CONSERline (ISSN 1072-611X) Newsletter of the CONSER Program - Published by the Library of Congress, Serial Record Division

No. 17, Fall 2000

Contents

From the Editor

Welcome to the Fall 2000 issue of CONSERline.

Although CONSERline is normally issued before or after the semiannual meetings of the American Library Association, so much has happened in the past few months that I decided a special issue was warranted to focus on international activities. CONSER is truly becoming an international program! We recently accepted our first non-North American members, serials training was conducted on three different continents, and there is more interest than ever in the international harmonization of serials cataloging practices. On a sad note, this issue will also include a tribute to Crystal Graham, a long-time CONSER participant and serials enthusiast. All articles without a byline are by the editor.

-- Jean Hirons, CONSER Coordinator, Library of Congress

New Member News

National Library of Wales

The National Library of Wales (NLW) has become the first European library to join CONSER. NLW specializes in Welsh and Celtic language materials and Arthurian literature, and collects broadly in all disciplines. As an associate member, NLW will be creating and maintaining records for Welsh and other Celtic language serials and sharing their language expertise. Twelve staff members were trained in early September during a visit by Hirons to the United Kingdom. Alwyn Owen, Senior Assistant Librarian, is the representative to the CONSER Operations Committee. Maryvonne Mavroukakis at the Library of Congress will be working with Gareth England and other catalogers at NLW as they begin their contributions to CONSER.

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology Library (HKUST) has become the first member from Asia. The Library currently receives over 7,000 titles, half of which are in electronic format. HKUST will participate as a full level member, cataloging serials in print, microform, and electronic formats in Chinese, English, and other languages. Nancy Yu (LC) and Steve Shadle (University of Washington) will be providing training at the beginning of December. Louisa Kwok will represent Hong Kong at the policy level; Ada Shuk-Man Cheung will be the Operations representative. According to Ms. Kwok, "joining CONSER is an extension of HKUST Library's participation and contribution in the international library community. We believe that by sharing our serial records with other libraries, we will be in the best position to maintain high standards in the cataloging of serials. We also look forward to the opportunity of interacting with other CONSER institutions so that we can keep ourselves abreast with the developing trends in the field and at the same time contribute to the discussion of related issues."

SCCTP Goes International!

It's been an exciting year for the Serials Cataloging Cooperative Training Program (SCCTP). Over 40 sessions of the Basic Serials Cataloging Workshop have been or are scheduled to be given during 2000. And in addition to workshops in the U.S. and Canada, SCCTP sessions were given in Wales, England, Taiwan, and Mexico (see articles below). This section of the newsletter highlights those efforts. But first, here is a preview of upcoming courses.

A one-day "Serials Holdings Workshop" will be tested at the University of Georgia in early November and will be ready following a train-the-trainer session in January. Frieda Rosenberg (UNC-Chapel Hill) and Thom Saudargas (College Center for Library Automation) have developed a 9-session course that focuses on the use of the MARC Format for Holdings Data for serials. Materials for this course will be distributed electronically by LC's Cataloging Distribution Service.

Under development for release next fall are "Advanced Serials" and "Electronic Serials." Kristin Lindlan (U. Washington) and Margaret Mering (U. Nebraska) are preparing the advanced serials course. Steve Shadle (U. Washington) and Les Hawkins (LC) are preparing the e-serials course.

For more information on SCCTP, consult the SCCTP Web site

Serials in the United Kingdom

From mid-August through mid-September I was in the United Kingdom, visiting libraries in Scotland, England, and Wales. The trip, which was originally envisioned as a vacation in Scotland followed by the Joint Steering Committee meeting in London (see article below), quickly grew into a visit to the national libraries of Scotland and Wales, the British Library, and Cambridge University. (I did manage to have a vacation too!) Each visit was quite different and quite wonderful.

