Monthly Authority File Updates

Summary: Each month, the Authorities Management Unit receives updates to the authority files from Backstage. This document outlines how to receive those updates.

Receiving and processing authority records

1. The Authorities Librarian receives an email from Backstage on the Thursday of the week following the 3rd Wednesday of the month with a notification that MSUL's monthly authority updates are complete. These files are delivered via FTP. To retrieve them, navigate to Backstage's Outbox by entering ftp.bslw.com in the address bar of a file manager, open the "out" folder, and copy the latest zip file. For example, the February 2023 file is named "EEM2302N.zip."
2. Download the zip file and unzip it.
3. Delete any FAST .mrc files. You can also delete all the “formerly” spreadsheets.
4. Combine all the LC authority MARC files into one file. Delete any FAST headings. Dedupe that file. Load it to the Authority App using Data Import and job profile AUTH2.
1. You may have to split the file into smaller files for Data Import to work.
2. Check for load errors; resolve all problems.
3. If any record fails to load and is “discarded”, it is likely that duplicate authority records exist. If that is so, delete both of them and load the “discarded” record as a new record.
5. Check the non-LC authority files to check if the control number is in the 010. 
1. Combine all authority files with an 010 into a single file and dedupe. Load into the Authority App using Data Import and AUTH2.
2. Combine all authority files without an 010 into a single file and dedupe. Load into the Authority App using Data Import and AUTH1.
3. Check for loading errors; resolve all problems.
6. Once the authority records are loaded, work can begin on these reports: 
1. R02_C1XX: Authority Add Report (NAMES)
2. R04: Names, Subjects, Titles, & Series Delete reports
3. R03_C1XX: Authority Change report
7. Record the total number of authority records loaded in the “Authority Statistics” spreadsheet.

Reports and statistics

1. Once the authority records are loaded, work can begin on the following reports:
   1. R02_C1XX: Authority add report (NAMES)
   2. R04: Names, Subjects, Titles, & Series Delete Reports
   3. R03_C1XX: Authority Change Report
2. Record the total number of authority records loaded in the "Authority Statistics" spreadsheet on the "Monthly Auths" tab. (Contact the Authorities Librarian if access to this spreadsheet is needed.)