Introduction
Multiple records with status "assigned" for the same identity are considered duplicates in the ISNI database. Such records should be merged when encountered.
There may also be multiple records with status "provisional" for the same identity, either with or without a corresponding assigned-status record. These provisional records are not considered duplicates by the ISNI database because they are only visible to ISNI members and not in the public interface. (This is the meaning of the statement in section 2.2.1.3 of the ISNI Manual that "multiple records for the same identity can co-exist on the ISNI database.") However, these provisional records may also be merged by ISNI members.
Records may be merged in the web interface when they are suggested by the system. Otherwise, ISNI members must use the WinIBW client to merge duplicate records. Members can not determine in advance which record will be retained by the system when records are merged. This is especially important when more than one assigned-status record is merged. One must wait until after the merge is completed to see which ISNI is retained as the canonical ISNI number for the identity.
The merge program acts on the basis of field 77A in records. It is run on the database twice a day at 11:00 and 16:00 GMT.
Merging in the WinIBW client
Merging records when one already has 77A
A search for records for John Carpenter yields a set of 31 hits.
Double clicking on the set expands the list.
The number in the second column tells the number of ISNI sources on the record (i.e., the number of 035 fields). Select possible matches based on birth dates in 4th column and titles in 5th column.
Right-click in the screen, select Copy to New Window.
Click on the Back arrow or press Ctrl+B to go back to list.
Select other possible matches from list and copy them to new windows. We found 3 records that look like they represent the filmmaker.
Right-click in screen and select Tile Windows Vertically.
The first two records have assigned ISNI numbers (see 003 $a). The third record (PPN 374500029) is provisional and originated from a Swedish record in VIAF that gives a birthdate of 1962 (700 $d and 970 $a), but IMDb confirms that the filmmaker born in 1948 was a writer and producer for the 2005 remake of his 1980 film The Fog. Notice that this record already has a 77A field. Subfield $bP indicates that it's a possible match with the record indicated by the PPN in subfield $9. Clicking on the number brings up the record shown below. It doesn't seem to be the same as the filmmaker.
First change the 77A field on PPN 374500029 to indicate it's not a match by following these steps. Click on the Update button at the bottom of the record.
This puts the record in edit mode.
Change 77A $bP to $bN for "not equal" and then click on the Enter button.
Next choose one of the 3 matching records to update; it doesn't matter which one. Click on Update to enter editing mode and add field 77A. It doesn't matter where in the record it is. Enter a field for each of the other records to be merged. Subfield $a always contains "ISNI#PERSON" for personal names or "ISNI#ORG" for corporate names. Subfield $bM means "merge." Subfield $9 contains the PPN of the record to be merged.
Click Enter. The system adds fields 006 and 00B to the record.
Twice a day the system runs a process to merge records based on field 77A.
Merging records when none has 77A
- Retrieve the record that has a duplicate.
- Right click in the record.
- Select Copy to New Window.
- Retrieve the other record that is a duplicate. This can be done by clicking the blue back arrow on the toolbar (or Ctrl+B) to return to the search history or by doing a new search.
- When the other record is found, right click in the record.
- Select Tile Windows Vertically.
- Click the Update button under one of the records to enter edit mode. It doesn't matter which one.
- Add field 77A to the record
- Person: 77A $aISNI#PERSON$bM$9[PPN of other record]
- Organization: 77A $aISNI#ORG$bM$9[PPN of other record]
- Copy the PPN from field 000 of the other record.
- Click Enter to save the record.”
77A field:
006 field:
The 006 field is used to flag changes by the ISNI Quality Team
Notes
- It doesn't matter which record gets the 77A field. The system will merge the records according to criteria outlined in the WinIBW manual. The cataloger cannot determine which record is retained.
- For more details, see section 4.1 of the WinIBW manual.
- Don't change the status of any of the records before merging.
- Merges are processed twice a day by the system.
- It is possible to have more than one 77A in a record to merge multiple records.When a merge is initiated in the client, the system adds field 006 with the logon ID of the individual in subfield $bAdd linking fields, such as related person or organization, only after the merge has completed. Otherwise, the links (which rely on the PPN) may be broken
ISNI tutorial videos: Session 1 . Part II: Merging
