Program for Cooperative Cataloging

Governance Document
Revised November 3, 2006 and Approved April 2007

Text in light blue reflects revisions approved by the Policy Committee in October 2005.

Text in dark brown reflects revisions approved by the Policy Committee in November 2006 and approved in April 2007.

1. Introduction

   The Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) is an international effort aimed at expanding timely access to materials in libraries' collections. The program seeks to increase the timely availability of unique authority and bibliographic records created and maintained under mutually acceptable standards; to facilitate the cost effective creation and use of these records; and to provide leadership in the information community. The PCC supports the creation and dissemination of bibliographic and authority records, including names, subjects, and series.

2. Component Programs and their Membership
   1. BIBCO

      Membership Levels:

      • Full (voting)
      • Affiliate (non-voting)

      As members of BIBCO, participants create and share bibliographic records for monographs in all formats and participate in the development of standards. An individual institution may join this program, or a group of libraries with a common interest may form a funnel project to contribute via a coordinator who will represent the funnel participants. For-profit organizations participate in BIBCO at the Affiliate level.

   2. CONSER

      Membership Levels:

      • Full (voting)
      • Associate (non-voting)
      • CONSER Enhance (non-voting)
      • Affiliate (non-voting)

      As members of CONSER, participants contribute bibliographic records for serials in all formats and participate in the development of serial standards. Full and Associate members authenticate CONSER records and maintain the CONSER database; Enhance and Affiliate members contribute to the maintenance of CONSER records. An individual institution may join this program, or a group of libraries with a common interest may form a funnel project to contribute via a coordinator who will represent the funnel participants. For-profit organizations participate in CONSER at the Affiliate level.

   3. NACO

      Membership Levels:

      • Full (voting)
      • Affiliate (non-voting)

      As members of NACO, participants contribute authority records to the national authority file. An individual institution may join this program, or a group of libraries with a common interest may form a funnel project to contribute via a coordinator who will represent the funnel participants. For-profit organizations participate in NACO at the Affiliate level.

   4. SACO

      Membership Levels:

      • Affiliate (non-voting)

      As members of SACO, participants contribute proposals for subject headings to LCSH and classification numbers to LC Classification. Institutions participating in the other PCC programs may submit subject proposals via the SACO Web form, provided they have met the SACO requirements. An individual institution may join this program or a group of libraries with a common interests may form a funnel project to contribute proposals via a PCC SACO coordinator.

3. Governance

   The Program for Cooperative Cataloging seeks to be a democratic and diverse organization whose mission and goals are determined by its membership. The governance structure shall be flexible to allow for rapid adaptation to the changing needs of the organization and its participants. Guiding the PCC is the Policy Committee. The Steering Committee works with the Secretariat, to manage the Program. Operations Committees for BIBCO and CONSER and three Standing Committees on Automation, Standards, and Training complete the PCC governance structure. Revisions to the existing governance structure shall be made by the Secretariat at the direction of the Policy Committee.

   1. Policy Committee

      Composition

      The Policy Committee shall be composed of permanent and rotating voting members, plus 6 or 7 non-voting members. [NB: The possibility that a Chair and/or Vice-Chair may serve even if their term as an elected Policy Committee member has expired, along with the presence of a chair-emeritus, means that Policy Committee membership can be 13 to 16 persons]

      Voting members:

      Permanent:

      One representative each from the British Library, the Library of Congress, the Library and Archives Canada, and OCLC

      Rotating:

      Representatives from full, active participants in BIBCO (3), CONSER (3), and NACO (2), and SACO (1)

      Chair and Chair-Elect

      Non-voting members:

      Three standing committee chairs
      Chair Emeritus (if not also a current elected representative member
      Representative from the Secretariat

      Voting members shall be limited to policy level personnel of member institutions. The term of office for rotating members shall be staggered three-years terms. If a member cannot complete a term the Steering Committee shall appoint a representative to complete that term. Members may serve multiple terms, but shall serve no more than two consecutive terms.

      Executive Officers and Terms of Office

      The Program's executive leader is the Chair of the Policy Committee. The Chair is responsible for leading in planning and conducting meetings of the Policy Committee, the Steering Committee, and any general Participants meetings. In cooperation with the Secretariat and with the advice of the Steering Committee, the Chair carries out or delegates responsibility for assignments and respresents the Program as necessary between these meetings. The Chair is assisted and advised by the Chair-Elect and the immediate past chair, the Chair Emeritus.

      The Chair and the Chair-Elect of the Policy Committee shall be elected by the voting members of the Policy Committee. All elected Policy Committee members are eligible to become chair and vice-chair, even should their term as Chair extend past the expiration of their Policy Committee membership.

