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The Library of Congress > Cataloging, Acquisitions > PCC > SACO > Summary of Decisions > Editorial Meeting Number 1712

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December 18, 2017

PSD policy specialist responsible for this list: J. Young

CLASSIFICATION

Announcement:

Resubmitting classification proposals along with resubmitted subject proposals

When a subject proposal is resubmitted, the related classification proposal (if any) is not automatically also resubmitted. To ensure that related proposals are scheduled for the same Tentative List, LC catalogers should send printouts of both the subject and classification proposals to PSD, along with the work being cataloged. SACO contributors should note both the resubmitted subject heading and classification number in their emails to [email protected].

Decisions:

BM729.I54

This proposal originally appeared on the Tentative List for September (1709) and was marked resubmit. The meeting is still not able to determine the best class number for the work being cataloged. The first subject heading listed in the bibliographic record is Infants—Care (Jewish law), which should be classified in the KBM (Jewish law) schedule. The second and third headings, Child care—Religious aspects—Judaism and Parenting—Religious aspects—Judaism, more closely match the classification number proposed. However, a cutter for infants was proposed.

If the work is chiefly about Jewish law regarding the care of infants, a number in the KBM schedule should be proposed. If it is chiefly about the Jewish religious aspects of child care, then the order of the subject headings should be changed and a classification proposal should be submitted for child care in BM729.A-Z. The proposal may be resubmitted.

[LC1401-2572.2]

This proposal was made to add a reference indicating that individual institutions that educate women are classed in LD-LG. A reference of that type already exists at [LC2572.2]. The proposal was not necessary.

PC3930.L38

This classification proposal may be resubmitted with a revised subject proposal.  See Lesbians’ writings, Catalan,below for details.

PG7035.P76

The work being cataloged is a study of catechisms, songs, psalms, and orations, and theological and philosophical treatises related to Calvinism, not a study of belles lettres. The work may be classified at BX9480.P7-.P73, Reformed and Calvinistic churches in Poland. The proposal was not necessary.  

PK6495.K338

According to the summary statement in the bibliographic record, the work being cataloged is a “versified history of Afghanistan” It should therefore be classified in the history of Afghanistan in DS354.9+. The proposal was not necessary.

PN56.O36

Works on individual characters as represented in world literature are classified in PN57.A-Z. The work being cataloged should be classed in PN57.O3. The proposal was not necessary.

PQ6073.H465

It is unlikely that the work being cataloged is about the depiction of hermeneutics in Spanish literature. Instead, it is more likely a hermeneutical discussion of Spanish literature. Hermeneutics should not be assigned as a subject heading to this work unless the work is at least 20 percent about the theory and practice of hermeneutics. The other headings assigned are for history and criticism of Spanish and Mexican literature of the 20th and 21st centuries, which classes in PQ6072. The proposal was not necessary.

PS493

Specific genres and forms of juvenile literature are classified with the form or genre, as indicated by the cross-reference at PS490. The work should be classified in PS362. The proposal was not approved.

PT1709.B17

The work being cataloged is about a Latin poem by a German author. Literature is classified with the language of the literature. A literary author number for Nicolas Bähr in the PA schedule may be resubmitted.

P-PZ20 34.A63

The work being cataloged is about Lebanese authors, but the proposal is for Arab authors. A proposal to add Lebanese authors to Table P-PZ20 may be resubmitted along with a subject proposal to add –Lebanese authors as a free-floating subdivision under literatures (SHM H 1156).

SUBJECT HEADINGS

Announcement:

Hierarchies for classes-of-persons headings qualified by Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Transsexual

Broader terms for classes-of-persons headings qualified by religion, gender, ethnicity, etc., typically refer the user to the unqualified heading. For example, Hindu children has the BT Children. Classes-of-persons headings qualified by the words gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and transsexual have been treated differently; most of them have been assigned numerous BTs that create deep and sometimes uneven hierarchies for these minority groups. A heading qualified by lesbian, for example, may have been assigned BTs that are qualified by lesbian or women or gay, or all of the above.

