[Google AI Overview at the query, signed out and incognito (operator defaults of 2026-10-01 and 2026-10-14). The paste is the Overview expanded (the 'AI Mode Conversation' view).] The 'You said' line carries the query twice, run together, and is given once here. Inline links are Google redirect URLs, kept as pasted.

[QUERENT] VIAF

[SYSTEM] The [Virtual International Authority File (VIAF)](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESSwHrOzAVnB-9-8R9tu20-GtzgMCHoR5klPDmRYO7GwlthGUvR3Jb8BGSy6wMMnNKxkmutW9C2CDCALc9hLdYL7TuT6XmF0AuKvNMFQ) is an international name authority service that combines multiple national library authority files into a single online database. [[1](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESSQHrOzAVkDAqGrgH4_uO-YW6JZdKVd_-q13KV0xaXoEXSKXZx_MDGcSuze5oVSZ2TPnELIuHffkEiIuapx605b8gBLNH_XGi5jE), [2](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESegHrOzAV63zEuAEDV4_ctczyqTcvD8etymDKfhq5jpNbNLbHIT6dn_dNgHtCh0x4y2ym_r3_hukwbLq3CHVGSC_dxoSuIN0yHZZPLQ0zNKs4A5YzzrTjN_F3i_fCe0jXkXQmSen4_HiojuExdGmfd39F876FyFGRfOQU)]
Key Features

* Operator: Hosted and maintained by OCLC (Online Computer Library Center). [[1](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESSQHrOzAVkDAqGrgH4_uO-YW6JZdKVd_-q13KV0xaXoEXSKXZx_MDGcSuze5oVSZ2TPnELIuHffkEiIuapx605b8gBLNH_XGi5jE), [2](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESegHrOzAV63zEuAEDV4_ctczyqTcvD8etymDKfhq5jpNbNLbHIT6dn_dNgHtCh0x4y2ym_r3_hukwbLq3CHVGSC_dxoSuIN0yHZZPLQ0zNKs4A5YzzrTjN_F3i_fCe0jXkXQmSen4_HiojuExdGmfd39F876FyFGRfOQU)]
* Origin: Initiated in 1998 as a joint proof-of-concept by the U.S. Library of Congress, the German National Library (DNB), and OCLC, launching formally in August 2003. [[1](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESegHrOzAV63zEuAEDV4_ctczyqTcvD8etymDKfhq5jpNbNLbHIT6dn_dNgHtCh0x4y2ym_r3_hukwbLq3CHVGSC_dxoSuIN0yHZZPLQ0zNKs4A5YzzrTjN_F3i_fCe0jXkXQmSen4_HiojuExdGmfd39F876FyFGRfOQU)]
* Purpose: Solves author name disambiguation by linking variant names, pseudonyms, and corporate titles across different languages, scripts, and regional spelling rules. [[1](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESWQHrOzAVl1wdIG3hLQXbAFbFJPhCbaa0_gmREFjIad_CjH6_DNngtEpSYfOo7KubKPGvejkDB_kayciekpTbeoym249yyqxK9QNo9q4xEVMyQjRcltOm1k6e), [2](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESagHrOzAVhKacwvutzdWhNvO79-gDTwX-d5YgVLSpUSIAVstsCtPY4HC7YScE50fiBrcBpsJZylsqHLTsxAw5ydstfCqUVLl2jn5Ea18DmTpt8V0zp_9YoFLuuOymnpVSKOkvI2_ofSZD6U0), [3](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESewHrOzAVfHo5krximGL7eCiCYMjHVviVyTBROD4GLXI_aogNGMlvegklZBtcYbMqhvU8mOx2GptVvffE8rnP08_d1L4z_D5isWcSVpMT4zGIzMUbtX6FVWzNJOqXYUu9eWWuI3dw1ZbB35o3ERH3zbFYuRQmy2l2WNgVnA)]
* Integration: Each cluster receives a unique standard identifier/URI that is widely used in library catalogs, Wikipedia biographical articles, and Wikidata. [[1](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESewHrOzAVfHo5krximGL7eCiCYMjHVviVyTBROD4GLXI_aogNGMlvegklZBtcYbMqhvU8mOx2GptVvffE8rnP08_d1L4z_D5isWcSVpMT4zGIzMUbtX6FVWzNJOqXYUu9eWWuI3dw1ZbB35o3ERH3zbFYuRQmy2l2WNgVnA), [2](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESegHrOzAV63zEuAEDV4_ctczyqTcvD8etymDKfhq5jpNbNLbHIT6dn_dNgHtCh0x4y2ym_r3_hukwbLq3CHVGSC_dxoSuIN0yHZZPLQ0zNKs4A5YzzrTjN_F3i_fCe0jXkXQmSen4_HiojuExdGmfd39F876FyFGRfOQU)]
* Access: The service and its APIs are publicly available via the [VIAF Website](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESSwHrOzAVnB-9-8R9tu20-GtzgMCHoR5klPDmRYO7GwlthGUvR3Jb8BGSy6wMMnNKxkmutW9C2CDCALc9hLdYL7TuT6XmF0AuKvNMFQ). [[1](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESWgHrOzAVyzXZY-PLjy4-jUtg9j7IUiN6bOxXuWGu0RFfYKKY5bTaHJDoGyHcUGnXGLHAhfJPjUsm6kfva3GWQp-mdg8RP4E6rckm0zUV0cikXQ4TlGZU1t0Uag), [2](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESSQHrOzAVkDAqGrgH4_uO-YW6JZdKVd_-q13KV0xaXoEXSKXZx_MDGcSuze5oVSZ2TPnELIuHffkEiIuapx605b8gBLNH_XGi5jE)]

Would you like help searching for a specific author or entity in VIAF, or learning how to access its RDF/JSON data?
VIAF
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©2012 OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc., 6565 Kilgour Place, Dublin, Ohio (USA) 43017-3395. Description of the VIAF (Virtual International Authority Fil...