In Scotland, John Nicklen, head of the serials unit, arranged an informal gathering of staff from NLS and area libraries. We discussed ILS implementation, holdings, AACR revision, possible CONSER membership, and many other aspects of serials cataloging. I visited the British Library's Boston Spa location and met with Paul Bunn, head of serials, and David Baron, head of the ISSN center. In addition to reviewing the AACR revision and harmonization processes, we also discussed possibilities for closer ties between the BL and CONSER. In Wales, I spent three days with Alwyn Owen and staff at the National Library, giving portions of the SCCTP Basic Serials Cataloging Workshop, CONSER training, and an update on AACR. And in Cambridge I gave a one day session of the SCCTP course, followed by a lecture and general discussion on the second day. Hugh Taylor, head of cataloguing, organized the two days. Staff from Oxford attended on the second day and participated in a broad-based discussion on cooperative cataloging, electronic resources, and other issues related to serials.

Much is changing in the UK and particularly in the world of serials. The implementation of integrated library systems and adoption of MARC21 by some of the libraries is increasing interest in closer cooperation. I also believe that the upcoming changes to the cataloging code and the emergence of electronic journals are bringing serials to the forefront and will bring our cataloging practices closer together, enabling increased sharing.

Many thanks to the North American Serials Interest Group for helping make the trip possible through its Marcia Tuttle International Grant.

-- Jean Hirons (LC)

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SCCTP in Taiwan

Editor's note: In August 2000, Cathy Weng and I-Chene Tai gave a week-long SCCTP-based training session in Taiwan. This is a personal account of their efforts to obtain support for the course, translate the materials, and provide the workshop.

The Proposal

I-Chene and I first met at the SCCTP train-the-trainers workshop at the North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG) Conference in June 1999 at which we discussed the possibility of giving the Basic Serials Cataloging Workshop in Taiwan. In November, I-Chene attended the Library Association of China annual meeting in Taipei. Knowing that I would be going to Taiwan in December, she made an appointment for me with Professor Lai, the Library Director of Shih-Hsin University and the past chair of the Education Committee of the Library Association of China.

At the meeting, Professor Lai expressed his interest in the SCCTP training program. The Library Association of China sponsors summer workshops but has never had one devoted to serials cataloging. The workshops are traditionally one week long; the SCCTP Basic Serials Cataloging Workshop was designed for two days. I assured Professor Lai that we could expand our two-day program into a week-long workshop by including advanced serials cataloging. Professor Lai also expressed concerns over using the English SCCTP Trainee Manual. He thought the workshop participants would have difficulty comprehending what was written in the manual since English would not be their main language. I took a deep breath and courageously offered that we could translate all the training materials into Chinese. This idea definitely pleased him. He asked us to submit a formal proposal along with a detailed syllabus by the end of January.

I have to thank I-Chene for her kindness. She did not kill me for what I had promised Professor Lai! She did not mind having a one-week-long program. She even welcomed the idea of translating training materials into Chinese. In January, we discussed further topics and finally decided to add basic MARC21 tagging, cataloging of electronic resources (both serials and databases), and authority control into our syllabus. The proposal was submitted at the end of January. We patiently and nervously waited for two months. Finally the good news came at the end of March. Our proposal was accepted! The Translation

We chose to use theCONSER Editing Guide (CEG)to teach serials MARC21 fields at the workshop. We quickly decided that I would begin to translate portions of theCEGand I-Chene would do the SCCTP Trainee Manual. Undertaking the translation task was not easy as the terms used in our materials had to be uniform. We collected a group of basic cataloging terms used in Taiwan, such as: MARC, field, subfield, fixed fields, variable fields, uniform title, variant title and so forth. I had my computer at home reconfigured to a Chinese MS Windows environment. The software can do both Chinese and English. At first, I only thought of the translation of theCEGusing Word. I didn't think about the PowerPoint presentation!

When our proposal was accepted back in March, we notified Jean Hirons and mentioned to her that we were planning to include advanced serials issues as well. She immediately sent us previously-prepared advanced training materials and we happily incorporated them into our sessions.