      The Chair shall serve one year, to commence 1 October. If the Chair cannot complete this term, the Chair-Elect shall serve the remainder of the term, plus his or her own term. The Policy Committee shall immediately choose a new Chair-Elect.

      The Chair-Elect shall be elected at the beginning of the Chair's tenure and shall serve one year as Chair-Elect and one year as Chair. The outgoing Chair may choose to serve in a non-voting emeritus capacity for one year.

      The Policy Committee will choose a Chair-Elect at the beginninng of the Chair's term. Any elected representative to the Policy Committee may become Chair-Elect. Following his or her term as Chair-Elect, the Chair-Elect will serve for one year as Chair.

      Responsibilities and Meeting Structure

      The responsibilities of the Policy Committee shall be to guide the governance of the Program as a whole; to develop, review, and approve long term strategies, plans, goals, and objectives; to initiate, review, and approve policy in regard to non-technical matters; to devise criteria for membership; to approve the appointments of standing committee chairs; and to review resource implications of technical policy initiatives and other operational recommendations, e.g., establishing task forces, etc.

      The Policy Committee shall meet at least once a year in one or two full day sessions, usually in the fall. Reports of Policy Committee meetings shall be distributed to PCC participants and liaisons from other organizations.

   2. Steering Committee

      Composition

      The committee shall be composed of four voting and two non-voting members. The voting members are the Chair and the Chair-Elect, and the permanent representatives of the Library of Congress and OCLC. The Secretariat's representative and the Chair-Emeritus of the Policy Committee shall server in a non-voting capacity.

      Responsibilities and Meeting Structure

      The Steering Committee shall meet at least three times a year for approximately two or three hours. These meetings shall be held in conjunction with ALA conferences and annual Policy Committee meetings.

      Minutes shall be distributed to Steering Committee members only; reports of action items shall be sent to Policy Committee members as appropriate.

      The Secretariat shall forward membership applications to the Steering Committee with its recommendation for approval or disapproval. The final decision shall rest with the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee shall poll Policy Committee representatives and other members in regard to important issues that arise between regularly scheduled meetings and make decisions, as appropriate; direct the strategic planning process for the Program; and seek and manage resources in support of Program goals.

      During the search for a new Standing Committee chair, the Steering Committee will receive a list of potential candidates for the position from the incumbent. In consultation with the sitting chair, the Steering Committee will select the new chair. If no proposed candidate is suitable, the Steering Committee may also turn to the Policy Committee for other candidates.

      Low Production or Quality in Member Output

      The Secretariat will identify institutions whose low production or quality becomes a cause for concern, bringing these concerns to the attention of the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee will, if appropriate, ask the Secretariat to initiate a six month review of the member institution's contributions with appropriate notification to the institution under review. Following the initial six-months review period, the Steering Committee will evaluate the member institution's activity to ascertain if it has demonstrated improvement. Should the Steering Committee deem it necessary, it may initiate an additional six-month review period. If the desired improvement has not been realized after this second six-month review, the chair of the Policy Committee will notify the institution that its membership in the PCC has been concluded.

      Election Process

      Nominating Committee

      The Policy Committee Chair shall annually appoint three members of the Policy Committee to serve as the Nominating Committee. The Secretariat shall provide the Chair with information on the positions to be filled on the Policy Committee. In the Spring of each year the committee shall identify representatives of institutions for candidacy to the Policy Committee. The Nominating Committee members shall contact prospective candidates to brief them on the duties of the Policy Committee and to ascertain their willingness to serve.

      The Nominating Committee shall put forward as candidates individuals from member institutions for membership on the Policy Committee and direct the Secretariat in the preparation of the ballots.

      The Secretariat shall prepare the ballots and send them to the directors (or equivalent officer) of voting PCC members. BIBCO member insitutions shall vote for BIBCO NACO, and SACO representatives; CONSER members shall vote for CONSER, NACO, and SACO representatives; NACO only member institutions, those that do not also participate in BIBCO or CONSER vote only for NACO and SACO representatives; SACO only member institutions, those that do not also pariticipate in BIBCO, CONSER, and/or NACO, vote only for SACO representatives. The election shall take place prior to the Fall meeting of the Policy Committee.

      Advisory Structure

      Relationships with other entities with similar missions are recognized as an important factor in successful achievement of the PCC goals. The PCC shall actively communicate with, seek input from, and as appropriate seek to participate in, organizations that investigate common issues and work towards common ends. These include national and international bodies that create and distribute bibliographic records and/or establish standards for such records, in particular, the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) and the ISSN International Centre.[2]

      PCC Advisors shall provide comments and advice on PCC policy issues, future directions, and initiatives through meetings, electronic discussions, and comments on draft policies. They shall also keep the Policy Committee informed of current developments within their institutions or organizations and, as appropriate, within the broader information community which might impact PCC. As appropriate they may also serve as a conduit for PCC plans, activities, and policies. They may also participate in promoting PCC programs within their organizations and the wider library community.

