BCC01/SDC/3

The following are highlights of the meetings of the Committee on Cataloging: Description and Access at the ALA annual meeting in San Francisco. Chair Adam Schiff (University of Washington) led the discussions. Please note that many of the proposals and reports mentioned in this summary may be found on the CC:DA website at www.ala.org/alcts/organization/ccs/ccda/ccda.html.

Adam Schiff has reached the end of his term as Chair of CC:DA as of the end of ALA Annual 2001, and was formally thanked for his work. Kristin Lindlan (University of Washington) was named incoming chair.

Brian Schottlaender has completed his term as ALA liaison to the Joint Steering Committee (JSC). Matthew Beacom will be the new liaison.

An alpha-prototype rearranging the existing text of Part I of AACR2 into a text that groups rules according to ISBD areas has been created by Bruce Johnson and Bob Ewald at the Library of Congress, using Cataloger’s Desktop to cut and paste the text. CC:DA voted to create a task force to look at this very preliminary document and comment whether the reorganization would be practical and user friendly, and to identify areas where it does not work well. Members of the task force include CC:DA voting and nonvoting members.

All LC Chinese bibliographic records and Chinese CONSER records have been converted to Pinyin and loaded into the LC database. Work continues on converting Wade-Giles access points on non-Chinese records. Cleanup of authority records should be complete within the next several months.

The new CD workflow at LC has achieved currency in creation of initial bibliographic control records (IBCs) for all published popular and classical CD receipts. Beginning in May 2001, about half these were made available for distribution. These IBC records are designed for automatic matching with OCLC records and contain enough information to accurately identify items, some other useful information and keyword access to musical groups, performers, composers and titles. As part of the CD workflow, the teams are beginning to include UPC/EAN codes in bib records for sound recordings.

Correction of all identified authority and bibliographic record errors in MDARs was complete in February 2001. No more MDARS will be created. With the implementation of the LC ILS, LC catalogers now create headings for all names and name-title headings used in music records.

The NACO music workflow is changing to provide speedier response to requests and more straight forward submission guidelines. An email account (nacomus@loc.gov) has been established to accept all requests for maintenance to music bib records or music name/series authorities. The responsibility for these requests will be shared by all senior music catalogers.

A new database, called SONIC (Sound Online Inventory and Catalog) includes about 350000 entries representing more than 25 percent of the Library’s sound recordings holdings. It is available through the Library web site at http://www.loc.gov/rr/record.

JSC continued to review Chapter 12 (formerly Serials) and approved the renaming of the Chapter to "Continuing Resources".

Barbara Tillett prepared a discussion paper for JSC on the use of general material designations (GMDs). The paper discusses the history of the use of the GMD, points out that the GMDs are not supported by cataloging theory and summarizes the objections to GMDs given in the Delsey Report.

Tillett writes that there is no compelling reason to continue the AACR2 concept of the GMD as a display technique in the title and statement of responsibility area. Instead, she feels users would be better served by providing a device in the bibliographic record for the mode of expression. Terms for physical format and form of the carrier can be moved either to area 5 or to notes. Alternatively, physical format and form of carrier could be recording in holdings records to address the multiple versions issues. She recommends that JSC create a group to explore options to address the needs of the non-book communities for identification of modes of expression.

JSC decided to put off forming a group until the result of Jean Weihs’ survey on GMDs (done through OLAC to a-v cataloguers) was studied. CC:DA decided to also wait. No action was taken on Tillett’s recommendations.

L. Jizba prepared a report comparing CC:DA recommendations for changes to ISBD(M) with the current draft version, available for worldwide review until June 22. She noted that most of CC:DA’s recommendations were adopted in the new draft. One disagreement CC:DA still has with the draft is that Area 5.3 (Dimensions) is optional, except for titles needing playback equipment (sound recordings, etc.). CC:DA recommended that Area 5.3 be mandatory for all materials. CC:DA decided to again make this recommendation to the ISBD Review Group. For those who are interested the full text of the revision is available on IFLANET at http://www.ifla.org/VII/s13/pubs/isbdm-let.htm.

The task force is now concentrating on major changes and differences, as requested by JSC, and the appendix has been renamed "Appendix of Major Changes". The appendix will include guidelines for determining when to create a new record for finite and continuing resources, based on 1) difference(s) between two or more manifestation(s) of a resource, and 2) change(s) within an existing resource. The appendix applies to all formats. N. Lorimer suggested some changes for music and sound recordings and the committee requested that she provide them.

The interim report of the task force included a revision of Rule 9.5B1 (Extent of item). The rule now prescribes the use of "conventional terminology" for optical technology, such as CD-ROM, optical card, Photo-CD, DVD. N. Lorimer suggested that the inclusion of these terms (especially "DVD") would be confusing in relation to chapters 5 & 6 and that the same item may have different conventional names when used in different ways. However, the report was accepted.

The task force was formed at ALA Midwinter and charged with reviewing proposals currently before the Joint Steering Committee to make the "rule of three" optional in AACR2. The task force was directed to look at the proposals from the point of view of making the rule the 3 the norm and anything beyond that optional. The task force did so, and wrote up the rule changes accordingly. However, the task force stated that a preference to make the higher level of access the norm and more restricted access optional. It was agreed that the task force should rewrite the rules reflecting this preference, so that both options are available for review by CC:DA.

In addition, N. Lorimer noted that the task force missed one music rule that mad use of the rule of 3 (rule 21.19C1). The task force agreed to add the optional phrase to that rule. She also pointed out that there were problems with the sound recording examples given by the task force. She was asked to provide corrections and/or new examples and she agreed.

The report of the Rule of Three task force is available on the CC:DA website at http://www.ala.org/alcts/organization/ccs/ccda/tf-r3a.html.

Submitted by Nancy Lorimer

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Last updated October 1, 2001