LC Cataloging Newsline

Fiscal 1999 Staffing Levels

The Cataloging Directorate's steady loss of experienced catalogers and cataloging technicians continued in fiscal 1999, although at a somewhat slower pace than in the previous two years. The directorate lost sixteen catalogers to retirement or resignation, while four other catalogers and two cooperative catalogers were promoted into team leader or automated operations coordinator positions, and three catalogers were on detail to other directorates for the entire year. Therefore, overall, the directorate finished the year with ten fewer catalogers and two fewer cataloging technicians than at the start and with team leader vacancies in the CIP Cataloging, Rare Book, Music and Sound Recordings I, and Education, Sports and Recreation Teams. These losses meant that serious gaps in coverage, particularly of materials in Slavic languages and the sciences, would continue into the next fiscal year.

Fiscal 1999 Personnel Reorganizations

Two personnel reorganizations in the Cataloging Directorate during the year streamlined operations, eliminated four supervisory positions, and offered career enhancement to staff. The CIP Division's five existing teams were consolidated into three. In a smaller reorganization, the Cataloging Policy and Support Office merged the PREMARC and Quality Control File Management Teams into one, and the technicians on the former CPSO Support Team were permanently reassigned to positions in the Arts and Sciences and Social Sciences Cataloging Divisions.

Core-level Implementation

All Cataloging Directorate teams implemented core-level cataloging during fiscal 1999, following the 1997 decision of the Cataloging Management Team to adopt this level as the directorate's and Serial Record Division's default level of cataloging. During fiscal 1999, the directorate reported creation of 18,621 core-level records for CIP galleys and 13,619 core-level monograph records for published books; the Serial Record Division also reported 527 core-level records. The total count of 32,767 core-level records represents twenty-two percent of the total Cataloging Directorate/SRD original cataloging production of 148,628 full- title equivalents for the fiscal year. Core-level production may have been under reported because of difficulties in generating reports from the LC Database in the first few weeks after ILS Cataloging Day One. What is certain is that adoption of core-level cataloging throughout the directorate was a major factor in keeping production at acceptable levels during the year and helped contain the cost of the average bibliographic record.

The full text of the directorate's annual report is available at URL http://lcweb/catdir/catdirfy99.html.

Effective immediately, NACO participants who contribute series authority records (SARs) to the national authority file may contribute them for all categories of videorecordings (materials covered by AACR2, Chapter 7).

There had been a restriction on some categories of series for videorecordings since LC staff use the Archival Moving Image Materials rules instead of AACR2 for such materials. A note about LC's use of the other rules (which call for the "series" title and the "volume" title both to be recorded in the 245 field of the bibliographic record) may be added by LC to the NACO SARs in the future.

In these situations, LC's bibliographic records will not be changed to match the SARs contributed by the NACO participants.

On August 16 Anthony R. D. Franks, Cooperative Cataloging Team, began a six-week trip through the British Isles on behalf of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging. He visited institutions of the United Kingdom and Ireland including the British Library (Boston Spa), the Bodleian Library (University of Oxford), Cambridge University Library, the National Art Library (London), the National Library of Scotland (Edinburgh), the National Library of Wales (Aberystwyth), and Trinity College Library (Dublin). Franks also visited the OCLC headquarters in Birmingham.

The purpose of the trip was to conduct specialized training and encourage expanded participation in the PCC programs within institutions that were already contributing PCC members; to conduct a NACO training session at the National Library of Wales and at Trinity College Library to enable these institutions to join the program; and to gather information on automation activities at some of the institutions he visited.

The Cataloging Policy and Support Office has posted the guidelines to be followed by LC catalogers when they implement a previously adopted MARC 21 change beginning January 1, 2000.

In 1996 the first indicator value 2 (Multiple surname) in X00 fields in MARC 21 was made obsolete, and value 1 (Single surname) was redefined as "surname" to be used for headings with either single or multiple surnames. At the time, various factors at LC contributed to the Library's postponing its implementation of this change. More recently, selection and installation of the LC ILS extended the delay.

