PCC Participants Meeting Summary

The Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) held its semi-annual participants meeting in conjunction with the ALA Midwinter Conference at the Marriott Hotel from 7:00 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. on Sunday, January 31, 1999. PCC participants and guests were welcomed by Chair, Sally Sinn. Sinn presented awards of special recognition to Michael Kaplan for his efforts with and work as the chair of the Standing Committee on Automation and to Liz Bishoff for her participation on the PCC Policy Committee, her leadership of the CONSER program and for her vision and support for cooperative cataloging in unifying the two programs. Colleen Hyslop was also awarded a certificate of appreciation in absentia for her outstanding contributions as NACO representative in drafting the consolidation of the PCC and CONSER Strategic Plan, in producing well-written articles to publicize the program, and in otherwise assisting the PCC to achieve its goals and objectives.

Sinn announced that new materials have been added to the PCC web site, including two data-gathering models developed by the Standing Committee on Standards (SCS) to assess the use of the core record standard for both original cataloging as well as copy cataloging operations. Also announced was the approval and posting of the core record standard for rare books (DCRB core). She welcomed new NACO and BIBCO participants into the PCC family.

Jean Hirons, CONSER Coordinator, spoke about her work with AACR revision which is focused on serial-related topics and announced that group reports were available on the web. Hirons reported that the Task Force on AACR revision had met Friday, January 29, 1999 to discuss the reports and recommendations to be included in her report to the Joint Steering Committee (JSC) due April 1, 1999. The JSC will make the report available for world-wide review soon thereafter. Highlights of recommendations include application of successive and latest entry conventions should be applied to electronic journals; description of serials and electronic journals including replacing "chief source of information" with "chief source of title"; and examining methodologies for handling title changes.

CONSER established a working group in 1998 to investigate ways in which toprovide access to journals in aggregator databases. Members of the group were Ruth Haas (Harvard), Karen Calhoun (Cornell), Jeanne Baker (U. Maryland), and John Riemer (U. Georgia). The group conducted a survey of the library community about aggregator databases; of the 62 responses, 71% wanted access through their OPAC, and 32 institutions expressed a willingness to work with CONSER exploring metadata or creating records. Hirons closed by mentioning possible follow-up activities, including: 1) working with vendors to suggest product improvements, which will be done by a task force of the Standing Committee on Automation; 2) working to define a brief record; 3) exploring the use of metadata or other vendor-supplied data that could be enhanced, and 4) developing of partnerships with non-CONSER libraries and vendors. She also announced a new initiative to explore the inclusion of MARC holdings fields containing publication pattern data and related holdings in CONSER records. Diane Hillmann (Cornell) will be leading this effort.

Ana Cristán, Acting BIBCO Coordinator, presented a summary report of the first BIBCO-At-Large meeting held during the Midwinter Conference. Highlights included a discussion of the timely processing of PCC participant classification proposals and other SACO issues, maintaining the quality of records in a shared cataloging environment, maintaining BIBCO documentation, and recruiting of additional BIBCO trainers. A detailed report of the BIBCO-At-Large meeting can be found on the BIBCO home page.

Ruta Penkiunas, Acting Team Leader of the Cooperative Cataloging Team, provided the audience with a review of the achievements of NACO and SACO participants in the program. She particularly emphasized the valuable role that the international partners are beginning to play in the PCC and welcomed both the Universidade de Sao Paulo and El Colegio de México into the Program, which opened the doors to Latin American participation. NACO also had a significant highlight during the past year in welcoming its first Historically Black College and University (HBCU), Bowie State University, into the PCC Program. Recently, Moorland-Springarn Research Center Library of Howard University and the Howard University School of Law Library, both in the District of Columbia, have also become members.

Penkiunas noted that approved SACO subject proposals increased by 3.4% in FY1998 while submission and approval of classification numbers went up 28%. In support of these SACO contributions, the Coop Team identified, initiated or executed 6,495 changes to bibliographic records in the LC database, an increase of 53% over FY1997. SACO libraries contributed 30% of all new subjects added to Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) in FY1998.

Karen Calhoun (Cornell), Chair of the Standing Committee on Automation (SCA), began by announcing that both authority macros available through the utilities were up-to-date in that they included the new MARC format changes, implemented in January 1999. The Task Group on OCLC Batchloading, chaired by Carol Hixson (UCLA), had been charged with advising OCLC about batchloading issues for the PCC. Their final report should be available soon and will be mounted on the PCC homepage. On the SCA plate is the issue of exploring potential for real-time uploading of records, particularly with RLIN. The committee is also to examine and make recommendations about cataloging tools that are now available and determine an effective method to disseminate information about these tools to catalogers; this task is hopefully to be completed by ALA Annual Meeting in New Orleans. SCA members will also be working with vendors of aggregator databases with findings to be brought to the Operations Committees meetings in April.

Ed Glazier, of the Research Libraries Group, then reported on the authority record assistant for NACO contributors to reduce the amount of original keying when creating new authority records in the RLIN copy of the name authority file. The first phase was unveiled on January 20; phase two, to be implemented later in 1999, will allow the creation of an authority record from a local bibliographic record using Z39.50. Expected availability is scheduled for mid-February 1999.

Glenn Patton spoke about importing original cataloging records to OCLC. This capability is supported with CatME version 1.10 and CJK 3.0; it is currently available for downloading and available to all OCLC members at no additional charge. The CD-ROM will be available at a later date. Patton described the process for import by saying that one must first start with or create a USMARC-based file, start the OCLC software and select Tools........Import. Original cataloging records are imported in correct bibliographic workforms and can be added via batchloading; OCLC will issue the participating institution full online credit. To download the software he provided the URLS: for CATME click here or for the CJK click here Patton reminded participants that they must be logged on as enhanced members to take advantage of this software.