I did my translations at night and on weekends whenever it was possible. Being a mother of a teenager and a toddler, this was a big challenge. Between April and July, on top of my full time work and translating, I juggled the babysitters, school, piano lessons, recitals and auditions. It was quite an experience. In I-Chene's case, she gave an SCCTP training at Rochester, NY in the spring. She was also invited to teach a three-credit cataloging course in the library school of Syracuse University in July. All the teaching materials and PowerPoint slides needed for her summer cataloging class had to be ready by mid-July too. I remember she called me on the 4^thof July around 10 o'clock at night and she had just come home from her office. She had worked there all day.

In June, an English copy of the SCCTP Needs Assessment was sent to Ms. Chen, the workshop manager. She later replied that it would be better if we could translate it into Chinese. We quickly realized that if it was necessary to translate the Needs Assessment, it was essential that we also translate the PowerPoint slides!

When I came back from NASIG, we launched a three-week-long telephone marathon. Every night, including weekends, we were on the phone from ten o'clock to past midnight discussing and revising the draft documents. We managed to finish all the revision and final formatting by the third week of July. Both documents were sent electronically in the week of July 20.

The Workshop

Photo of participants

Thanks to Professor Lai's effort, we stayed at the home of Ms. Juan, the Head of Acquisitions at Shih Hsin University Library. She was a wonderful hostess and took us out every night to famous restaurants with her family. We had warm and interesting conversations. This experience will definitely be remembered.

I thought I would be much more nervous speaking in front of 54 people. With I-Chene by my side, seeing the students' sincere and serious expressions, I started having more confidence. Teaching them what we have been doing for years was so rewarding. We had a very good class and they asked good, relevant questions. Some of the questions concerned serials management (holdings, check-in, claiming, binding). I-Chene and I both have had serials management experience and it wasn't difficult for us to provide helpful advice. I must thank Jean for her updates at NASIG and ALA on the progress of AACR2 revision. She inspired me so much when preparing my presentation on "Trends and Issues." People in our class were amused when I mentioned that Jean recommends using the terminology "integrating entry cataloging" vs. "successive" and "latest entry cataloging." The five days went by fast. Even though we thought we'd done a fine job, we were still nervous when it came to the evaluation time. After we had collected all the finished evaluation forms, I wasn't going to read them immediately. I waited until Friday night after I went back to my in-law's house. I went through each evaluation and felt so proud of our accomplishments. I knew that many people, including myself, have a tendency to avoid marking the highest score on the evaluation form because it means "perfect" and of course nothing is perfect. When I saw so many "5's" circled I was fulfilled and touched. Indeed, our hard work had paid off. I-Chene and I made an excellent team and enjoyed each other's company. We couldn't have done it without many people's direct and indirect help. Jean's tremendous support was the first thing we would like to mention. All along we knew we couldn't let her down. Cameron Campbell's Instructor Manual, Trainee Manual, and slides were our workshop's foundation. The logical arrangement of each session led people to know and understand serials cataloging without being intimidated. Lastly the messages posted by many SCCTP trainers on our listserv regarding their training experiences and advice helped us immensely. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it. Yes, serials cataloging is so much fun!

-- by Cathy Weng (Temple University), with contributions from I-Chene Tai (Le Moyne College)

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SCCTP South of the Border: ¡Que Viva el SCCTP!

The Angel of Independence looked on as thirty-five participants, serenaded by the sounds of a near-by police strike and warmed by the early morning smells of fresh tortillas and tortas, assembled May 14 at the Texas A & M University Center in downtown Mexico City to attend the first SCCTP Basic Serials Training Workshop in Latin America. Sponsored by Texas A & M General Libraries, this two-day workshop in Spanish was made possible by assistance from the SCCTP Advisory Board and especially Jean Hirons. We are also greatly indebted to Prof. Mario Delgado, current head of the Mexican Association of Science Librarians, who acted as the workshop coordinator in Mexico City. Not only did Mario organize the workshop and open a new science library the day after, he also got married that weekend! Texas A & M provided manuals with permission from the SCCTP, and NASIG assisted with American chocolates and moral support.

