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About the PCCAn international cooperative program coordinated jointly by the Library of Congress & PCC participants around the world. Message from the PCC Chair - What is the PCC - Membership beneifts - History of the PCC - Growth chart - Organization structure - Accomplishments - Ongoing activities Components in brief: NACO - BIBCO - CONSER - SACO PCC Training - PCC Manuals - Who to contact - How to subscribe to the PCClist At a GlanceA bold initiative in cooperative cataloging.... Here is a brief synopsis of the most successful and dynamic program in the history of bibliographic control. Gaining in momentum, the PCC expands its benefits to all cataloging professionals who strive to provide wider and deeper access to library collections. We urge you to become a participant in this important program. The Program for Cooperative Cataloging is an international cooperative effort aimed at expanding access to library collections by providing useful, timely, and cost-effective cataloging that meets mutually-accepted standards of libraries around the world. Goals
On the PCC Homepage read the PCC's Five-Year Strategic Plan (an in-depth presentation of the goals above) to learn how the Program will achieve these goals. Membership benefits of the PCC
History of the PCCThe Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) was initiated in February 1995, building on the success of the NACO and CONSER programs which originated in the 1970s. The PCC was a product of deliberations of the Cooperative Cataloging Council (CCC), which began its work in April 1993. The CCC itself was conceived at a meeting of various participants in cooperative library programs that was held at the Library of Congress in November 1992. The Council envisioned a program that by the year 2000 would annually produce significant numbers of authority and bibliographic records created by an ever increasing membership of program participants. In November 1996, the CONSER Policy Committee and the PCC Executive Council met to discuss the merging of the two cooperative cataloging programs. The consolidation became effective in October 1997. Today, the PCC has four components: NACO--the name authority program Growth chart
* 37 libraries contribute only to the SACO Program. ** Includes CONSER Enhance members
Organization of the PCC The POLICY COMMITTEE is responsible for guiding the governance of the Program as a whole: to develop, review, and approve long term strategies, plans, goals, and objectives. Its membership is drawn from diverse library constituencies, including five permanent representatives: British Library, Library of Congress, National Library of Canada, OCLC and RLG. Eight rotating PCC partners are elected by program members from full, active participants in BIBCO (3), CONSER (3), and NACO (2). The STEERING COMMITTEE is composed of five permanent members: three Library of Congress representatives, and one representative each from OCLC, and RLG. Rounding out the Committee are the Chair and Chair-Elect of the Policy Committee. The Steering Committee approves PCC membership applications, directs the strategic planning process for the Program, seeks and manages resources. Completing the PCC governance structure are two OPERATIONS and three STANDING COMMITTEES: BIBCO OPERATIONS COMMITTEE--maintains efficient and effective BIBCO activity locally and across the Program. It establishes operational procedures, suggests changes to policies and practices, develops and maintains documentation, and contributes to the development of standards for monographic publications and integrating resources in all formats. CONSER OPERATIONS COMMITTEE--maintains efficient and effective CONSER activity locally and across the Program. It establishes operational procedures, suggests changes to policies and practices, helps develop and maintain documentation, and contributes to the development of standards for serial publications and integrating resources. STANDING COMMITTEE on AUTOMATION--identifies automation issues to be resolved in order to implement the mission of the Program, formulates plans to present PCC requirements to vendors, and facilitates cooperation among Program participants and the bibliographic utilities. STANDING COMMITTEE on STANDARDS--develops and promotes use of mutually acceptable standards that support creation and wide use of records in a cost- effective manner. This committee also maintains representation on the ALCTS Committee on Cataloging: Description and Access. STANDING COMMITTEE on TRAINING--establishes cataloger training programs, workshops, and institutes aimed at developing cataloging skills of PCC members through continuing education.
In today's developing global bibliographic network, shared authority work is an absolute requirement. Since libraries began implementing AACR2 on a worldwide scale, the creation, updating, and maintenance of standardized and consistent authority files has provided major challenges to catalogers. In addition, the ever-increasing number of publications in a wide variety of languages, scripts, and formats has renewed the need for and interest in cooperative bibliographic initiatives.
