Creating and Using a Glacier Authority Index to Document Climate Change. Issue 5 (3rd July 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Radio, Erik; Fletcher, Katie; Merredyth, Athea
• Is Part Of: Cataloging & classification quarterly. Volume 58:Issue 5(2020)
• Page Start: 486
• Page End: 504
• Publication Date: 2020-07-03
• Subjects: Authority control -- authority data -- glacier data -- archives -- digital collections; Cataloging -- Periodicals; Classification -- Books -- Periodicals; 025.3
• DOI: 10.1080/01639374.2020.1762144
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0163-9374

Abstract

Abstract: Authority lists or indices are key components of cataloging and metadata work as they provide critical anchoring points to disambiguate between various entities. This article describes the creation of a glacier index at the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Snow and Ice Data Center which required synthesizing various data sources into a comprehensive list. This paper explores the background of this project, criteria used to justify the creation of the index, the complications inherent in creating a data source for two different types of memory institutions, publishing that data in Wikidata, and the impacts the index has for describing aspects of climate change.