Standing Committee on Automation

Minutes ALA Midwinter, San Diego, CA

January 11, 2004

Membership

Gary Strawn and Ruth Bogan have each agreed to serve an additional term. Helen Gbala, formerly vendor liaison, will continue to serve on the committee as a regular member, with a term to expire Oct. 2005. The name of John Espley of VTLS was suggested for possible replacement vendor representative. Terms expiring Oct. 2004 are those of Gary Charbonneau (chair) and John Riemer.

Task Groups

Chair Gary Charbonneau reported on the current status and activities of the committee’s two active task groups, the Third Task Group on Journals in Aggregator Databases, chaired by Adolfo Tarango, and the Task Group on Linking Entries, chaired by Mechael Charbonneau.

Assignments to SCA under the PCC Tactical Plan

The committee has a number of tasks that have been assigned to it under the PCC Tactical Plan. These consisted of the following (with actions proposed by the chair):

1.2.1 Encourage ILS vendors to develop automated authority generators and the means for their real time upload to utilities.
Who: Automation

Status: Some vendors have, at some level, implemented Gary Strawn’s Standard for Machine-Proposed Authority Records. In summer, 2003, SCA discussed this action item during the virtual e-mail meeting held in lieu of a face-to-face meeting at ALA in Toronto. At that time, Ed Glazier indicated that there was a problem with the requirement for “real time upload to utilities,” because of the problem that the utilities would face in detecting and dealing with duplicate authority submissions. He thought that it would be better to have real time upload to LC rather than to the utilities. Obviously that would put the ball in LC’s court.

Proposed Action by SCA: Should a market scan be done to determine what the major ILS vendors have done/are doing with regard to automated authority generators (including the ability to export authority records)? What about the upload to utilities/LC issue?

Decision by SCA: PCC libraries will be surveyed to find what the systems they use are capable of doing. For example, can they export authority records? Ruth Bogan will draft a survey and circulate it. It was noted that the utilities faced a problem with validation as well as with detecting and dealing with duplicates. It was further noted that some vendors do have authority generation capability but that they lack any means for batch [up]loading authority records to the utilities.

1.2.2 Streamline notification to LC of bibliographic file maintenance resulting from NACO heading changes.
Who: Automation, Steering Committee

Status: In summer 2003, David Williamson reported that he was working with Glenn Patton on this. What are recent developments?

Proposed Action by SCA: ???

Decision by SCA: None needed. This task has been completed.

1.2.4 Implement work item 4.1 of the LC Action Plan for Bibliographic Control of Web Resources and continue to encourage vendors to provide high quality bibliographic records for titles in journal aggregations.
Who: Automation

Status: Work of the Third Task Group on Journals in Aggregator Databases is ongoing.

Proposed Action by SCA: Wait for task group to finish its work and submit its report for SCA review and approval.

Decision by SCA: Accept proposed action.

1.3.1 Develop specifications for bibliographic and pattern notification services such that they could be implemented by bibliographic utilities, subscription agencies, consortia, or other bureaus in a cost-effective manner, and effectively utilized by libraries.
Who: Automation

Status: In summer 2003, Helen Gbala reported that the NISO/EDItEUR Joint Working Party for the Exchange of Serials Subscription Information, on which she serves, was working on this. She indicated that she would keep SCA informed of that group’s activities. At the request of the SCA chair, at the 2003 PCC Policy Committee meeting, the word “Develop…” in this action item was changed to “Monitor…”

Proposed Action by SCA: Helen to provide SCA with a brief written report of the ongoing work of the joint Working Party that can be passed along to PCC???

Decision by SCA: Accept proposed action.

2.2.2 Take an active role in the development of standards conducive to Program goals by monitoring activities of standards-setting groups, assessing the impact of proposed changes on Program goals and activities, and, when appropriate, recommending action the PCC should take to support or oppose changes.
Who: Standards, Automation

Status: This is obviously an ad hoc type of assignment. Standing Committee on Standards is expected to take a lead role, with SCA to take a secondary role as necessary.

Proposed action by SCA: In general, follow the lead of Standing Committee on Standards. Bring specific issues to the attention of Standing Committee on Standards as necessary.

Decision by SCA: Accept proposed action.

3.6.1 Contact ILS vendors to encourage development of automated tools for enhancing bibliographic access (e.g., TOC etc. or interoperability with other information sources).
Who: Automation, Operations

Status: Nothing has been done with regard to this action item. What should be/needs to be done?

Proposed action by SCA: Establish a subcommittee to formulate a plan for dealing with this item???

3.6.2 Contact ILS vendors to encourage research to facilitate use and usefulness of records in a global context (e.g., multilingual mapping of subject headings).
Who: Automation, Operations

Status: Nothing has been done with regard to this action item. What should be/needs to be done?

Proposed action by SCA: Establish a subcommittee to formulate a plan for dealing with this item???

Decision by SCA: Helen Gbala reported that there is a multi-lingual subject headings group that is just being formed. Helen will investigate and report.

3.6.4 Contact ILS vendors to seek development of automated tools for classification and cuttering.
Who: Automation

Status: In Jan. 2001, SCA accepted the report of the Task Group on Automated Classification. The report included a number of recommendations beginning “Library systems should….” Does anyone know what was done to communicate this report to ILS vendors?

Proposed Action by SCA: The chair will contact ILS vendors (and or chairs of the relevant ILS users groups) to advise them of the availability of this report and seek their reaction to it.

Decision by SCA: Proposed action accepted.

3.6.5 Contact ILS vendors to encourage compliance with levels 1, 2, 3 and/or 4 of the series heading normalization algorithms identified in the Final Report of the Task Group on Series Numbering.
Who: Automation

Status: In the summer of 2003, the chair of SCA contacted the vendors who made the automated systems used by the members of PCC and provided them with copies of the final report of the task group.

Proposed Action by SCA: The chair will contact the vendors again to determine their reaction to the report.

Decision by SCA: Proposed action accepted.