Can't find record when searching the authority file
Symptom
- When searching the authority file, either get Transaction failed or Distributed authority record not found in the LC authority file message.
Applies to
- Connexion client
Resolution
When searching the authority file, either get "Transaction failed. Your host connection may have been lost", or "Distributed authority record not found in the LC authority file. The record may have been deleted. 0 LC Names and Subjects Authority History record(s) exist for an:an".
For example, in Connexion client, click Authorities > Search > LC Names and Subjects. Enter 'an:n 2008151737' and click OK. Get Transaction failed message. This is actually an incorrect number, if it is changed to 2008051737, a different message displays, see below.
The space in the search 'n 2008051737' and because it is actually an incorrect number, causes the transaction failed message. Remove the space, correct the example number to 'n2008051737' and click OK. This time a Distributed authority record not found message is displayed.
Why?
There are two problems here:
- The wrong index is being used, an is being used but should be ln
- The record in question has been changed or deleted by LC and is now in the LC history file.
The index 'an:' is for searching OCLC ARNs. The number 'n2008051737' is an LC authority number and the index 'ln:' should be used. ln:n2008051737
Click Authorities > Search > LC Names and Subjects. Enter ln:n2008151737 and click OK (NOTE 2008151737 is not a correct number, it has never been used). the "Distributed authority record not found.." message appears. If you know this to be a valid LC number, then the error is telling you the record may have been changed or deleted and is still available in the LC history file.
When you click Authorities>Search>LC Names and SUbjects History and enter ln:n2008051737 and click ok, the record displays correctly and there isn't a need to check the history.
To check history, if you click Authorities > Search > LC Names and Subjects History. Enter ln:n2008051737 (example call LC number) and click OK. All historical versions of this number will display if there are historical versions. The ARN will be at the top of these records when displayed, and the LC number will be in the 010 field.
If you return to Authorities > Search > LC Names and Subjects, and enter an:xxxxxxx, the number you found on the top of the record, and click OK, the authority record will appear.
The message, ""Distributed authority record not found in the LC authority file displays if the record was deleted. 0 LC Names and Subjects Authority History record(s) exist for n:an"." only seems to come up when an invalid number is entered (as in, the record number doesn't exist/hasn't been used). If the number is for a deleted record, it should have a number >0 in front of "LC Names"--the history records would exist and it would give the number of them; otherwise, the attempt to search for the history records should also fail, since there are 0 of them. If the search legitimately results in "0 LC Names" but the same search in History brings back any history records, then that would be something that should be reported to OCLC at authfile@oclc.org so that we can look into what's happening.