Program for Cooperative Cataloging

Governance Document
Revised October 2005

Component Programs & membership: BIBCO, CONSER, NACO, SACO	CONSER Operations Committee
Governance statement	Standing Committees: Training, Standards, Automation
Policy Committee: Composition, Terms of office	Secretariat
Steering Committee	Election Process
BIBCO Operations Committee	Advisory Structure

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

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 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.

Component Programs and their Membership

BIBCO

Membership Levels:

Full (voting)
Affiliate (non-voting)

As members of BIBCO, participants contribute bibliographic records for monographs in all formats to the national databases 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.

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.

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.

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 interest may form a funnel project to contribute proposals via a PCC member coordinator. Participants contributing only subject proposals are represented by the Secretariat.

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 Library of Congress, which serves as 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.

Policy Committee

Composition
The Policy Committee shall be composed of thirteen voting, plus 6 or 7 non-voting members.

Voting members:: Permanent:; One representative each from the British Library, the Library of Congress, the Library and Archives Canada, OCLC, and RLG; Rotating:; Representatives from full, active participants in BIBCO (3), CONSER (3), and NACO (2)
Non-voting members:: Five committee chairs; Representative from the Secretariat
Chair and/or Chair Emeritus (if those individuals are not also current elected representative members)

Voting members shall be limited to policy level personnel. 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 shall serve no more than two consecutive terms.

The Chair of the Policy Committee and the Chair-Elect shall be elected by the members of the Policy Committee. BIBCO and/or CONSER institution representatives shall be eligible for election as Chair.

Terms of Office
The Chair shall serve one year, to commence 1 October. If the Chair cannot serve out his or her term, the Chair-Elect shall serve the remainder of the term, plus his or her own term. The Policy Committee shall immediately elect 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. Normally, the outgoing Chair may choose to serve in a non-voting emeritus capacity for one additional year.

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 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.

Steering Committee

Composition
The committee shall be composed of five members: three permanent members representing the Library of Congress, OCLC, and RLG; and the Chair and Chair-Elect of the Policy Committee. The Secretariat's representative and the Chair-Emeritus of the Policy Committee shall serve in a non-voting capacity on the Steering Committee.

Responsibilities and Meeting Structure
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, which shall inform the Policy Committee of its decision. The Steering Committee shall poll 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 process to appoint a Standing Committee (StCo) chair, the Steering Committee will receive a list of potential candidates for the position from the incumbent. In consultation with the sitting officeholder, the Steering Committee will select the new StCo chair. In the case where no proposed candidate is deemed qualified, the Steering Committee shall turn to the PoCo for other candidates to consider.

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. After review of the institution(s) performance, 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-month review period, the Steering Committee will evaluate the status of the member institution(s) activity to ascertain if improvement, i.e., increased production levels, has been demonstrated. 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.

The Steering Committee shall meet 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.

Executive Offices 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 the Participants. In cooperation with the Secretariat and with the advice of the Steering Committee, the chair carries out or delegates responsibility for assignments and represents the Program as necessary between these meetings. The Chair is assisted and advised by the Chair elect and the immediate past chair, called the Chair Emeritus.

The Chair-Elect of the Policy Committee shall be elected at the beginning of the Chair's term by the members of the Policy Committee. Any elected representative to the PoCo may be elected to the position of Chair-Elect. Following his or her one year term as Chair-Elect, the Chair-Elect serves for one year as Chair. Normally, the outgoing Chair may choose to serve in the capacity of Chair-Emeritus for one additional year. If an individual's term as Chair of Chair-Emeritus extends beyond his or her elected term as a rotating member of the PoCo, he or she shall serve the remainder of the executive leadership as a non-voting member of the Policy Committee.

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

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 OCLC and RLG liaisons. 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 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 reviewing and commenting on proposed changes to rules, rule interpretations, MARC formats, or other standards in conjunction with the Standing Committee on Standards. 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 meetings 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 for the purpose of ongoing training.

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

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

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 OCLC and RLG liaisons. 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; reviewing operational procedures and suggesting changes; developing and maintaining documentation. It shall contribute to the development of standards for serials by reviewing and commenting on proposed changes to rules, rule interpretations, MARC formats, or other standards as they apply to serials in conjunction with the Standing Committee on Standards. It shall keep Program 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, at the Library of Congress in conjunction with the annual meetings of the BIBCO Operations Committee to facilitate communication. The focus of these meetings shall be to review changes to standards or documentation, to resolve issues relating to serials cataloging, and for the purpose of ongoing training.

All CONSER representatives, chairs of the PCC Standing Committees, OCLC and RLG liaisons 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.

Standing Committees

The Program for Cooperative Cataloging shall have the following Standing Committees, whose chairs and members shall serve staggered three-year terms. The Standing Committee Chairs shall report to the Policy Committee. The Standing Committee chairs shall appoint the members to their committees. If deemed appropriate, non-Program members may serve on standing committees, but a majority of each committee's membership must be Program participants. The committees' membership shall generally be no more than ten and shall reflect the diversity of the Program, thus ensuring that all participants are represented. OCLC, RLG, 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.

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

Standing Committee on Training

Charge: The Standing Committee on Training shall identify the need for training programs, workshops, and institutes aimed at developing cataloging skills that support the Program 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 Program goals.

Standing Committee on Standards

Charge: 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 Committee on Training to promote the use of mutually acceptable standards, and shall evaluate the need for quality standards or conformance measures.

Standing Committee on Automation

Charge: 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, e.g., LITA; and to facilitate cooperation among LC, Program participants and the bibliographic utilities to work together on the Program's automation requirements and goals.

Secretariat

The Library of Congress shall serve as Secretariat for the Program for Cooperative Cataloging. Its responsibilities 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.

Election Process

Nominating Committee

Charge: The Nominating Committee shall put forward institutions for candidacy on the Policy Committee and direct the Secretariat in the preparation of the ballots.

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 Secretariat shall prepare the ballots and send them to Program members. BIBCO members shall vote for BIBCO representatives; CONSER members shall vote for CONSER representatives; and NACO members that do not also participate in BIBCO or CONSER can vote only for NACO representatives. The election shall take place in the summer, 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. Specific liaison relationships may be established by the Standing Committees on Automation, Standards, and Training with the prior approval of the Policy Committee. In some cases these relationships may be limited to the duration of specific projects.

Endnotes
1. BIBCO Operations Committee--In order to ensure continuity, 2 of the representatives whose term commenced with FY01 will be extended for 1 year (to serve through FY03); 4 of the representatives whose term commenced with FY02 will be appointed for 3 year terms (to serve through FY04) in order to achieve staggered 4, 3, 3, term rotations.

2. Advisory Structure--Initially the PCC will petition for representation on CC:DA (ALCTS/CCS/Committee on Cataloging: Description and Access). If approved, 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.
Approved November 1997

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