Guidelines/Responsibilities of PCC Program Members

PCC membership is open to institutions that pledge to support the program activities of training, review, and direct contributions of authority and bibliographic records to appropriate databases using program standards.

PCC Membership Levels

Institutional membership: The institution administers its own program activities and contributes records according to the levels defined for each program. The PCC Steering Committee considers each institution’s application on its own merits.

Funnel membership: The institution joins with other libraries under the supervision of a Funnel Coordinator. A Funnel project and its members must contribute records to maintain active status. The contribution levels for each funnel institution are undefined. The PCC Steering Committee reviews the proposal for the Funnel project, but does not necessarily examine the application from each Funnel member.

Expedited PCC institutional membership: Expedited PCC Institutional Membership allows an institution that hires an experienced PCC cataloger to obtain PCC membership on an expedited basis. This includes obtaining NACO, BIBCO, and CONSER authorizations as long as the cataloger was independent in these areas at a previous PCC institution. The cataloger and new institutions must agree to the terms of the Expedited PCC Institutional Membership Guidelines [Word 42 KB; 2 p.] Please contact the individual programs BIBCO, CONSER, or NACO for further information on Expedited PCC Institutional Membership.

Membership Applications

Prospective members may submit an online application form found on each program web page and should indicate the preferred type of membership. The Cooperative Programs Section (Coop) forwards applications to the PCC Steering Committee for approval.

Voting Rights in PCC Elections

The PCC Policy Committee includes at-large representatives elected by the PCC membership. The Cooperative Programs Section conducts annual elections for these positions via the PCC Directory as follows:

• All full-level member institutions and CONSER associate-level institutions have full voting rights.
• Funnel-level institutions do not cast votes in the elections. The Funnel Coordinator casts a single vote to represent the interests of all members in the funnel.

Program Contacts

Institutional members specify a primary contact person for their institution in the PCC Directory (name and email address). Optionally, they may also specify a secondary contact person and/or a separate contact for each program to which they belong. The Funnel Coordinator and/or program contact of a funnel member library serve these functions for Funnel projects. This person(s):

• Helps coordinate training plans for the local participants.
• Serves as the primary communication link for program news to and from local participants.
• Subscribes to the PCC discussion list and any additional program-specific discussion lists. The contact may submit other names for discussion list privileges.
• Maintains current cataloging policy documentation for use of contributing staff, and keeps colleagues informed.
• Maintains contribution levels to keep local skills strong and to meet PCC contribution goals.
• Screens local records before submitting them for review to reduce simple errors and to develop reviewing skills.
• Serves as quality control agent for the institution’s records after the institution is judged independent of further review and resolves questions about records created by the institution. The contact should consult training manuals, documentation, online help pages, other colleagues, and appropriate PCC discussion lists when ansering questions. The contact may ask questions of LC Coop staff if necessary.
• Trains new staff if possible or arranges for their training. If independent in a certain type of record, reviews the contributions of new recruits/trainees.
• Monitors online contact data about the institution in the PCC Directory and makes changes or corrections as needed.
• Reports the institution's PCC statistics in the PCC Directory.
• Keeps the PCC member institution's director informed when PCC Elections are being run to encourage voting.

Participation in PCC Activities:

Beyond record contribution, there are many ways in which individuals may be involved:

• Training and/or reviewing records of other participants, after attending train-the-trainer sessions.
• Development of training and other documentation.
• Leading and serving on committees and task groups.
• Attending PCC programs at ALA and other professional events.
• Promoting the PCC through presentations or written articles.

Discussion Lists for PCC Members:

PCC program contacts are expected to subscribe to PCC discussion lists as appropropriate. Optionally, other staff at member institutions may also subscribe to these lists.

• PCCLIST—general news and exchanges about program events and policy
• BIBCO—news and exchanges about BIBCO program events and policy
• SACO—news and exchanges about SACO program events and policy
• CONSRLST—news and exchanges about CONSER program events and policy