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Authority files

Calm authority files are individual databases which allow you to record detailed information about people, places, subjects, events and many more categories of information relevant to your collection. Each option on the left hand menu mirrors an option from the Authorities menu in Calm. Authority files link to Archive and Museum classified catalogue records providing a multitude of searching opportunities.  

Authority Files and Catalogue Records

All authority files link to Catalogue records. If you wish to link Authority files to your catalogue records, the catalogue record types you use need to be classified as either Archive or Museum record types:

  • Authority files that are available to link to Archive classified catalogue records are: Names, Places, Events, Periods, Subjects and Terms.
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  • Authority files that are available to link to Museum classified catalogue records are: Names, Places, Events, Activities, Concepts, Cultures, Materials, Object Names, Periods, Subjects and Terms.

Single and Poly-hierarchical thesauri

Some of the authority files are poly-hierarchical databases: Activities, Concepts, Cultures, Materials, Object Names, Periods and Terms.

There are 2 “subject” databases: Subject – a single hierarchal thesaurus database and Terms – a poly-hierarchical thesaurus database.

Use the left hand menu on this screen to access information about each Authority File.

Linked Data

Data from external sources, for example AIM25 and the British Library, can be linked to your Calm records.  By default, data can be linked to the Catalog, Persons and Places databases, but it is possible to add or configure data sources for other Calm databases. For details, see the External Linked Data page in this section.