Control the use of an authority term

You can control the use and deletion of authority terms with Term Usage Control.

Steps

  1. Click into the relevant field, and then click Go To on the toolbar. The authority term window will open.

  2. If the term wasn’t already in the field, enter it into the Search bar and press Enter.

  3. In the Navigator on the left, under Other Files, select Authority Management.

  4. In the Authority Management window, under Term Usage Controls, select a control for the term:

    • Usable: There are no restrictions on a usable term. This is the default setting for all terms.

    • Retrievable but Not Usable: You can search for the term, and you can use it to navigate to narrower terms in the Authority Options window, but you can’t enter it into a field. This control is useful in hierarchical authority file where high-level terms are necessary as retrieval points and descriptors, but should not actually be assigned to any record.

    • Not Usable: You can’t search for the term, and you can’t enter it into a field. This control is useful for historical locations that are no longer used, but shouldn't be deleted as they are part of the Location History for Object records. For example, if your institution has decided not to use a particular storage facility any longer, the location term for that facility will no longer be needed. The term must, however, be retained so that the Location History can accurately show where an object was at a certain time. It is also useful to be able to search for all objects that were in that place at a particular time, while still preventing users from applying the term in any current situations.

  5. Optional: Select Do Not Delete. If you select this option, then if a user attempts to delete that term, they will get a message saying that the term has been flagged as Do Not Delete, and its deletion will be prevented until Do Not Delete is turned off.

  6. Click Save.

Warning: Terms that have been pre-programmed by Vernon Systems will display a note to that effect in the Management Notes field of the Authority Management window, and will have been set as Do Not Delete terms. These terms are essential to some function of the system, and it is essential that they are not deleted under any circumstances.

Tip: You can prevent deletion of any term which is actually in use somewhere in the system. Go to Tools > System Maintenance > Customised Configuration, then go to the Authority tab and untick Allow deletion of records which may be used in the system.

See also