Brief Introduction to Using Authority lists in Athenaeum Pro 4.0v7 or higher

---

Modifications to the Authority mechanism in Athenaeum Pro increase flexibility.

---

Authority lists allow consistency of entry of subjects and related terms when cataloging items. Below is a brief description of how to use it.

Nutshell summary

1. Add Authority entries to the lists
2. Configure Athenaeum an specify which fields authority entries go to (do this only once)
3. When cataloging items, click the authority button.
4. Enter the first few letters of the authority term you are searching for and press the tab key
5. In the list of terms that appears, click on the entry you want. The data are added to the text fields at the bottom of the screen. You can edit the content at this stage, if you like.
6. repeat steps 4 and 5 as necessary.
7. Click the Add button. The terms are added to the fields you specify.

Adding Authority Entries

Go to the catalogue utilities screen and click the Go to Authority Lists button.

Navigate to the Authority Entry screen and then click the Add new items button. You can add an authority term (which is always added to the subject field) and two other entries which can be added where you like.

Configure Athenaeum

Go to the main menu and then click the Admin button and then the System Tab. You will see in the lower right the configuration settings for authorities.

The first field describes the separator character(s), if any, inserted between authority entries. The next field describes which Athenaeum field the first expansion term is placed. The last field explains where the "additional terms", if any, are placed. Choose these according to your preferences.

Adding Authority entries

When cataloging items click the Authority button.

You are presented with a search screen. Enter the first few letters of your search term and click the Search button (or press the Tab key). A scrollable list of entries that start with what you typed appears.

Click on the entry that you wish to use. That entry is added to the fields at the bottom of the screen. You can adjust the entries at this stage, if you like.

Repeat your searches for all entries that you need and then click the Add button when you have finished.

The entries are added to the specified fields.