The BTs on these headings will be revised to bring them into agreement with general LCSH practice. The new BTs will refer to the unqualified heading. For example, the heading Lesbian authors currently has the BTs Gay authors and Women authors, and the new BT will be Authors.

Several of the proposals on this list were made to add additional BTs to headings of this type and were revised or not approved, according to the new practice. The BTs for approximately 70 other existing headings will be revised off-list.

Other decisions:

Anti-labor movement

The citations given in the proposal do not use the phrase “anti-labor movement” and do not support the existence of a named entity called the anti-labor movement. In addition, trade union reform, which is provided as a UF, is not necessarily an anti-labor activity. The meeting recommends that the existing headings Labor movement, Labor unions, or similar headings be assigned to the work being cataloged. If the heading is strongly desired and if reference sources that support the existence of a formal anti-labor movement – as opposed to general descriptions of activities that can be interpreted as antagonistic to the interests of organized labor – can be found and cited, the proposal may be resubmitted.

Combarelles Cave (France)

To support the qualifier and BTs proposed, the citations should give the location of the cave and why the cave is considered to be an antiquity. The proposal may be resubmitted.

Concertos (Suo na)

According to SHM H 250 sec. 2, an authority record is not needed to support this heading. The proposal was not necessary.

Coptic calendar

The subdivision –Calendars is free-floating under names of corporate bodies. The work being cataloged may be assigned the heading Coptic Church—Calendars. The proposal was not necessary.

Faery-Faith (Wiccan sect); Faerie Faith (Wiccan sect); Feri (Wiccan sect)

These proposals do not provide enough information about how the practices and/or beliefs of these sects differ from each other. In addition, the proposal for Feri (Wiccan sect) does not include UFs for all of the variant spellings of the sect name that are provided in the citations.

The proposals should cite sources that clearly indicate how the sects differ from each other, and those sources should be the basis for contrasting scope notes that unequivocally explain the differences; scope notes that state the founder of each sect is insufficient. If such sources cannot be cited, then a single heading covering all variants of the name Faery/Faerie/Feri may be resubmitted instead.

Gay figure skaters; Lesbian actresses

These proposals to change the BTs on the existing headings were not approved in accordance with the revised practice announced above.

Kissing games

The work being cataloged is not about kissing games (e.g., spin-the-bottle). Instead, it describes kissing techniques and is intended for mature audiences. The proposal was not necessary. 

Lesbian erotic literature, American

The citation for the work being cataloged indicates that the work “paint[s] a rich, provocative, and complex picture of lesbian sexuality” and that it is not a contribution to the “erotica/pornography debates.” It examines the difficulties of acting on desires in a hostile world, the effect of incest, and other topics.  The work is not erotic literature. The proposal was not necessary. 

Lesbians’ writings, Catalan

Only the Catalan-language title of the work being cataloged, “I visqueren felices,” was provided in support of this proposal. The proposal may be resubmitted with information in English that explains the relationship of the work to the heading being proposed.

Oxymoron in rabbinical literature; Oxymoron in the Bible

The work being cataloged appears to be about opposites, not oxymorons; opposites are represented in LCSH with the heading Polarity. The work may be more specifically about synonyms and antonyms as used in the Hebrew language and would therefore be assigned the heading Hebrew language—Synonyms and antonyms. The proposals were not necessary.

Pomník svatého Václava (Prague, Czech Republic : Václavské náměstí)

This statue is an individual work of art and should be established in the name authority file, according to SHM H 405. The proposal was not approved.

Reportage literature, Russian

Judging by the other subject headings and the classification number assigned to the work being cataloged, this work is about journalism in Russia, not Russian reportage literature.  Reportage literature, as defined by its scope note, is “a narrative style of literature that features the personal presence and involvement of a human witness,” and not journalistic reporting.  Reportage literature classes with literature, in this case PG for Russian literature, not in PN, as journalism does. The proposal was not necessary.

