Virtual International Authority File

For use of VIAF with Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Authority control.

Virtual International Authority File

File:VIAF Screenshot 2012.png Screenshot 2012
Acronym	VIAF
Managing organisation	Online Computer Library Center
Example	https://viaf.org/viaf/70042340
Website	<strong%20class= "error"><span%20class="scribunto-error"%20id="mw-scribunto-error-1">Lua%20error%20in%20Module:Wd%20at%20line%20405:%20invalid%20escape%20sequence%20near%20'"^'. http://<strong%20class="error"><span%20class="scribunto-error"%20id="mw-scribunto-error-1">Lua%20error%20in%20Module:Wd%20at%20line%20405:%20invalid%20escape%20sequence%20near%20'"^'.

The Virtual International Authority File (VIAF) is an international authority file. It is a joint project of several national libraries and operated by the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC). The project was initiated by the German National Library and the US Library of Congress.

The aim is to link the national authority files (such as the German Name Authority File) to a single virtual authority file. In this file, identical records from the different data sets are linked together. A VIAF record receives a standard data number, contains the primary "see" and "see also" records from the original records, and refers to the original authority records. The data are made available online and are available for research and data exchange and sharing. Reciprocal updating uses the Open Archives Initiative protocol.

The file numbers are also being added to Wikipedia biographical articles and are incorporated into Wikidata.

Participating libraries and organizations

English-language name	Native-language name (if non-English)	Location	Country
nl: Flemish Public Libraries (VLACC: Flemish Central Catalogue)	Dutch: Vlaamse Centrale Catalogus	Brussels	Belgium
BIBSYS: National Library of Norway	BIBSYS: Norwegian: Nasjonalbiblioteket	Trondheim	Norway
British Library	–	London	England
Central Institute for the Union Catalogue of Italian Libraries and Bibliographic Information	Italian: Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo Unicocode: it is deprecated	Rome	Italy
da (DBC)	Danish: Dansk BiblioteksCenter	Ballerup	Denmark
Danish Agency for Culture	Danish: Kulturstyrelsen	Copenhagen	Denmark
Flemish Public Libraries		–	–
German National Library	German: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek	Frankfurt	Germany
Getty Research Institute (Union List of Artist Names)	–	Los Angeles, California	United States
Israel Museum	Hebrew: מוזיאון ישראל‎	Jerusalem	Israel
Lebanese National Library	Arabic: المكتبة الوطنية‎‎	Beirut	Lebanon
Library and Archives Canada	French: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada	Ottawa, Ontario	Canada
Library of Alexandria	Arabic: مكتبة الإسكندرية‎‎	Alexandria	Egypt
Library of Congress (NACO consortium)	–	Washington, D.C.	United States
National Diet Library	Japanese: 国立国会図書館	Tokyo and Kyoto	Japan
National Agricultural Library	–	Beltsville, Maryland	United States
National and University Library in Zagreb	Croatian: Nacionalna i sveučilišna knjižnica u Zagrebu	Zagreb	Croatia
National Library of Australia	–	Canberra	Australia
National Library of Catalonia	Catalan: Biblioteca de Catalunya	Barcelona	Spain
National Library of France	French: Bibliothèque nationale de France	Paris	France
National Library of Israel	Hebrew: הספרייה הלאומית‎	Jerusalem	Israel
National Library of Latvia	Latvian: Latvijas Nacionālā bibliotēka	Rīga	Latvia
National Library of Medicine	–	Bethesda, Maryland	United States
National Library of Mexico	Spanish: Biblioteca Nacional de México	Mexico City	Mexico
National Library of New Zealand	–	Wellington	New Zealand
National Library of Norway	Norwegian: Nasjonalbiblioteket	Oslo	Norway
National Library of Poland	Polish: Biblioteka Narodowa	Warsaw	Poland
National Library of Portugal	Portuguese: Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal	Lisbon	Portugal
National Library Board Singapore	–	–	Singapore
National Library of Scotland	Scottish Gaelic: Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba	Edinburgh	Scotland
National Library of South Africa	Afrikaans: Staats-Bibliotheek der Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek	Cape Town and Pretoria	South Africa
National Library of Spain	Spanish: Biblioteca Nacional de España	Madrid	Spain
National Library of Sweden	Swedish: Kungliga Biblioteket	Stockholm	Sweden
National Library of Wales	Welsh: Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru	Aberystwyth	Wales
National Library of the Czech Republic	Czech: Národní knihovna České republiky	Prague	Czech Republic
National Széchényi Library	Hungarian: Országos Széchényi Könyvtár	Budapest	Hungary
Perseus Project	–	Medford, Massachusetts	United States
RERO Library Network of Western Switzerland	French: Réseau des bibliothèques de Suisse occidentale, Italian: Rete delle bibliotheche della Svizzera occidentalecode: it is deprecated , German: Westschweizer Bibliothekverbund	Martigny	Switzerland
SUDOC (French library consortium)	French: Système universitaire de documentation	–	France
Syriac Reference Portal	–	–	–
Swiss National Library	German: Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek, French: Bibliothèque nationale suisse, Italian: Biblioteca nazionale svizzeracode: it is deprecated	Berne	Switzerland
pl: Union Catalogue of Polish Research Libraries	Polish: Narodowy Uniwersalny Katalog Centralny	–	Poland
Vatican Library	Italian: Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticanacode: it is deprecated	–	Vatican City
Wikidata	–	–	–

Libraries added for testing purposes

English-language name	Native-language name (if non-English)	Location	Country
ISNI	–	London	United Kingdom
National Central Library	Chinese: 國家圖書館	Taipei	Taiwan
National Library and Archives of Québec	French: Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec	Quebec	Canada
National Library of Ireland	Irish: Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann	Dublin	Ireland
National Library of the Netherlands	Dutch: Koninklijke Bibliotheek	The Hague	Netherlands
Russian State Library	Russian: Российская государственная библиотека	Moscow	Russia

See also

• Integrated Authority File (GND)
• International Standard Name Identifier
• Wikipedia's authority control template for articles

External links

• Brochures about aspects and purposes of VIAF (at OCLC)

• .