      The Steering Committee shall evaluate the need for PCC representation on other groups as well as the need for PCC liaisons from other groups.

      The Secretariat and the Policy Committee Chair shall have responsibility for regular communication with PCC liaisons from designated organizations. Such communication shall generally consist of distributing minutes, and email and telephone discussions. Liaisons of designated organizations shall be invited to attend Policy Committee meetings and to suggest agenda items.

      In addition to the above formal relationships, informal communication mechanisms by the Policy Committee, Operations Committees, and Standing Committees shall be encouraged. The Operations Committees and the Standing Committees on Automation, Standards, and Training may establish specific relationships with prior approval of the Policy Committee. These relationships may be limited to the duration of specific projects or of a long-term nature.

   3. BIBCO Operations Committee

      Composition

      The BIBCO Operations Committee shall be composed of ten representatives from BIBCO libraries, the BIBCO Coordinator at the Library of Congress, and an OCLC liaison. The three Standing Committee chairs shall attend committee meetings and receive information distributed to BIBCO operations representatives. The BIBCO Coordinator at the Library of Congress shall select the BIBCO operations representatives who shall serve on a rotating basis for three year terms. These appointments will be staggered in a manner that will ensure that the Operations Committee membership reflects the diversity of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging and that all BIBCO institutions will have an opportunity to participate in the work of the Operations Committee. ^[1]

      Membership

      Each BIBCO institution shall identify a BIBCO operations representative, who shall be eligible for selection as a member of the Operations Committee. Operations representatives shall serve as BIBCO liaisons within their own institutions. They must function at the operational level in the institutions they represent so that they are able to contribute fully to discussions on technical matters such as cataloging rules and rule interpretations, MARC formats, and other cataloging-related issues.

      Responsibilities

      The committee shall be responsible for maintaining efficient and effective BIBCO activity locally and across the Program; reviewing operational procedures and suggesting changes; developing and maintaining documentation. It shall contribute to the development of standards by proposing. reviewing, and or commenting on proposed changes to rules, rule interpretations, MARC formats, or other standards in conjunction with the Standing Committees. It shall keep Program members informed of current developments that have potential impact on Program policies through communication with the BIBCO Coordinator and notices to appropriate discussion lists.

      Meeting Structure

      The BIBCO Coordinator shall serve as the Chair of the Operations Committee. BIBCO Operations Committee meetings shall be held annually, generally in the Spring, at the Library of Congress in conjunction with the annual meeting of the CONSER Operations Committee to facilitate joint discussion. The focus of these meetings shall be to review changes to standards or documentation, to resolve issues relating to cataloging, and to further training.

      All BIBCO representatives, chairs of the PCC Standing Committees, and an OCLC liaison, and appropriate LC staff shall be invited to attend.

      Reports of meetings shall be distributed to PCC members and liaisons from other organizations.

   4. CONSER Operations Committee

      Composition

      The CONSER Operations Committee shall be composed of a representative from each Full and Associate institution, the CONSER Coordinator at the Library of Congress and an OCLC liaison. The three Standing Committee chairs shall attend committee meetings and receive information distributed to the CONSER operations participants.

      Membership

      Each CONSER full and associate member institution shall identify a CONSER operations representative, who shall serve on the Operations Committee. Operations representatives shall serve as CONSER liaisons within their own institutions. They must function at the operational level in the institutions they represent so that they are able to contribute fully to discussions on technical matters such as cataloging rules and interpretations, MARC formats, and other cataloging-related issues.

      Responsibilities

      The committee shall be responsible for maintaining efficient and effective CONSER activity locally and within the Program for Cooperative Cataloging; reviewing operational procedures and suggesting changes; developing and maintaining documentation. It shall contribute to the development of standards by proposing, reviewing, or commenting on proposed changes to rules, rule interpretations, MARC formats, or other standards in conjunction with the Standing Committees. It shall keep members informed of current developments that have potential impact on Program policies through communication with the CONSER Coordinator and notices to appropriate discussion lists.

      Meeting Structure

      The CONSER Coordinator shall serve as chair of the Operations Committee. CONSER Operations Committee meetings shall be held annually, generally in the Spring, in conjunction with the annual meeting of the BIBCO Operations Committee to facilitate joint discussion. The focus of these meetings shall be to review changes to standards or documentation, to resolve issues relating to serials cataloging, and to further training.