Mexican librarians showed enthusiastic interest in this workshop, and the call for participants on the Bibliomex list elicited 42 applicants within three days, at which point we closed the invitation with a promise that there would be future opportunities for applicants who were turned away. Some of the original applicants could not attend, reducing the class size to 35. Participants came from nine university libraries, the National Serials Library, a library automation company, one international organization, three government ministries, and one institutional library. Besides Mexico City, the cities of Querétaro, Cuernavaca, León, and Monterrey were represented. The participants themselves varied in experience, from a library school student to the head of cataloging at the National Serials Library. Most of the libraries represented were unfamiliar with CONSER's work or SCCTP, relying on AACR2 and internal policies. Although there is a Chilean version of the CONSER Cataloging Manual (CCM) edited by Elizabeth Steinhagen (University of New Mexico), it didn't seem to be known in Mexico. Most Mexican libraries are not using a bibliographic utility, however some of the participants did report using OCLC as a research tool. For details gathered about the participants and their libraries see Information from the SCCTP Workshop in Mexico

Since experimental, this presentation of the workshop was offered at no cost and adapted to be more of a demonstration for participants who were already experienced catalogers with an interest in the structure of the SCCTP courses and CONSER activities. Since these catalogers do use Gloria Escamilla's translation of AACR2, they were familiar with most of the material. They were particularly interested in the areas of cataloging remote and direct access electronic resources, the American use of uniform titles to distinguish serials, and were especially intrigued by the topic of "AACR2 and Seriality". They were concerned that they were not aware of the work on seriality and changes in AACR2 and also with the issue of harmonization with ISSN records. The seeming lack of communication leads me to wonder if it would be useful and possible to set up a bilingual electronic bulletin board on either Texas A & M or NASIG's server to display/exchange information and news on serials topics between Mexican and the U.S. serialists. Not all Mexican libraries catalog serials, and they make a distinction between 'registering' and 'cataloging' a serial. The Dirección General de Bibliotecas (DGB) of the UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México) is in charge of a Mexican serials union catalog (SERIUNAM) composed of ISSN records. This database is shared by 149 of UNAM's libraries and 220 other institutions. Workshop participants from the UNAM were not interested in learning CONSER style cataloging so much as examining and comparing CONSER records with ISSN registers, and reviewing the structure of the training program. The SERIUNAM, and other projects of the DGB can be visited at DGB Web site (external link).

Photos from the SCCTP workshop held in Mexico City.

Other libraries that are interested in using OCLC were intrigued with the possibility of using CONSER style records as an alternative method of controlling their serials. As would be expected, participants from the library automation consulting firm wished to expand their understanding of serials, so as to apply such information to their product. However, a member of this company explained to me that they frequently found themselves in the position of having smaller library clients request their help/advice on anything from selecting furniture to MARC21! For them it was useful to envision the SCCTP or similar programs as a source of assistance for their clients.

The adaptation of the original trainee manual into a Spanish version is almost complete, and a sample section is available. Vocabulary was used from the AACR2 of Escamilla and the previous translation of the CCM by Elizabeth Steinhagen, so that the SCCTP manual is consistent with these materials. Thanks are owed to Elizabeth for proofreading the manual. The sections on copy cataloging were only lightly touched upon, since they are not as relevant to catalogers who do not use OCLC or another union catalog. These sections were replaced with a discussion on "AACR2 and Seriality" as mentioned above.

It is very exciting that two Mexican candidates have signed up to join us for SCCTP 'Train the Trainer' sessions in January for holdings, and I also look forward to being part of that class. We also have received other invitations to present the Basic Serials Cataloging Workshop. There will definitely be another workshop at the Jornadas de Bibliotecología in May in Veracruz, sponsored by the Mexican Library Association (AMBAC) and NASIG. Other sessions may be given at the Yucatan Meeting of Librarians in October 2001, and also in the city of Puebla. We are also considering a bilingual session at Texas A&M International in Laredo for interested Mexican and U.S. librarians in the Rio Grande Valley. -- Lisa Furubotten (Texas A&M University, College Station)