Program for Cooperative Cataloging NACONAME AUTHORITY COOPERATIVE PROGRAM Through this program, participants contribute new and updated authority records for names, uniform titles, and series to the national authority file. An individual institution may join this program, or a group of libraries with a common interest may form a "funnel project" to contribute records via a coordinator who assumes responsibility in the joint effort. PURPOSE Participants agree to follow a common set of standards and guidelines when creating or changing authority records in order to maintain the integrity of an internationally shared authority file. TRAINING A week of specialized > NACO training is undertaken by participants, optionally at their home institutions or at LC. During the training, guidelines are discussed and expanded upon with an ever-growing awareness of the need to streamline cataloging efforts while building a consistent and predictable file. This file will help the global library community >work more efficiently and effectively, allowing it to >maximize its resources. NEW NAME AUTHORITY RECORD CONTRIBUTIONS NACO participants may contribute new name authority records and make changes to existing records within established guidelines. In addition, participants may contribute authority records for series and uniform title. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON NACO Visit the NACO World Wide Web site for the most frequently asked questions (FAQ) about the program, a checklist of training materials, the training outline and much more at: www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/naco.html
SACOSUBJECT AUTHORITY COOPERATIVE PROGRAM Through this program participants propose subject headings for inclusion in Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) and classification number proposals or changes for inclusion in the Library of Congress classification (LCC) schedules. PURPOSE SACO libraries propose new subject headings and classification numbers that contribute to the development of LCSH and LC classification schedules so that these cataloging tools better reflect users' needs throughout the library community. Changes to existing subject authority records may also be proposed. TRAINING Participants attend subject cataloging workshops offered by the Library of Congress -- either in conjunction with library-related meetings and conferences, or as part of the PCC. SUBMITTING PROPOSALS Detailed guidelines are provided for submitting proposals using either an online proposal form available on the PCC Web site, or by using printed forms available from the Library of Congress. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SACO Visit the PCC Home Page for in-depth information about all of the SACO topics mentioned above at: www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/saco.html
BIBCOMONOGRAPHIC BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD COOPERATIVE PROGRAM Through this program participants that are already NACO members contribute bibliographic records to the national databases. BIBCO members are responsible for contributing full or core level bibliographic records. These records are identified as PCC records and notable for their complete authority work (both descriptive and subject), a national level call number (such as LC classification or NLM classification), and one or more subject access points drawn from nationally recognized thesauri such as LCSH, MeSH, etc., as appropriate. TRAINING Participating librarians attend a training session designed specifically for their needs held at their own institution. The course focuses on the core bibliographic record and the values and decision-making skills necessary to catalogers in producing quality cataloging data. Training is provided by expert staff from PCC libraries. Comments on experiences from training evaluation forms: "Given insights into the flexibility of the program"; "the information was concise and specific, repeated and summarized for clarification"; "I've come away from the training ready to participate!"; "balanced, professional, and included humor"; "Excellent!...Informative and enjoyable." FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BIBCO Visit the PCC Home Page for BIBCO news, documentation, training and other information at: www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/bibco.html
CONSERCOOPERATIVE ONLINE SERIALS PROGRAM CONSER began in the early 1970s as a project to convert manual serial cataloging into machine-readable records and has evolved into an ongoing program to create and maintain high quality bibliographic records for serials. In keeping with its evolution, the name was changed in 1986 from the CONSER (CONversion of SERials) Project to the CONSER (Cooperative ONline Serials) Program. PURPOSE CONSER's goals today are twofold: 1) to produce and maintain a widely-available database of authoritative records for serials in all media, and 2) to contribute to serials cataloging and technical services by working to set standards, creating authoritative documentation and training materials, and addressing major issues related to serials through study, international discussion, and innovative projects. CONSER RECORD CONTRIBUTIONS The CONSER database resides within the OCLC Online Union Catalog. CONSER members authenticate, input, and modify serial cataloging records on OCLC or contribute original records via FTP. Authentication is the process of approving the descriptive and subject elements in the record and providing for the record's availability through distribution services and bibliographic products. Different membership levels have been created to accommodate a variety of record contributions. The four categories of CONSER membership are Full, Associate, CONSER Enhance, and Affiliate. Associate Level membership includes cooperative projects as well as single institutions. TRAINING New CONSER members are trained by experienced serials catalogers from the Library of Congress or other CONSER institutions. The training generally lasts 3 to 5 days, and is followed by a review period.
SERIALS CATALOGING COOPERATIVE TRAINING PROGRAM (SCCTP) The CONSER Program commissions the production of authoritative training materials in serials cataloging or related subjects, such as serials holdings, and provides training for instructors in each course offered. The course materials are available from the Library of Congress' Cataloging Distribution Service. Institutional sponsors plan and schedule the training workshops. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CONSER Visit theCONSER World Wide Web site at: www.loc.gov/acq/conser
PROJECTS CONSER pursues the enrichment of the serial bibliographic environment through projects and the work of task forces. Past CONSER-led efforts have added abstracting and indexing data to serial bibliographic records and launched the development of record sets for publications included in electronic aggregators. Currently, the CONSER Publication Pattern Initiative is developing technical capabilities and a cooperative program for creating and sharing serial publication pattern and holdings data in the MARC 21 holdings format. In support of its mission and goals, the Program for Cooperative Cataloging conducts specialized training for participants in conjunction with professional meetings and conferences, or as part of the Program itself with training held at the Library of Congress or PCC libraries around the world. Intensive courses are offered in three PCC programs: >NACO, SACO, and BIBCO. In addition to providing training for its members, CONSER has developed the Serials Cataloging Cooperative Training Program, a cooperative endeavor to produce standardized training materials and to train experienced serials catalogers to be trainers. These workshops, which are sponsored by other organizations, are open to all. For an overview of skills training, visit NACO at www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/naco/naco.html and view the "NACO Training Outline." Another added benefit of PCC training is the practical, every-day value of the PCC training manuals and materials. The NACO Participants' Manual, CONSER Editing Guide, CONSER Cataloging Manual, and BIBCO Training Manual--each manual is unique to the library community for offering specialized and comprehensive guidelines on a host of cataloging topics applicable to a cataloger's daily work. The manuals are valuable to all catalogers--not only PCC participants--who seek professional development. They are also suitable for courses in library schools.
JOIN THE PCC NOW!
Who to contact to find out moreIf you would like to learn more about the Program for Cooperative Cataloging or about participating in BIBCO, NACO, SACO, please contact the Cooperative Cataloging Team. For an application to join the Program for Cooperative Cataloging, use the available form at: www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/nacoappl.html or contact the Cooperative Cataloging Team If you would like to learn more about CONSER and its programs, please contact: Leslie Hawkins
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Library of Congress >> Cataloging January 3, 2008 |
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