡c de Caserta, ‡d active 14th century-15th century
(9.19.1.4) Fuller form of name
Add a fuller form of the person's name (9.5) if needed to distinguish one access point from another.
     ° Make this addition when the person's date of birth or date of death (9.19.1.3) is not available.

Optional addition: Add a fuller form of name even if there is no need to distinguish between access points. Add the fuller form of name before the date of birth and/or death.
LC practice/PCC practice for Optional addition: Authority records:
New records
Apply the option to provide a fuller form of name if a part of the forename or surname used in the preferred name is represented by an initial or an abbreviation, if the cataloger considers it important for identification.
     ° Add unused forenames or surnames only if needed to distinguish one access point from another.
Existing records
Unless otherwise changing an existing heading (e.g., conflict), do not change an existing AACR2 or RDA heading merely to add or remove a fuller form of name.
(9.19.1.5) Period of activity of the person
Add the period of activity of the person (9.3.4) if needed to distinguish one access point from another. Make this addition when the following elements are not available:
     ° date of birth and/or death (9.19.1.3)
     or
     ° fuller form of name (9.19.1.4)

Optional addition: Add the period of activity of the person even if there is no need to distinguish between access points.
LC practice/PCC practice for Optional addition: Do not apply.
(9.19.1.6) Profession or occupation
Add a term indicating the class of persons engaged in the profession or occupation of the person (9.16), if needed to distinguish one access point from another.
Make this addition when the following elements are not available:
     ° date of birth and/or death (9.19.1.3)
     or
     ° fuller form of name (9.19.1.4)
     or
     ° period of activity (9.19.1.5)
(9.19.2.1) General guidelines on constructing variant access points
Use a variant name for the person (9.2.3) as the basis for the access point.

Make additions to the name, if considered important for identification, applying the instructions at 9.19.1.2-9.19.1.6, as applicable.

LC practice/PCC practice: In addition to the reason given in the instruction, also make additions to a variant access point when needed to break a conflict with an authorized access point in another record, or with another variant access point in the same record.