CONSER E-serials Specialists Tackle Issues

In the spring of 2000, following the CONSER Operations Committee meeting, Jean Hirons established a group of CONSER "e-serial specialists" whose role is to identify and discuss issues related to electronic serials and to propose changes to Module 31 of the CONSER Cataloging Manual (CCM). Hirons asked that the group begin discussions and make recommendations to be brought before the entire program membership. The specialists include Valerie Bross (UCLA), Tom Champagne (Michigan), Becky Culbertson (UC San Diego), Les Hawkins (LC), Steve Shadle (Washington), David Van Hoy (MIT), John Riemer (Georgia), and Naomi Young (Florida).

A major problem, first addressed at the Operations meeting, is the cataloging of multiple online versions of print serials that have been produced by different vendors. A PCC task force has been set up to address the issue, but Hirons decided that CONSER needed to decide on interim policies as soon as possible.

Two distinct practices are evident in the OCLC and CONSER databases. For some titles, there are records based on one electronic version that also contain URLs and related data for other electronic versions. For other titles, separate e-serial records have been created for each vendor or aggregator. After discussion among the e-serials specialist group, the issue was presented to full and associate level CONSER operations representatives in the form of a proposed addition to Module 31 of the CCM. An interim decision was that allows CONSER members to either: 1) use the single record approach and add pertinent information to the print serial record; or 2) create a separate record for each electronic version. CONSER will not include more than one distributor/aggregator on an e-serial record. The decision is interim pending the recommendations of the PCC Task Force on Multiple Manifestations of Electronic Resources, revision of AACR2 rule 0.24, and other potential efforts regarding multiple versions.

A new version of Library of Congress Rule Interpretation 1.11A "Facsimiles, photocopies, and other reproductions" was published in May 2000 and sparked lively discussion. The LCRI includes provisions for treating electronic reproductions in a manner similar to microform reproductions with description based on the original and details of the reproduction given in a note (field 533). Some group members had reservations about using the LCRI for online serials in CONSER. Concerns included the possible difficulty in making distinctions between reproductions and simultaneous online versions and the potential confusion to users of mixing cataloging practices, particularly for the same group of serials (e.g., JSTOR). Some titles in a package have already been cataloged as simultaneous versions, titles new to the package could end up being cataloged as reproductions under the RI. Other group members felt the RI could usefully be applied to certain types of online electronic versions (a particular image-based reproduction of a dead serial, for example) and that it could facilitate record creation in certain large scale projects. The decision was made not to use the RI for CONSER serials at this time for all of the reasons given above.

Policies and practices related specifically to the 856 electronic location and access field were also discussed. A Web-based survey form was constructed by Bross, with input and review from group members. CONSER Operations representatives were asked to fill out the survey to gather data on 856 practices at their institutions. The survey included the question of how many 856 fields should be added to a CONSER e-serial record. Often multiple access locations are available for an electronic serial. Some of these are "mirror" sites, but others point to different levels of a Web site's hierarchy. Also the question of whether URL locations that are only available to users at the local level should be included in the CONSER record. Maintenance issues surrounding the 856 field were raised as there was concern about the need to keep URL information current in records and a need to consider various means of cooperative maintenance of URLs in the CONSER database. The group offered many other suggestions, updates, and changes to be incorporated into the fall 2000 update of Module 31.

-- Les Hawkins (LC)

Update on AACR2 Revision and Harmonization

Meetings were held in August and September by the three groups currently working to harmonize serials cataloging practices: AACR2, ISBD(S), and ISSN. The Joint Steering Committee to Revise AACR (JSC) met in London in September and spent over a day reviewing the comments on the revisions of Chapter 12 and related chapters. While most of the recommendations were tentatively approved, the JSC currently favors calling the chapter "Serials and Integrating Resources" rather than "Continuing Resources." Some of the changes that catalogers are likely to see in the revised chapter include: preferred use of external sources for the chief source of serially-issued CD-ROMs, a separate rule on determining the basis of the description for continuing resources, new rules for changes in each area of the description, and many more references to and examples of electronic serials. Rules for integrating resources, including loose-leafs and many electronic resources, are also included in the chapter.

