# Authority Control
### Authority Control Jobs
The WRLC Network Zone runs three different jobs in Alma for authority control every day. These jobs apply only to Network Zone-linked bibliographic records that have been added or updated since the last time the job was run, also to bibliographic records with subject headings linked to authority records that have been updated since the last job was run.
1. Link BIB Headings job : links authority headings to an authority record
2. Preferred Term Correction job : changes the heading from the non-preferred term to the preferred term.
3. Handle Local Authority Record Updates job : updates $0 in the bibliographic record and performs relinking for local authority records.
More information can be found in the [Alma Knowledge Center](https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Documentation/010Alma_Online_Help_(English)/Metadata_Management/060Working_with_Authority_Records#Jobs_Related_to_Authority_Records).
Ex Libris runs a re-indexing job on all repository records twice a year (from November to January, and from May to July). This process applies both authority control jobs to all records in the repository; this is the only time that the jobs will run on old records as well as new ones.
The WRLC did not have authority control jobs running in the Network Zone until 2022. In the Fall of 2021, the WRLC Metadata Committee reviewed authority control in Alma and came to the conclusion that, although the jobs are not perfect, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. A detailed description of this review can be viewed in the [Authority Control Testing Fall 2021](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b8x16c4RAa3WDVrEeEO6yG3jFX-Efs94nWb19z4n2so/edit#heading=h.mlv4luawgvu2) document created by the WRLC Authority Control Subgroup. The official WRLC Policy on Authority Control can be found in the [WRLC Network Zone Bibliographic Record Policies document](https://alma.wrlc.org/books/resources-metadata/page/wrlc-network-zone-bibliographic-record-policies#bkmrk-authority-control-jo).
### Authority Control Rules
In addition, WRLC created several Authority Control rules to mitigate some of the mistakes commonly committed by the Link BIB Heading and Preferred Term Correction jobs.
The jobs and rules mentioned above are configured in the Network Zone, and therefore only apply to records linked to the Network Zone. Below are are the current configurations in the WRLC Network Zone for authority control.
#### Configuration > Resources > General > Authority Control Rules
Link BIB Headings Tab
[](https://alma-documentation-bookstack-stage.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2025-02/authority-control-1.PNG)
**Undifferentiated Personal Name** : when the authority 008 control field, position 32 = "b", then do not link
**Exact subfield codes** : Subdivision fields will NOT be disregarded by the Link BIB Heading job
#### Configuration > Resources > General > Authority Control Rules
Preferred Term Correction Tab
[](https://alma-documentation-bookstack-stage.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2025-02/authority-control-2.PNG)
**Undifferentiated non-preferred personal name** : Prevents preferred term correction for personal names in an X00 field to be linked to an authority record with an undifferentiated non-preferred personal name
**655 LCSH Headings** : If a term in a 655 field is from LCSH vocabulary, preferred term correction will not be applied
Resources :
- [Working with Authority Records](https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Documentation/010Alma_Online_Help_(English)/Metadata_Management/060Working_with_Authority_Records)
- [Authority Control Rules](https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Documentation/010Alma_Online_Help_(English)/Metadata_Management/060Working_with_Authority_Records/Authority_Control_Rules)
- [WRLC’s Authority Control Testing Fall 2021](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b8x16c4RAa3WDVrEeEO6yG3jFX-Efs94nWb19z4n2so/edit?usp=sharing)