Now that the LC ILS is operational, the Library has assessed the best way to implement the indicator change within the context of available resources. After consulting various libraries and agencies about the proposed implementation plan, LC has decided to implement on Jan. 1, 2000.

The basis of implementation is that authority and bibliographic records will be treated independently. That is, there will be no attempt to synchronize authority and bibliographic records. The goals of the implementation are to assure that:

1. all newly created authority and bibliographic records will reflect the change and

2. all existing records that are changed will be consistent within themselves.

The guidelines for LC/NACO libraries are below.

1.)

Newly created records. Discontinue using value 2 in newly created authority and bibliographic records.

2.)

Existing records. Limit changes to those encountered in regular work. Do not look for changes in the indicator value per se.

2.1)

Authority records. If changing an authority record that contains one or more multiple surname fields with indicator 1 = 2, change the value 2 to 1 in all such fields as needed.

2.1.1)

Corresponding bibliographic records. Do not change corresponding bibliographic records unless there is another reason for changing them, in which case change the value 2 to 1 in all candidate fields as needed.

2.1.2)

Related authority records. Do not extend the changes stimulated by a particular authority record to related authority records unless there is another reason for changing those records, in which case change the value 2 to 1 in all candidate fields as needed.

2.2)

Bibliographic records. If changing a bibliographic record for some other reason and that record contains one or more multiple surname fields with Indicator 1 = 2, change the value 2 to 1 in all such fields as needed.

2.2.1)

Corresponding authority records. Do not change corresponding authority records unless there is another reason for changing those records, in which case change the value 2 to 1 in all candidate fields as needed.

2.2.2)

Related bibliographic records. Do not extend the changes stimulated by a particular bibliographic record to related bibliographic records unless there is another reason for changing those records, in which case change the value 2 to 1 in all candidate fields as needed.

The Decimal Classification Editorial Policy Committee (EPC) held its Meeting 113 at the Library of Congress Nov. 7-9, 1999. At the opening session, Diane Vizine-Goetz (OCLC Office of Research) and Dawn Lawson (Electronic Products Manager, OCLC Forest Press) discussed Dewey-related research activities at OCLC and reported on the status of Dewey electronic products. The committee elected Andrea Stamm (Northwestern University) to become chair effective Jan. 1, 2000, when the term of David Balatti (National Library of Canada) ends. Pamela Brown (Suburban Library System, West/Southwest Chicago) was elected vice-chair.

EPC approved revisions for several parts of DDC edition 22, to be published in 2003: Tables 3A and 3B, which supplement and extend the 800 literature schedule; 360 social problems and services; 400 language, and its associated Table 4; 560-590 life sciences; and 700 the arts. It also approved Table 1 (Standard subdivisions) of abridged edition 14, to be published in 2004. EPC Meeting 114 will take place at the Library May 3-5, 2000.

Barbara Tillett, LC representative to the Joint Steering Committee for Revision of AACR (JSC), traveled to Brisbane in October to attend the JSC meeting and the Australian National Cataloguing Conference.

Several hundred catalogers from Australia and New Zealand and visitors from the United States and Canada attended the Australian National Cataloguing Conference. At this meeting Tillett reported on LC's new ILS, which has provided many additional capabilities in online access. She also expressed regret that Web access to full MARC 21 authority records is not currently available, adding that to provide that capability LC expects to submit a task order with the vendor to provide it in the near future.

LC Cataloging Newsline (ISSN 1066-8829) is published irregularly by the Cataloging Directorate, Library Services, Library of Congress, and contains news of cataloging activities throughout the Library of Congress. Editorial Office: Cataloging Policy and Support Office, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540-4305. Editor, Robert M. Hiatt; Editorial Advisory Group: Victoria Behrens, John Byrum, Roselyne Chang, Jurij Dobczansky, Les Hawkins, Albert Kohlmeier, John Mitchell, Mary Louise Mitchell, Susan Morris, Geraldine Ostrove, David Smith, and David Williamson. Address editorial inquiries to the editor at the above address or rhia@loc.gov (email), (202) 707-5831 (voice), or (202) 707-6629 (fax). Listowner: David Williamson. Address subscription inquiries to the listowner at dawi@loc.gov

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