On February 6, 2006, CPSO will commence a special project to add death dates to a selected list of name headings. The project is expected to end by Summer 2006.
In a nutshell, LC is now allowing NACO libraries to add death dates to national name authorities with "open" birth dates. So, Princess Diana, and many others, can finally die in our catalog. (We aren't a NACO library, so I won't be able to add these dates, until they are added to the LC or WorldCat authority file.)
If you peruse any of those links, you'll see that it's all a lot more complicated than it sounds. It's going to be an utter nightmare for libraries lacking some form of automated authority control. Even with automated authority control, it's a big job for us. But, we know it's going to be quite the blessing for public services, and we are excited about it. Just think, you'll never again have to hear, "You know Princess Diana is dead, right?"
Now, all that being said, it's going to take a little a while to do all this, and I'm afraid that I won't be able to start immediately. But, as a show of good faith, and since I've just harped on her so much, do a subject search for "Diana, Princess of Wales," and you'll see that I've shuffled off the biblio/mortal coil of poor Princess Di.
If anyone has any questions or comments about this process, please don't hesitate to let me know.
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