Why do we combine records?

Sometimes information about an entity is split across multiple source catalogues.

For example, a box of papers in the archive might:

• have an archive record in CALM (which is the "canonical" record)

• have a library record in Sierra (so it can be viewed in the library)

• have a digitised copy in METS (so it can be viewed online)

We combine these records into a single work so that all the information is on one page. This makes it easier for researchers to find everything we know about a work.

(There are instances in the past where somebody found the online record for a physical object, and travelled to see it in the library in-person, unaware that we had a digitised copy.)