Retrieving Canadian name authorities

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) provides updates and additions to Canadian name authorities. If you have an OCLC subscription, you can download both English and French at the same time. Otherwise, you must retrieve them separately.

Using the OCLC Cataloguing and Metadata subscription

You may get English and French Canadian name authorities if your library has the OCLC Cataloguing and Metadata subscription. English authorities are found in the LC Authorities file, while French authorities are found in the Canadiana authority file. If you have Cataloguing Export permission, you may export authority records by creating a list, then exporting all at one time.

Getting English Canadian authorities without a subscription

You may get English Canadian name authorities for free from these sites:

• Library of Congress Authorities (search, view, and download)
• VIAF: The Virtual International Authority File (search and view) The English Canadian name authorities can be found under the contributor "Library of Congress/NACO".

Getting French Canadian authorities without a subscription

Using LAC's SFTP accounts

You may download French Canadian name authorities for free from our secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) server in both MARC 21 and MARC XML. Contact servicesauxbibliotheques-libraryservices@bac-lac.gc.ca to request an account.

Timeframes

• Full name authority files are available on the 3rd day of each month
• Updates (new, updates, and deletes) are available on the 2nd and 19th day of each month
• Files remain on the server for 90 days

Through VIAF

You may search and view French Canadian name authorities for free from VIAF: The Virtual International Authority File. The French Canadian name authorities can be found under the contributor "Library and Archives Canada/PFAN".