The or GKD (translated as ''Corporate Bodies Authority File'') is a German

authority control In information science, authority control is a process that organizes information, for example in library catalogs, by using a single, distinct spelling of a name (heading) or an identifier (generally persistent and alphanumeric) for each top ...

for the organisation of corporation names (corporate bodies) from catalogues. It is used mainly for

documentation Documentation is any communicable material that is used to describe, explain or instruct regarding some attributes of an object, system or procedure, such as its parts, assembly, installation, maintenance, and use. As a form of knowledge managem ...

libraries A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

. Like the (SWD) (English: Subject Headings Authority File) and the (PND) (English: Name Authority File), the GKD is looked after and updated by the

German National Library The German National Library (DNB; ) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to collect, permanently archive, comprehens ...

(DNB), the

Bavarian State Library The Bavarian State Library (, abbreviated BSB, called ''Bibliotheca Regia Monacensis'' before 1919) in Munich is the central " Landesbibliothek", i. e. the state library of the Free State of Bavaria, the biggest universal and research libra ...

, the

Berlin State Library The Berlin State Library (; officially abbreviated as ''SBB'', colloquially ''Stabi'') is a universal library in Berlin, Germany, and a property of the German public cultural organization the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (). Founded in ...

and, since 1997, the

Austrian National Library The Austrian National Library (, ) is the largest library in Austria, with more than 12 million items in its various collections. The library is located in the Hofburg#Neue Burg, Neue Burg Wing of the Hofburg in Innere Stadt, center of Vienna. Sin ...

, several library networks taking part. The responsible editor is the State Library in Berlin. The GKD was created in the 1970s from the catalogue data of the (ZDB). In April 2004, it contained more than 915,000 records. Since April 2012 GKD, SWD and PND are part of the (GND) (English: Integrated Authority File). GKD mirofiche 1988 05 all

Structure

As with the SWD and PND, the (RAK or RAK-WB) are used. They stipulate, amongst other things, what counts as a corporation. These include, ''inter alia'',

local authorities Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

and associations such as firms and clubs, but also congresses and

exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibiti ...

s. In addition to names (

index term In information retrieval, an index term (also known as subject term, subject heading, descriptor, or keyword) is a term that captures the essence of the topic of a document. Index terms make up a controlled vocabulary for use in bibliographic recor ...

s and

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

) of individual corporations, GKD data files contain links to parent bodies as well as earlier and later names. GKD records are uniquely identified by an ID number, the GKD number. The GKD number consists of digits, the last being a check digit, which can also be 'X' (for 10). The number ranges are divided into quotas by library network, so that, for newer records, it can be determined in which network they were created. The GKD, like the PND and SWD, is available to information systems in libraries (usually library networks) and other areas via the DDB file on a standard CD-ROM or through a Z39.50 interface - but usually only for a fee. For access to authority records, there is a separate (MAB) for Corporate Bodies called MAB-GKD. Previously

microfiche A microform is a scaled-down reproduction of a document, typically either photographic film or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the original d ...

s were used (see illustration). The search for individual corporations enabled by the GKD is part of many catalogues. A link to the name authorities of the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

is provided. A link to

Wikipedia Wikipedia is a free content, free Online content, online encyclopedia that is written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and the wiki software MediaWiki. Founded by Jimmy Wales and La ...

is still in the planning stage.

Examples of a GKD file

;ID Number (''ID-Nummer''): 2144828-0 ;Entry (''Ansetzung''): Institut für Bibliothekswissenschaft <Berlin> ;Remarks (''Bemerkung''): Quelle: telM an DBL ;Abbreviation (''Abkürzung''): IfB ;Corporation dates (''Daten zur Körperschaft''): 1. Oktober 1994 ;First reference (''1. Verweisung''): Universität <Berlin, Humboldt-Universität> / Institut für Bibliothekswissenschaft ;Second reference (''2. Verweisung''): Universität <Berlin, Humboldt-Universität> / Philosophische Fakultät <1> / Institut für Bibliothekswissenschaft ;Former name (''Früherer Name'') (Reference to its own record): Institut für Bibliothekswissenschaft und Wissenschaftliche Information <Berlin> ;State code (''Ländercode''): XA-DE The example is not given directly in internal PICA+ or MAB format.

GKD references between data

GKD records can refer to one another using "Earlier/later name" and "belonging to" fields. The following example contains an extract:

External links

Information pages of the DNB
about the GKD

Search for GKD records
(DNB)
Search for GKD records
(HBZ) {{DEFAULTSORT:Gemeinsame Korperschaftsdatei 2012 disestablishments in Germany Library cataloging and classification Identifiers