The Bibliothèque nationale authority files, created in 1985, were the first in digital format in France. Now that great bibliographic databases are expected to provide easy, relevant access, not only libraries, but also archives and museums are interested in authority files as tools for managing and providing consistent access points and also as means to better place a search in context. In 2000 French professionals were ready for a detailed check of authority data in order to establish which authority data they needed as well as to improve interoperability among the different cultural sectors: libraries, archives and museums. AFNOR (Association française de normalisation) offered an adequate environment for this consideration.