BCC2003/SDC/4
Descriptive Cataloging Subcommittee
2003 Annual Report
Members: Nancy Lorimer (Chair), Joseph Bartl (LC Representative),
Dennis Davies-Wilson, Kathryn Glennan, Michi Hoban, David J. Hoek, Morris Levy, Joan McGorman, J. Bradford Young
As MLA representative, Nancy Lorimer attended the Committee on
Cataloging: Description & Access (CC:DA) meetings at ALA Midwinter in Philadelphia. A major topic of interest to music
librarians at these meetings was the proposal by the Canadian Committee on Cataloging to introduce conventional terminology
(now renamed “terms in common use”) to Chapter 6 (Sound Recordings) and Chapter 7 (Motion Pictures and
Videorecordings) and MLA’s response and counterproposal to introduce these terms in parentheses after the current SMDs. At
the meeting, we learned that JSC was not proposing the use of uncontrolled terms as ALA believed, but a controlled list,
and so both proposals were rejected. SDC considered this move a success, since it rejected CCC’s unacceptable proposal and
clarified to all JSC members what was intended by “terms in common use”. The full report of the midwinter meeting
is available on the BCC website at
http://www.musiclibraryassoc.org/BCC/BCC-Historical/BCC2003/BCC2003SDC1.html.
At the MLA annual meeting in Austin, SDC held a business meeting and an
open meeting (together with the Authorities Subcommittee). At the business meeting, we primarily discussed our strategies
for trying to influence what “terms in common use” might be introduced into Chapters 6 and 7, and how these terms
would influence other rules in the chapter. We decided that we needed to submit our own proposal, emphasizing the need to
change other rules to better integrate the new terms and that the new terms should be generic enough to include various
types of encodings (i.e. the term “compact disc” would include CDs, CD-Rs, SACDs, etc.). We presented these
suggestions at the open meeting. They were received favorably, although there was still great unease about the whole idea.
The meeting also included an open question session. Discussion included the future of ISBD punctuation, how to best catalog
preservation copies recorded on CD-Rs and what constitutes a reproduction for cataloging purposes. The full report of the
MLA open meeting is available on the BCC website at
http://www.musiclibraryassoc.org/BCC/BCC-Historical/BCC2003/BCC2003SDC2.html.
For personal reasons, Nancy Lorimer was unable to attend the annual
conference in Toronto. Instead, MLA was represented by Bibliographic Control Committee chair Matthew Wise, who also wore a
second hat as voting member of CC:DA. Due to concerns about SARS, many CC:DA members were absent and/or replaced by
substitutes, but the meetings continued as usual. Again, the potential introduction of terms in common use to Chapters 6
& 7 was a major topic, with new proposals from both CCC and MLA. The MLA proposal was submitted earlier this spring
after consultation with MLA members, with the primary intention of demonstrating to CC:DA the immensity of introducing such
changes, the need to rewrite other rules to make the new terms work, and to prompt in depth discussion of the topic. For
the first time, there were a fair number of objections to the introduction of these terms to Chapter 6 at all and no
agreement was reached at the meeting. However, it was agreed that the MLA proposal was more thorough than that of CCC and
should be used as a model for any potential revisions, and that further discussion on the topic would take place by email.
In the ensuing email discussion, a response accepting some of the new terms was rejected. In the end, CC:DA rejected the
CCC proposal outright. CC:DA also rejected Chapter 7 amendments, stating that the two chapters should be changed at the
same time. Again, MLA regards this as a successful outcome. CC:DA has finally had serious discussions on this issue and
recognize the immensity and complex ramifications of this suggested change. The SDC will continue to monitor ongoing
discussions in this area.
Other topics of interest at the annual meeting included the report from
the Task Force on the Reconceptualization of Chapter 9 (Electronic Resources). The report analyzes the effect of moving
rules for the description of electronic resources out of Chapter 9 to the appropriate content chapters, with Chapter 9
describing only computer software and such. Also, the Task Force on Consistency across Part I of AACR2 has submitted
changes in Areas 2 (Edition Statement), 3 (Material or Type of Publication Specific Details), 4 (Publication, Distribution
Statement), and 6 (Series Statement), moving rules common to all chapters to Chapter 1 and introducing consistent wording
when possible. The final result will be an enlarged Chapter 1, with the remaining chapters only giving rules unique to its
content area.
The full report of the annual meeting (submitted by Matthew Wise) is
available on the BCC website at
http://www.musiclibraryassoc.org/BCC/BCC-Historical/BCC2003/BCC2003/SDC/3.html.
In the coming year, SDC expects that it will be responding to further
proposals on terms in common use (or possibly to an ALA task force) and will be watching with interest the reaction to
proposals for incorporating electronic resources into the content chapters, something which the music cataloging community
(as represented at SDC open meetings) strongly supports. Also of continuing interest will be the beginning of the rewriting
of Chapters 21 (Choice of Access Points) and 25 (Uniform titles)
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Last updated October 26, 2003