96/SAS/2

SUMMARY OF SUBJECT ANALYSIS COMMITTEE MEETINGS,
ALA ANNUAL MEETING 1996

prepared by Harriette Hemmasi
Rutgers University
7/18/96

The following topics of interest to the Music Library community were discussed at the recent ALA SAC meetings in New York City.

1. Update from MARBI
   proposal to add three new values to USMARC format for Music 008/18-19 (Form of Composition): bd = ballads; rp = rhapsodies; sd = square dance music; new term in use: I-MARC = international MARC
2. Dewey Decimal Classification Reports
   DDC 21 will be implemented 8/96; a multi-lingual browser is being developed; a browser to be used on NetFirst is also being developed
3. Library of Congress Report
   
   • projected goal of 80% reduction of the arrearage by year 2000 might not occur due to staff reductions
   • AmeriTech-LC grants have been established and are available to libraries wanting to digitize portions of their collections
   • CD Marc Subjects and Names and Music Catalog will be discontinued in 1997; Cataloger's Desktop and Classification Plus may be purchased in lieu of former
   • plans are underway to write RFP and pursue acquisition of an integrated library system
   • a workshop for SACO participants on subject heading proposals will be held in Washington just prior to the ALA midwinter meeting; 1000 new subject headings were added by SACO contributors this past year
   • 19th edition of LCSH (covering changes through Dec. 1995) has recently been published in 4 volumes, soft-cover only
   • 8th edition of Free-floating Subdivision Manual has been published, with emphasis on regularizing placement of geographic subdivisions; even though form subdivisions remain coded as $x, form subdivisions are identified in the Free-floating Subdivision Manual by a star/diamond-shape in the margin
   • 5th edition of Subject Cataloging Manual in 4 volumes has been published, with improved and additional examples and instruction sheets
   • events that can be named in advance or repeated will be treated as names in the LC authority files; events that cannot be named in advance or repeated will continue to be treated as subjects
   • headings are being established for decades: i.e., NINETEEN TWENTIES
   • development of Classification Plus continues; each schedule will be published as conversion and revision is completed
4. Subcommittee on Form Headings/Subdivisions
   emphasized that this is not a planning group but is simply a group designed to gather and distribute information; Web site has been developed: http://www.pitt.edu/~agtaylor/ala/alac.htm
5. Subcommittee on Music Thesaurus Project
   final report submitted with specific recommendations to the MTP in areas of construction, internal evaluation, external evaluation and application
6. Subcommittee on Subject Relationships/Reference Structures
   progress report submitted reviewing subcommittee's investigation of (1) kinds of relationships that exist between subjects; (2) how these relationships are or could be recorded in authorities and classification formats; (3) options for how these relationships could be presented to users of online and print catalogs, indexes, lists; subcommittee is reviewing possible recommendations to SAC about how to disseminate the information and implement changes; group is also assessing the need for additional time to investigate these issues
7. Subcommittee on Subject Authority File Recommendations
   LC has agreed to create subdivision authority records and to create and/or improve reference structures
8. Subcommittee to Plan Regional Subject Analysis Institutes
   due to success of previous regional institutes and special requests, plans for a preconference on Demystifying Subject Cataloging of Electronic Resources is planned
9. Discussion of SAC Programming for 1997
   co-sponsored by SAC and Cataloging of Children's Materials, a program on Form/Genre Access (dealing with current trends and issues, history, theory and practice) will be presented at the 1997 ALA Annual Meeting
10. out-going chair of SAC, Mary Charles Lasater, welcomed new chair, Diane Casey

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Last updated February 4, 2000