The ISBD(S) Working Group met in Jerusalem in August and reviewed draft chapters to the revised standard. They also discussed a proposed new "international standard serial title" or ISST, and the need for current publishing information. The ISSN Manual Working Group met in September and discussed title changes and many other issues (see article below).

November 12-14, LC will host a "Meeting of Experts" that will bring together representatives of the three standards to discuss and hopefully resolve outstanding issues. The JSC will finalized its decisions on the AACR Chapter 12 revision in April and the chapter and associated revisions should be published sometime in 2001. A new edition of the CONSER Cataloging Manual will be produced in conjunction with the revisions and all other CONSER and SCCTP materials will also be updated as necessary. Some issues, however, such as the ISST, will take much longer to resolve and discussions will continue.

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NSDP Hosts ISSN Directors Meeting

The ISSN's potential to retrieve e-serials and records for those serials on the Web was demonstrated at the 25^th Meeting of Directors of ISSN Centers hosted by LC's National Serials Data Program (NSDP) Sept. 27 - 29. This demonstration of the ISSN as a URN (Universal Resource Name, a persistent identifier) was given for the forty meeting participants plus observers from NSDP and the LC Serial Record Division. ISSN directors from as far away as New Zealand and Nigeria and as close as Canada attended the meeting held for only the third time at LC. The most recent prior meeting at LC was in 1983. Twenty-seven ISSN centers and various agencies which work closely with the ISSN were represented. Françoise Pellé, director of the Paris-based ISSN International Centre which coordinates the 73 centers comprising the ISSN Network, chaired the meeting.

Key discussions at the meeting centered on the expansion of the ISSN into identification of online resources and on ways to "harmonize" the rules for creating records to support ISSN registrations with two other widely-used cataloging standards: AACR(2) and ISBD(S). ISSN directors supported widening the scope of the ISSN to include ongoing resources such as databases and Web sites which do not share serial publication patterns. The directors also endorsed the concepts of "continuing resources" and "integrating resources." The directors also welcomed an offer of help from the ISSN International Centre to assist centers in the Network to register electronic serials.

Prior to the full meeting, the ISSN Manual Revision Group met to continue their work on a new edition of the ISSN Manual. Goals of that revision are the accommodation of electronic resources, reduction of title changes requiring new ISSN, and harmonization with AACR and ISBD(S). Progress was made on all three fronts. The Manual group, and later the directors, approved the list of minor title changes proposed in the Chapter 12 AACR revision, as augmented by the ISBD(S) working group in January 2000. Other decisions were made not to change or augment the key title, except in the case of outright errors, and to use successive entry for both successive and integrating resources. All decisions are pending comment from the ISSN centers not represented at the meeting.

Directors had the opportunity to socialize with each other and meet present and former Library staff who work with the National Serials Data Program at a reception in the Montpelier Room on the evening of the first meeting day. Former heads of NSDP present were Mary Saur Price, 1975; Linda Bartley Button, 1976-1982; Wendy Reidel, 1982-1986; and Julia Blixrud, 1986-1991. Nancy Davenport, Director of Acquisitions welcomed the guests and introduced remarks by Winston Tabb, Associate Librarian of Congress, and Regina Reynolds, Head of NSDP. Reynolds expressed thanks to all who helped make the meeting possible, including the sponsors of the social events: ISI, OCLC, EBSCO, Blackwell's International Services, Bureau of National Affairs, Faxon-RoweCom Academic and Medical Services, and Mary Ann Liebert, Publishers. A dinner Thursday night at the 701 Restaurant and a Saturday cruise to Mount Vernon on the Potomac Spirit capped the week's events. At the conclusion of the meeting, which took place during the Sydney Olympics, participants awarded Reynolds and the NSDP team a symbolic "golden medal" for winning the "Continuing ISSN Triathalon."

