Strategic Directions for the
Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC)

2007-2010

SD1: Be a forward thinking, influential leader in the global metadata community

The PCC is a primary organization bringing together in collaboration leaders in the global cataloguing and metadata field. It is in a unique position to see the way forward, to articulate that future vision for practitioners in the field, to influence the future and to lead the way through cooperative action.

Goals:

• Continually and critically scan its environment for opportunities to exercise leadership through cooperative action
• Increase the organization's ability to respond quickly and effectively to a changing environment by being proactive, not reactive
• Actively engage in on-going program evaluation and assessment
• Sponsor and support progress through a research and development agenda
• Work towards a culture of flexibility and nimbleness in perceiving challenges and exploiting opportunities

Objective 1: Build a professional development series on the current and future developments in the digital information environment to be presented at the annual and midwinter PCC meetings, 2007-2010.

• Action 1: Develop a series of lectures to be presented at the annual and midwinter meetings of the PCC on the current and future developments in the information environment. Details.

Objective 2: Work with JSC to establish an orientation/training role for PCC.

• Action 1: Appoint PCC representative to the ALCTS Task Force on Implementation and Training for RDA. Details.

Objective 3: CONSER Standard Record implementation

• Action 1: Implement the CONSER Standard Record. Details.

SD2: Redefine the Common Enterprise

The Program achieves its goals through cooperative efforts to increase cost-effective creation, sharing, and timely availability and use of authoritative records. Current trends in the web environment are leading away from a model based only on standard records towards an emphasis on interoperability between multiple standards for metadata used and recycled between book industry, rights management, library and information sectors, increasingly including machine-generated metadata. The PCC will address these trends in relation to its own goals by exploring potential new economic models for cooperation that cut across traditional sector boundaries by identifying and exploiting common metadata needs.

Goals:

• Understand and capitalize on the economic advantages of cooperation
• Recast PCC goals, taking into account the new realities of the information and metadata landscape (e.g. non-library business models for information and metadata such as Google)
• Make common cause with non-traditional partners when mutual goals align

Objective 1: Revise the PCC mission statement.

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Objective 2: Re-invigorate/empower standing committees.

• Action 1: Re-assess mission and charges for SCS and SCA and revise as necessary. Details.

Objective 3: Identify funding sources to support PCC activities.

• Action 1: Identify foundations, agencies that provide grant money and develop a list of agencies that might fund PCC projects. Details.

SD3: Build on and Expand Partnerships and Collaborations in Support of the Common Enterprise

In order to respond more effectively to the fundamental challenges facing the PCC in the years to come, it is imperative that the organization continues to expand on existing partnerships as well as form new collaborative ventures. By working with others to increase and improve communication, cooperation, and collaboration, new innovative outcomes will have a positive impact on the continued viability and success of the Program.

Goals:

• Strengthen efforts to recruit, expand, and diversify membership in the PCC
• Develop close working relationships with publishing entities to promote arrangements for data sharing
• Support efforts to derive cataloguing records created according to standards established by other communities
• Promote use of commercially created data for use in local systems

Objective 1: Explore a new category of membership that will allow individuals who do not work in a PCC member organization to contribute PCC records.

• Action 1: Investigate feasibility of an individual contributor program for individuals who have been trained and have contributed PCC level records and make a proposal for such a program. Details.

• Action 2: Investigate the feasibility of extending the PCC individual contributor program to individuals who are interested in contributing PCC records, but who have not been trained, nor have they contributed PCC level records. Details.

Objective 2: Explore opportunities for repurposing publisher created metadata.

• Action 1: Commission report on the current status of ONIX standards and other related EDItEUR/NISO standards. Details.

• Action 2: Review the status report on ONIX standards and recommend next steps. Details.

Objective 3: Partner with outside communities to develop cooperative metadata projects and activities.

• Action 1: Meet with representatives from OCLC to discuss OCLC/PCC mutual goals for metadata providers/producers. Details.

• Action 2: Identify metadata communities and recommend possible cooperative activities. Details.

• Action 3: Implement cooperative activities with metadata communities. Details.

SD4: Pursue Globalization

In light of the increasingly global scope and reach of information, especially through the Web, the PCC needs to look beyond North America in seeking metadata and access value. While serious barriers of language, standards, technology and culture exist, they can be overcome or mitigated through flexibility, if the gain for all partners is sufficient.

Goals:

• Increase the effectiveness and international impact of a shared authority file
• Explore translation protocols for bibliographic information
• Increase international visibility of the PCC
• Explore reconciliation of PCC and other international standards

Objective 1: Internationalize the NACO authority file.

• Action 1: Identify the barriers to the contribution of records to the NACO authority file by organizations outside of North America and recommend solutions. Details.

Objective 2: Explore international PCC contributions beyond the NACO Authority File.

• Action 1: Identify barriers to contributing records to BIBCO, CONSER and SACO for organizations outside of North America and recommend solutions. Details.

SD5: Lead in the Education and Training of Catalogers

The PCC will continue its well-regarded program of cataloguing training, but will increasingly turn to educating the profession for the future of cataloguing and libraries, and on developing future leaders for the changing cataloguing and metadata world of tomorrow. Education will increasingly focus on the bedrock foundation of principles which can be adapted to changing needs, audiences, technologies, and on the flexibility needed by future leaders to adapt.

Goals:

• Increase leadership development opportunities within the PCC and the cataloging profession
• Continue to build on success in developing and providing training
• Influence and change the reward structure for cataloging professionals
• Promote vertical dialogue and consistency of perspective within its own organization and the organizations of its member institutions

Objective 1: Ensure that catalogers are familiar with the changes introduced in RDA.

• Action 1: Develop a workshop to assist catalogers in learning about and implementing RDA. Details.

Objective 2: Develop cataloging training courses to be delivered online.

• Action 1: Develop an online course in basic cataloging skills. Details.

• Action 2: Propose additional online courses in cataloging specialized materials. Details.