Library of Congress Names
Library of Congress Names
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The Library of Congress Name Authority File (NAF) file provides authoritative data for names of persons, organizations, events,
places, and titles. Its purpose is the identification of these entities and, through the use of such controlled
vocabulary, to provide uniform access to bibliographic resources. Names descriptions also provide access to a
controlled form of name through references from unused forms, e.g. a search under: Snodgrass, Quintus Curtius, 1835-1910
will lead users to the authoritative name for Mark Twain, which is, "Twain, Mark, 1835-1910." Names may also be used as
subjects in bibliographic descriptions, so they may be combined with controlled values from subject heading
schemes, such as LCSH.
Library of Congress Names includes over 8 million descriptions created over many decades and according
to different cataloging policies. LC Names is officially called the NACO Authority File and is a cooperative effort
in which participants follow a common set of standards and guidelines.
URI(s)
Instance Of
Scheme Members
Change Notes
Alternate Formats
