BIBCO-At-Large Meeting

Summary report

ALA Midwinter Conference, January 16th, 2000

• Welcome
• Working Group on Series Numbering
• Statistics gathering streamlined
• Update on national series analysis and classification policy
• Pre-AACR2 bibliographic records and BIBCO
• BIBCO OpCo agenda suggestions
• SACO web form
• Literary author requests

The third BIBCO-At-Large meeting , held 12:00 A.M.-1:00 P.M. on Sunday, January 16th, 2000 at the H.B. Gonzalez Convention Center was attended by 70 participants representing 31 BIBCO institutions and 5 non-BIBCO institutions. Michael Kaplan, Chair PCC, welcomed the audience by remarking that the BIBCO Program had a banner year in FY99. Kaplan reported that BIBCO libraries contributed nearly 59,000 bibliographic records to the ever growing pool of cataloging created under mutually agreed upon standards. He welcomed the Armed Forces Staff College as the newest participant and announced that it is expected that Texas A&M University, the Government Printing Office, and the University of Dayton will soon be joining the Program.

Kaplan also welcomed the new representatives to the BIBCO Operations Committee (OpCo) Brooklyn Law School (George Prager); Harvard University (Bruce Trumble); Northwestern University (Andrea Stamm); Queens Borough Public Library (Elizabeth Ankersen); University of Texas, Austin (Robin Fradenburgh) as well as the new BIBCO regional trainers: Robert Ellett (Armed Forces Staff College); Carl Horne (Indiana University); Iris Wolley (Cornell); John B. Wright (BYU).

Kaplan introduced Andrea Stamm, Chair of the Working Group on Series Numbering (WGSN), who spoke about the recommendations made by the WGSN in its final report and the subsequent action taken by the PCC Policy Committee (PoCo) at the November meeting. The full report of the WGSN can be found on the BIBCO home page.

The PoCo approved recommendation #1: No change should be made in the existing series practice of explicitly tracing a series in an 8XX field when the only difference between the series statement and the added entry is the form of series numbering.

The PoCo also approved, and will forward to LC's Cataloging Policy and Support Office (CPSO) for consideration, recommendation #2: LC should issue an LCRI to AACR2R Appendix B.9 which adds "v." as the abbreviation for "vol.". The effect of this RI would be to reduce the number of times a 490/8xx combination would be needed in cataloging.

Approved (in principle) were WGSN's recommendation #3 (The PCC should contact vendors to work on correcting all numerical sorting of series entries in the OPAC) and recommendation # 4: (that MARBI and vendors should work towards developing a mechanism which supports disregarding the designation in the series $v in its sort of the series.) The PoCo suggested that the WGSN , in conjunction with Standing Committee on Automation, should draft, and send to vendors, a letter expressing the need for development of programming to allow for numerical sorting. This letter is then to be posted on the BIBCO home page and made available for users groups to send to their local vendors as desired. In reference to recommendation #4 a "for the record" letter expressing the additional need for programming to enable systems to disregard the $v in series sorting should be sent to vendors and to MARBI.

Stamm added that the PoCo suggested that the WGSN comment on the disposition of the 490/8XX be included in the letter sent to MARBI. Stamm encouraged audience members to send comments, suggestions on the wording, etc., of this letter directly to her at astamm@nwu.edu

Statistics gathering streamlined

Ana Cristán followed with an update on the disposition of the Report of the Working Group on Statistics. Cristán reported that the PoCo had decided to discontinue the categories of "upgrades" for BIBCO statistical purposes. There are now only two reporting categories:

1. Full level bibliographic records new to the BIBCO Program and
2. Core level bibliographic records new to the BIBCO Program.

Update on national series analysis and classification policy

Judy Kuhagen, LC-CPSO presented the decision of the PoCo on the results of the series survey on national level default analysis and classification policy. Kuhagen noted that the PoCo has decided to move forward with a national level default series analysis and classification policy. This is known as the FTS policy. This means that when creating new SARs PCC participants must show the default national analysis practice of "Fully analyzed by coding the 644 "F," the mandatory PCC practice of always "Tracing a series" by coding the 645 "T" (traced series); and show the default national classification policy of "separately classifying a series " by coding the 646 "S." Details on allowing PCC particpants the ability to vary from the default F/S treatment decisions are still being worked out. CPSO will issue guidelines via the usual documentation (i.e., the DCM "yellow pages") as soon as all aspects of this implementation have been vetted.

Pre-AACR2 bibliograpic records and BIBCO

Kaplan turned the meeting over to Jennifer Bowen, Sibley Music Library, Eastman School of Music, who led the discussion on the feasibility of BIBCO libraries coding pre-AACR2 bibliographic records as 042 "pcc" when the cataloging had not been upgraded. The prevailing argument asserts that if all access points on a pre-AACR2 record are under authority control why not label this a BIBCO record? Many of the participants present agreed that it is not just the access points that comprise a BIBCO record but the cataloging as a whole and that AACR2 is the accepted basis of the descriptive cataloging. Many felt that a mixture of cataloging practices would be too confusing to users of PCC records and would undermine the quality of PCC cataloging which the Program has tried so hard to insure. Others suggested that a new code be defined for use in the 042 to designate the mixture of practice. This matter will be referred to the BIBCO Operations Committee (OpCo) for their deliberation at the May meeting.

BIBCO OpCo agenda suggestions

The call went out for other agenda items to be forwarded to the OpCo for discussion. Iris Wolley (Cornell University) gave out a list of possible agenda items. This draft agenda will be posted for comment on the BIBCO list and suggestions for agenda items should be sent to Ana Cristán at: acri@loc.gov.

SACO web form

Cristán presented the audience with an overview of the newly developed SACO Web proposal and invited all BIBCO libraries to begin contributions of their SACO proposals via this mechanism. Libraries that have SACO work flows in place, such that the use of this form would make those procedures less efficient, were encouraged to continue to maintain their current practices. While it is expected that the web form will expedite the input of subject heading proposals at LC, Cristán stressed that this is simply another interim measure for contribution of SACO proposals while a more "mainstream mechanism" can be devised. This form is programed to allow input into LC's database without rekeying, eliminating one step in the current process. It is expected that proposals sent through the web should reach the subject editorial review more quickly and subsequently, be available for distribution in a more timely manner. The use of this form is currently available only to BIBCO participants or by invitation. The efficiency of the form will be assessed and a decision as to its future use will be announced at ALA Annual conference in July 2000.

Literary author requests

Ruta Penkiunas announced that an online 053 "place-holder" template had been developed for use in the LC ILS to accommodate PCC participants' literary author requests. This "place holder" will allow shelflisters at LC to assign literary author cutter numbers for PCC participants online and as a result it is expected that these requests will be handled in a more timely manner. Participant Marty Joachim (Indiana University) asked if it were possible for a web form, like the newly developed SACO form, to be created for 053 requests rather than continuing to use e-mail messages? Participant Robert Maxwell (BYU) suggested designing the new 053 procedure to allow participants to formulate the number using the LC online shelflist, input the number into the NAR and notify LC of the number used and have the number considered pre-approved. Cristán responded that the Coop Team would look into these possibilities and report at the OpCo meeting. Cristán also reminded the audience that information on using LC's online shelflist, to assist in formulating literary numbers, is avialable on the PCC home page.