Joan Schuitema (Loyola University, Chicago), Chair of the Standing Committee on Standards (SCS), publicly thanked departing committee members Bill Garrison (U. Colorado) and Willy Cromwell-Kessler (Detroit Public) for their hard work and dedication to the committee's work. The committee has been expanded to include three new members Susan Summer (Columbia), Colleen Hyslop (Michigan State), and Cathy Winzer (Stanford). Schuitema also issued a call for new members to replace those who will be leaving the committee in the Fall.

News on the core record front focused attention on the core "template" that has been approved for rare books (DCRB). It is to be used in conjunction with the existing book core record. The computer files core record approved by SCS on January 30th, is also of a template variety; the committee will forward this core template to the PCC Policy Committee (PoCo). A third template, approved by the SCS, to be called the Core standard for multiple character sets is also to be used with all formats currently available. This is a revision of the "Additional requirements for core records containing non-Latin scripts" and will be sent to the PCC PoCo for comment..

Schuitema announced three projects on which the SCS is working where input from the PCC participants is needed. Data-gathering models have been placed on the PCC homepage with model A used to assess the efficacy of original cataloging at the core level. Model B is designed to measure efficacy of copy cataloging using the core record. Solicitation of responses for collection level core had been requested by January 15th; in an effort to obtain additional responses, the deadline has been extended until February 15, 1999.

A Cross-Reference Task Force, chaired by Linda Barnhart (UC, San Diego), has been formed and is charged with the investigating streamlining of cross references on authority records. For a list of members and the charge click here

Joan Swanekamp (Yale), Chair of the Standing Committee on Training (SCT), announced new appointees to the committee including Carol Hixson (UCLA), Louisa Kreider (Cleveland Public), and Wayne Jones (MIT). Swanekamp also announced that a "Training the BIBCO Trainer" will be held in the Fall of 1999 and sounded the call for new trainers to participate as well as the opportunity for current trainers who may be interested to refresh their skills. Swanekamp spoke about the upcoming Cataloging Now! Institute to be held at SUNY Buffalo in April and suggested that other possible locations include Ohio and the West Coast. Swanekamp also touched on the impending revision of the Cataloging Now! script.

The last portion of the meeting focused on current training initiatives. Glenn Patton (OCLC) provided an in-depth analysis of the three Cataloging Now! Institutes which have been held; in his presentation entitled "What Can We Say ... After Three Presentations?" The script for the Institutes includes an introduction to the PCC, addressing which libraries should participate and why. The current cataloging environment is appraised, followed by the description of the core record, i.e., what is the core record and what are the benefits derived from using it as the cataloging standard. In the afternoon, breakout sessions are held for each of the three intended audiences; 1) catalogers, 2) technical services managers, and 3) public services librarians. The Institute concludes with a wrap-up session which discusses why the core record is a good substitute for full level cataloging. The following table provides an overview of the participants of these three Institutes.

The Institutes also generated feedback from each of the three groups. Catalogers felt a little "tense"during the institute, but felt that the morning "general session" was okay. Catalogers were more interested in knowing what the implementation of the core record meant for their institution, and they voiced concern about losing the "value-added" records for their users. On the other hand, technical services managers expressed their feelings by saying that they were already quite familiar with the PCC's "new values." They are primarily looking for help with 1) knowing how to educate catalogers who are still mired in cataloging details, 2) knowing how to communicate PCC values to higher levels of management, and 3) justifying participation in cooperative programs. Public services librarians range from feeling that they already have open lines of communication with technical services colleagues; many of them are required to wear more than one hat in that they have "split" assignments. The overwhelming concern with the core record was deciding what kind of access to material is lost and if it is that much faster in getting materials on to the shelves. Following Patton's presentation, several audience questions were fielded and sparked some discussion.

Kate Harcourt (Columbia) and John Sluk (Oberlin) presented their individual BIBCO training experiences, cleverly including a recruitment appeal for new BIBCO trainers into their respective presentations. The next BIBCO Training the Trainer is now scheduled for the Fall of 1999. Harcourt began her thoughts with a definition of BIBCO training and achieved her goal by defining what BIBCO training is not. Sluk addressed PCC and BIBCO participation from the standpoint of a small institution, explaining that membership in PCC is not limited to sizable academic libraries. He also tempted the audience by relating how the self-esteem of his staff had risen with being able to participate in the program.

Jean Hirons then closed the evening with her discussion of the Serials Cooperative Cataloging Training Program (SCCTP). The goal of that program is to provide authoritative and affordable training for all who catalog serials by providing authoritative training manuals, by training experienced serials catalogers to serve as trainers, and by encouraging sponsorship of training workshops. Hirons stated that the training materials for the basic serials cataloging workshop, which is designed for classroom presentation, will cover print and electronic serial publications, both original and copy. The session is designed to be held in a two day period, with the ability to lengthen or shorten the course. Materials, available in June, will be sold by the Cataloging Distribution Service at the Library of Congress and will include the instructor's manual, the trainee's manual, and PowerPoint disks. The first two SCCTP Training-the-Trainer programs will be held in June in conjunction with NASIG and ALA with funding supplied by NASIG and the OCLC networks. Requirements include having serials cataloging experience, possession of up-to-date CONSER documentation, and some training experience. Hirons reminded the audience that application deadline is February 15th. Hirons also stated that institutions wishing to set up a workshop need to set a time and place with an estimate of the number of participants and that she will serve as contact person for these new SCCTP workshops. Hirons promised that additional information will soon be available and posted on the CONSER web site

The meeting closed in sufficient time to allow participants to retire to their favorite lounge to catch the final quarter of Super Bowl XXXIII.