CONSERline
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Newsletter of the
CONSER (Cooperative Online Serials) Program
ISSN 1072-611X
No. 2 Library of Congress and OCLC, Inc. June 1994
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CONTENTS
CONSER Policy Committee Meeting
USNP Annual Meeting
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CONSER POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING
By Bill Anderson (Library of Congress)
The CONSER Policy Committee held its 1994 meeting May 5th and 6th
at the Library of Congress. Twenty-three representatives met,
including CONSER Councilors from Australia, England, and France.
This year's meeting focused on defining a CONSER core level
record and setting a subject standard for the Program. The
following issues were also featured: membership, the CONSER
maintenance project, coordination with the Program for
Cooperative Cataloging (PCC), and a new CONSER task force on
electronic serials.
CONSER Core Record
Brian Schottlaender (UCLA) summarized CONSER members' responses
to the core record proposal prepared by the CONSER Core Elements
Task Force. Members generally supported continuing two levels of
records in the CONSER database--minimal and core. Minimal level
cataloging is still considered useful by most CONSER members, and
the committee agreed that minimal level records are too valuable
to be excluded from the CONSER database.
CONSER's core level of requirements are seen as the *floor* for
the CONSER record, with the understanding that each institution
will define its own *core record* (i.e., the CONSER core record
plus optional, local, or institution-specific fields). LC
suggested that one set of core descriptive elements be defined
for minimal and core level records. Core records would be
distinguished from minimal records by the presence of subject
headings and authoritative name and series headings. The Policy
Committee endorsed the single level of description with the
understanding that the set of core descriptive elements contained
in the proposal would likely need revision.
The Core Elements Task Force will present a new proposal,
supported by one set of descriptive elements, which will be
discussed at the CONSER At-large meeting at ALA. A CONSER
response to MARBI proposal 94-12 in support of core encoding
level value *3* will also be submitted. (The next issue of
_CONSERline_ will examine CONSER's core elements in greater
detail.)
CONSER Subject Standard
Linda West (Harvard) led the discussion on a proposed CONSER
subject standard that will be documented in the upcoming edition
of the _CONSER Editing Guide_. The standard will be coordinated
with the development of the CONSER core record. The _Subject
Cataloging Manual_, the online subject authority file, and _Free-
Floating Subdivisions_ were identified as the standard tools for
constructing CONSER subject headings. Only those using _LCSH_
will be responsible for verifying LC subject headings on newly
authenticated CONSER records.
The CONSER requirement for authenticating subject headings will
include verification with a standard authority file to assure
current validity and construction. Classification will be
optional for both core and minimal level records, and no subject
headings will be required for minimal level records.
Maureen Landry (LC) presented an update of an ongoing LC review
of CONSER subject analysis. The purpose of the review is to
provide subject cataloging instruction to CONSER catalogers, and
to make it feasible for LC to accept CONSER subject analysis in a
copy cataloging workflow. A study of the review showed a 71%
record accuracy rate and an 88% field accuracy rate--almost 3 of
4 records and 9 of 10 subject fields were reviewed without
comment. Once a full study of the LC review is completed,
subject review will be integrated into the ongoing accuracy
review of CONSER records.
Membership Issues
Bill Gosling (Michigan) led a discussion on membership that
included a broad review of CONSER's future and specific requests
to edit the definitions of membership levels. Participants
discussed whether the newly defined core record might make it
possible for more libraries to consider CONSER membership, and
whether participation in the PCC might spark interest in CONSER.
Governance, program finances, and training may need restructuring
prior to a significant expansion of the program. The training
issue raised the possibility of establishing regional centers or
"funnel" projects, similar to those used by the NACO Program.
A new governance structure, broader maintenance support, a model
for regional training, and the CONSER core record would have to
be in place for a significant expansion of the program to be
considered. As a first step, definitions of membership levels
will be revised in the _CONSER Editing Guide_ to make them less
restrictive.
CONSER Record Maintenance Project
Ruth Carter (Pittsburgh) presented an overview of the maintenance
project spearheaded by the Task Force on the Maintenance of
CONSER Records by Non-CONSER Institutions. During the first six
months of the project, UC San Diego and the University of
Kentucky have modified CONSER records for serials that have
ceased publication or changed titles. Vanderbilt University
joined the project in April and the University of California at
Irvine started in May. Two other libraries have expressed
interest: Southwest Texas State University and the SUNY Health
Sciences Library in Buffalo, N.Y. A final report on the project
will be presented at the January 1995 CONSER At-large meeting at
ALA.
CONSER and the Program for Cooperative Cataloging
A discussion on CONSER's relationship with the PCC focused on a
desire to coordinate developments of the two programs, including
cataloging standards, record distribution, the use of foreign
catalog records. The possibility of cooperative training
programs was also considered. A motion was passed by the
committee to invite a representative of the PCC to attend CONSER
Policy Committee and At-large meetings as a CONSER Councilor.
Electronic Serials Task Force
The Committee also agreed to establish a new task force to assess
the rapidly changing world of electronic serials and the
Internet, and perform an *environmental scan* to identify the
issues relating to serials and CONSER. Their work will be
coordinated with standards groups and others active in this area.
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USNP ANNUAL MEETING
By Bob Harriman (Library of Congress)
The Library of Congress hosted the Seventh Annual Meeting of
participants in the United States Newspaper Program, April 28-29.
Eighty-five participants, representing twenty-four state
projects, attended the meeting.
The USNP Annual Meeting serves as an opportunity to feature the
achievements of individual state newspaper projects; provide
information and workshops for catalogers and preservation staff;
discuss new standards and developments relating to the work of
the program; provide information for state project planners and
managers; and serve as a forum to present new ideas and
initiatives relating to the use of newspapers in libraries,
archives, and research institutions. Perhaps most importantly,
the meeting provides a chance each year for all the participants
in the program, including representatives of the vendor
community, to meet and share their experiences.
This year's program included field reports from Alaska, New York,
and Texas; a preview of OCLC PRISM union listing; an overview of
newspaper preservation microfilming; and reports on two projects
involving conversion of newspaper microfilm to electronic text.
Plans are already underway for the 1995 meeting, which will
celebrate the participation of all fifty states in the USNP with
a major symposium on the use of newspapers for historical
research.
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_CONSERline_ (ISSN 1072-611X) continues the newsletter, _CONSER_,
and is published at least semiannually (January and June) by the
Library of Congress, Serial Record Division and OCLC, Inc.
_CONSERline_ is a cooperative effort with contributions from
program members consisting of news of the CONSER Program and
information of interest to the serials cataloging community.
For comments or suggestions, contact the editors: Jean Hirons,
Library of Congress, Serial Record Division, Washington, DC
20540-4160, hirons@mail.loc.gov (e-mail), 202-707-5947 (voice),
202-707-6333 (fax); Liz Bishoff, OCLC, Inc., 4545 Frantz Rd.,
Dublin, OH 43017-3395, liz_bishoff@oclc.org (e-mail), 800-848-
5878 (voice), 614-764-0740 (fax).
_CONSERline_ is available in electronic form only and is free of
charge. To subscribe, send a mail message to
listserv@loc.gov with the text: subscribe CONSRLIN
[firstname lastname]. Back issues of _CONSERline_ will be
available through the listserver and on LC MARVEL. To find out
what is available, send a mail message to listserv@loc.gov
with the text: index CONSRLIN. To get a specific file, send a
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[filename].
All materials in the newsletter are in the public domain and may
be reproduced, reprinted, and/or redistributed as desired.
Citation to the source is requested.
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Library of Congress