Photos from the ISSN Directors Meeting reception and the cruise to Mount Vernon are available from NSDP's Web site.

-- Regina Reynolds (LC)

CONSER People

In Remembrance: Crystal Graham, 1952-2000

Crystal Graham, one of the original CONSER participants, a noted authority on serials, and a dear friend to many of us, died in August after suffering for many years from a crippling arthritis. Crystal's achievements are many but she is particularly known for developing the ARL guidelines for reproduction microforms, co-authoring the paper "Issues Related to Seriality," and for her staunch efforts to find pragmatic solutions to the cataloging of serials and electronic resources, particularly multiple versions. She was a tiny person with a great heart and mind and a voice that made us sit up and listen. Her strength and courage in the face of much physical pain was an inspiration to us all. We owe Crystal a great deal and we will all miss her. Following is a personal remembrance from Ron Watson (UCLA). A further tribute to Crystal can be found in the Fall 2000 ALCTS newsletter online.

Remembering Crystal

Crystal Graham and I attended the first CONSER Operations Committee meeting in 1978. Crystal was one of the representatives from Cornell. She later moved to New York University, and while there, UCLA offered her a full time two-year appointment to help clean up our retrospective conversion. She accepted the job, and a short time later unaccepted the job! When I saw her at the next ALA summer conference, I pushed back her long dark curly hair that was covering her ALA badge to find out where she was working. It said: University of California, San Diego. She enjoyed my shocked expression and explained that the restaurant at which her husband Neil Stuart was chef had closed, they had decided to move to a warmer climate.

At a later ALA meeting I saw her coming down a hall to the door of a meeting we were both attending. Her hair was cut short, her walk was a stiff side to side movement of a person with a crippling disease. I looked and said, "Crystal?! Is it you?" She was nearly unrecognizable compared to the vibrant, enthusiastic, vivacious person we all knew her to be. At that same meeting, which was after my heart attack, Crystal and I met Carol Davis of OCLC (formerly of NSDP, now in Australia). Carol was having serious operations on her eyes. I looked at the three of us and said: "Aha! A meeting of the blind, the halt and the lame." We cheered each other on in our time of physical disability.

I made many trips to San Diego to visit her. We would usually spend the day together at one of Neil's eateries. We would discuss serials cataloging, and the meaning of life. Crystal was always a strong voice for sound practical serials cataloging. When she was invited to speak at the Multiple Versions Forum in 1989, she not only fulfilled her assignment but also refocused the issues. I did not always agree with her, but I very much appreciated her good thinking, her humor, and her deep caring about the task of serials cataloging. She was always upbeat in the face of enormous pain. Now she's gone and I miss her terribly. But I'll always be remembering Crystal.

-- Ron Watson (UCLA)

Moving On…

Two long-time CONSER folk have moved to new jobs. Marjorie Bloss, the policy representative from the Center for Research Libraries and current chair of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC), has taken the position of Manager, Training Services with Endeavor Information Systems, Inc. Bloss is well known in the serials world and has been active in CONSER for many years. She has also been an active participant internationally in International Federation of Library Associations committees. She will be replaced as PCC Chair by Larry Alford, chair-elect, from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Another CONSER stalwart, John Riemer, has left the University of Georgia to become head of cataloging at UCLA. John led many CONSER groups in the past and is currently chair of two PCC task forces relating to journals in aggregator databases and multiple electronic manifestations. Earlier work included writing the chapter on subject access for the CONSER Cataloging Manual and heading the task force that developed the database maintenance guidelines. While Riemer has moved to another CONSER institution, he will no longer be an active participant in the CONSER Operations Committee.

In other news, Charlene Chou is Columbia University's new representative to the Operations Committee. She replaces Carroll Davis, who joined the staff of the Library of Congress in January 2000. William Toombs will be leaving St. Louis Law Library to take a position at the Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis. And last, but not least, Maureen Landry has been named chief of LC's Serial Record Division after serving as the Acting Chief for almost three years. She replaces Kimberly Dobbs, who retired in 1997. Congratulations Maureen!

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