Richmond Castle (Richmond, North Yorkshire, England)

The sources cited indicate that the castle is in North Yorkshire, but not specifically in Richmond. The proposal may be resubmitted with a citation that supports the choice of qualifier.

Sacramental theology

Sacramental theology is the systematic study of the sacraments, and works of that type have been consistently assigned the heading Sacraments—Catholic Church, sometimes along with the heading Sacraments—History of doctrines. The meeting wishes to continue this practice. The proposal was not approved.

Saint Martinois literature [and narrower terms]; Sint Maarten literature [and narrower terms]

Six proposals were submitted in order to catalog a single anthology of English-language poetry from the island of Saint Martin, which is composed of Sint Maarten and the Collectivity of Saint Martin.  The linguistic composition of the two countries is almost identical, with English, Spanish, Dutch, Papiamentu, and French being spoken across the island. 
The meeting prefers to have a single hierarchy for the literatures of the island as a whole, rather than separate hierarchies for the literatures of each country. Therefore, substitute proposals Saint Martin literature; Saint Martin literature (English); and Saint Martin poetry (English) were approved. Saint Martin literature includes UFs for Saint Martinois literature and Sint Maarten literature. The proposals for Saint Martonois literature and Sint Maarten literature and their narrower terms were not approved.

San Marcos Pueblo (N.M.)

The sources cited indicate that the pueblo was a 17th century mission. It should therefore be established in the name authority file, per SHM H 405. The proposal was not approved.

White in sculpture

LCSH does not include the pattern [topic] in sculpture. The headings White in art; Polychromy; and Sculpture (or a narrower term thereof) should be assigned to the work being cataloged. The proposal was not approved. 

X-files fiction

Only the title of the work being cataloged, “Trust no one,” was provided in support of this proposal. The citation should include information clearly indicating the relationship of the work to the heading being proposed. One or more additional citations should be provided to show that “X-files fiction” is a collective appellation for several individual works. The proposal may be resubmitted.

GENRE/FORM TERMS

Tactile cartographic materials

This proposal was made to revise the existing term Cartographic materials for people with visual disabilities. A cataloger’s note in the proposal indicates that the term should be changed because it refers to a demographic group that should be expressed by a term from Library of Congress Demographic Group Terms (LCDGT).

Cartographic materials for people with visual disabilities was chiefly intended to describe tactile resources, but has been interpreted to include other types of resources. Making a one-to-one change is therefore problematic. Instead, a proposal for a separate term Tactile cartographic materials is necessary, and the existing heading should be cancelled.  However, the meeting is not prepared to approve those proposals at this time, because LCDGT is not yet in common use. After LCDGT is more widely implemented, PSD will systematically review LCGFT and cancel the genre/form terms that refer to audiences as a separate project instead of on a piecemeal basis. The proposal was not approved.
           
Popular works

The phrase popular works is too ambiguous to use as a faceted genre/form term. Not only does it lack context, but numerous terms in LCGFT describe so-called popular works, including those for many film, television, and literary genres and forms. The scope note provided in the proposal does not ameliorate the problem. The proposal was not approved.

Musical fiction   

The citations provided in the proposal give several conflicting definitions of musical fiction: works in which music is a theme; works that feature songwriting and performance; and works written in musical language. The meeting suggests that standard reference sources in the field of literature be consulted for a generally accepted definition, and that the information found in those reference sources be used as the basis for a scope note. The proposal may be resubmitted.

MEDIUM OF PERFORMANCETERMS
           
pre-recorded birdsong

The meeting does not wish to begin a pattern pre-recorded [type of sound] because the number of sounds used by composers and performers is unlimited. In addition, the sound itself is not strictly speaking a medium of performance; the recording is. A proposal for pre-recorded audio was added to the list and approved instead. The type of sound that was recorded may be brought out through notes. The proposal pre-recorded birdsong was not approved.