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. Duplicate records that are identified by other means can be merged by the PCC ISNI Quality Team in the WinIBW client.
Resolving possible matches
The record retrieved for Charley Rogers suggests that the record with number 072452757 is a possible duplicate.
Click on compare to show the possible match.
Both records are displayed for comparison.
Investigate and click Equal when both records are for the same public 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.
Multiple matches
If the system identifies multiple possible matches, they will be shown together. Each of the possible matches must be resolved as either "Equal" or "Unequal" before the records can be merged. In the example below, four matches have been marked "unequal" and one has been marked "equal," but there is still one shown as a "possible match." The record showing the possible merges won't be merged until all of them are resolved. (However, in this example, the first and third possible merges reference the same PPN (12022884X). This prevents the user from marking the third one as "equal." The situation can only be resolved by deleting one of the 77A fields in the WinIBW client. This situation is rare.)
Matches not suggested by the system
If you locate a duplicate that was not flagged by the system, it can be reported to the PCC ISNI Quality Team for merging.
For example, these 2 records below (both assigned) are duplicates; several bibliographies confirm that the two names represent the same person, but they are not flagged by the ISNI system.
When you identify records that should be merged, enter them on this spreadsheet: LD4P ISNI maintenance requests