      All CONSER representatives, chairs of the PCC Standing Committees, an OCLC liaison and appropriate LC staff shall be invited to attend. Affiliate and enhance members shall also be invited to attend.

      Reports of meetings shall be distributed to PCC members and liaisons from other organizations.

   5. Standing Committees

      The Program for Cooperative Cataloging shall have the following Standing Committees: Standing Committee on Automation, Standing Committee on Standards, and Standing Committee on Training. Chairs and members shall serve no more than two consecutive three-year terms. Terms of office for chairs, as well as those of committee members, shall be staggered to provide continuity and stability. The Standing Committee Chairs shall report to the Policy Committee. The Standing Committee chairs shall appoint the members to their committees in consultation with the PCC Chair . If deemed appropriate, non-Program members may serve on standing committees, but a majority of each committee's membership must be drawn from Program participants. The committees' membership shall generally be no more than ten and shall reflect the diversity of the Program. OCLC and LC may name liaisons to each Standing Committee. The Standing Committee chairs may form task groups or subcommittees to address specific issues as needed with the approval of the Policy Committee Chair or at the instigation of the Policy Committee.

      A document providing comprehensive guidelines for the responsibilities of the Standing Committee chairs is available. (cf. StCo_Guidelines)

      1. Standing Committee on Automation

         Charge: Under the guidance of the PCC Policy Committee, the Standing Committee on Automation shall identify automation issues to be resolved in order to implement the mission of the Program and shall formulate plans to present PCC requirements to vendors; to elicit support from other organizations which share automation interests; and to facilitate cooperation among LC, PCC participants and bibliographic utilities to work together with the Standing Committees on Standards and Training to achieve the Program's automation requirements and goals.

      2. Standing Committee on Standards

         Charge: Under the guidance of the PCC Policy Committee, the Standing Committee on Standards shall develop standards that will support wide use of records in a cost-effective manner, shall work with the Standing Committees on Automation and Training to promote the use of mutually acceptable standards, and shall evaluate the need for quality standards or conformance measures that support PCC goals.

         The PCC has representation on CC:DA (ALCTS/CCS/Committee on Cataloging: Description and Access). The PCC Liaison to CC:DA will be the chair of the Standing Committee on Standards or a member of the Standing Committee on Standards selected by the Chair in consultation with the Steering Committee.

      3. Standing Committee on Training

         Charge: Under the guidance of the PCC Policy Committee, the Standing Committee on Training shall identify the need for training programs, workshops, and institutes aimed at developing cataloging skills that support the PCC goals for both new participants and for continuing education and shall identify, develop as necessary, and promote the distribution of easy-to-use documentation in support of PCC goals in collaboration with the Standing Committees on Automation and Standards.

         The PCC has two appointed representatives to CETM (ALCTS/CCS/PCC/Continuing Education Training Materals Committee). One PCC appointed member must concurrently serve as member of the Standing Committee on Training or its Subcommittee on Continuing Education and one at-large member appointed by the Policy Committee Chair, in consultation with the Steering Committee.

      Secretariat

      The Library of Congress shall serve as Secretariat for the Program for Cooperative Cataloging. Its responsibilities of the Secretariat for the Program for Cooperative Cataloging include facilitating the operations of the Policy Committee, the Steering Committee, and the BIBCO, CONSER, NACO, and SACO programs. At the direction of the Nominating Committee, it shall prepare the ballots and monitor the election of representatives to the Policy Committee. The Secretariat shall maintain the mailing lists, arrange meetings and record decisions of the Policy, Steering, and Operations Committees (both BIBCO and CONSER); establish communication mechanisms for participating libraries via newsletters, electronic mail, listservs, and other media; oversee maintenance of Program documentation; coordinate training of new members; and maintain and publish Program statistics.

      PCC Funding

      The PCC fund provides direct support for the training infrastructure and some funds for travel to Operations Committee meetings. Funding for the Program is provided through contributions from LC and OCLC. The Steering Committee must approve all expenditures supported by the fund. Examples of the types of expenses that the fund covers include:

      • Non-ALA travel to PCC related meetings for Operations Committee members and Chairs of Standing Committees on Automation, Standards, and Training
      • Policy Committee approved training activities
      • Travel costs up to $400 for Chairs of Standing Committees on Automation, Standards, and Training to attend the annual PCC Policy Committee meeting
      • Regular meeting facilities at ALA
      • Refreshments for PCC meetings as appropriate
      • Contingencies

      PCC member institutions are expected to underwrite the following:

      • The full cost of travel and related expenses to attend Policy Committee meetings and Steering Committee meetings of their elected or appointed representative
      • The cost of their initial training as a member of the PCC
      • Travel costs in excess of $ 400 and other expenses to attend Operations Committee meetings for their elected or appointed representatives