LC CATALOGING NEWSLINE

The Participants' Meeting summary is available at http://www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/pccpart03a.html [October 2003]. The minutes summarize the highlights of the previous six months of PCC activity and the next steps that the PCC will undertake under the guidance of the PCC chair, Robert Wolven (Columbia University), and the chair-elect, Carlen Ruschoff (University of Maryland, College Park). The primary focus of the evening's meeting was a celebration in honor of CONSER's thirtieth birthday which coincided with the retirement of the current CONSER coordinator, Jean Hirons.

The PCC Task Group on SACO Program Development, chaired by Jimmie Lundgren (University of Florida), has submitted its preliminary report. It has been posted to the SACO Web site at http://www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/saco/tgsaco_rpt603.html [October 2003].

The PCC Task Group on International Participation, chaired by John B. Wright (Brigham Young University), has submitted its interim report to the Standing Committees on Standards and Training. The report has been posted to the PCC Web site at http://www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/tgip.html [October 2003].

The PCC Task Group on Assessment, chaired by James S. Stickman (University of Washington), is charged with identifying data that would be useful to the PCC Policy Committee in assessing the effectiveness of the PCC in meeting the needs of libraries for cataloging records and authority headings. The task group will submit its report to the Policy Committee in time for discussion at the November 2003 meeting.

Also available on the PCC Web site is the document addressing the options for handling changes in mode of issuance of integrating resources (IRs) and what impact the changes have for the distribution and maintenance of bibliographic records for IRs http://www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/bibco/dstrbut_irs.pdf [October 2003]. The BIBCO and the CONSER operations committees are still seeking input; the topic will be discussed by the PCC Policy Committee in November 2003.

The Integrating Resources Manual has been completed and will available in December from the Cataloging Distribution Service. The manual is on the BIBCO Web site at: http://www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/bibco/irman.pdf [October]. The BIBCO Participants' Manual has been updated to include references to this new material.

The PCC governance document, http://www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/governce.html [October 2003], has been revised to reflect the creation of the PCC chair emeritus. Bob Wolven will become the first PCC chair to take this ex-officio position. The PCC chair emeritus is a non-voting member of the PCC Policy Committee.

The PCC online statistics are updated monthly and are current through August 2003. Institutional figures can be found at http://www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/stats/stats.html[October 2003].

The PCC calendar, at http://www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/calendar.html [October 2003] has been updated and includes the PCC Series Institute scheduled for October 2003 at LC. Series specialist Judith Kuhagen, senior cataloging policy specialist, Cataloging Policy and Support Office, will be the instructor.

The PCC Standing Committee on Training (SCT), chaired by David Banush (Cornell University), has submitted a report highlighting the ongoing work of the SCT and its future endeavors. The report has been posted to the PCC Web site at http://www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/sct03a.html [October 2003].

The PCC Task Group on SACO Program Development, chaired by Jimmie Lundgren (University of Florida), submitted its preliminary report to the PCC Policy Committee on June 17, 2003. The final report is expected by November 2003. The task group was formed to address the following points:

To identify institutional/participant needs to facilitate subject proposal contributions for inclusion in Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH).

That a utility-based submission and distribution option be developed through both RLIN and OCLC in order to facilitate subject proposals for LCSH.

That a letter outlining the responsibilities for SACO institutional membership be sent to both NACO and SACO participants and request an official commitment from those who choose to be members in this new context.

That the Cooperative Cataloging Team participate in training of SACO members and in expediting proposals as it perceives it can do so most effectively.

That the SACO discussion list be employed to a greater extent than it has been for consultation among SACO members.

That a mechanism be developed for keeping the SACO Participants' Manual up-to-date.

The preliminary report may be found at http://www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/saco/tgsaco_rpt603.html [October 2003].

The ALCTS Metadata Enrichment Task Force (METF) announces the availability of the final draft of Marcia Bates' report, Improving User Access to Library Catalog and Portal Information, for public review at http://www.loc.gov/catdir/bibcontrol/2.3BatesReport6-03.doc.pdf [October 2003]. The document comprises a state-of-the-art review and recommendations regarding work item 2.3 of the Library of Congress Bicentennial Action Plan. The work item calls for exploring ways to enrich metadata records by focusing on providing additional subject access mechanisms (e.g., front-end user thesauri) and increasing granularity of access and display (e.g., by enabling progression through hierarchy and versions and by additional descriptive information including summaries).

Bates's recommendations include the development of a clustered vocabulary approach to melding users' natural language terms with the many controlled vocabularies assigned to the works for which they are searching. Her approach combines the use of subject specialists to build a vocabulary with input from users. The vocabulary database would then be made available to libraries and commercial firms in exchange for sharing in its maintenance. Participants would be able to install the vocabulary in catalogs, portals, and Web sites in a manner suited to their individual needs.

In addition, Bates proposes a staged, cooperative approach to "bibliographic families" based on Bradford distribution to identify the largest and most problematic of them and to provide relationship information for objects within the families. Such relationship information could then be shared.

The report further provides a bibliography and an extensive review that spotlights issues and research in the field of information-seeking behavior.

The Metadata Enrichment Task Force welcomes comments from readers regarding the report and its recommendations. The task force is particularly interested in knowing whether the library community has confidence in this approach, whether it would be willing to participate in the construction of the recommended tools, and whether vendors would be interested in using the tools. In addition, any comments on parallel approaches to these issues and how they might interoperate with the report recommendations would be welcome. Please direct such correspondence to: .2_3@worktools.si.umich.edu.

The METF is a task force appointed by the ALCTS Task Force on the LC Action Plan and chaired by Judith Ahronheim (University of Michigan).

The Library of Congress Portals Applications Issues Group (LCPAIG) announces publication of its "List of Portal Application Functionalities for the Library of Congress." The document is available at: http://www.loc.gov/catdir/lcpaig/portalfunctionalitieslist4publi ccomment1st7-22-03revcomp.pdf [October 2003].

The List, which is offered for public comment, represents the results of nearly one year of market analysis to study portal functionality of particular products in order to identify existing features of such products. The functionalities are organized under broad headings: General Requirements, Client Requirements, Searching and Search Results, Knowledge Database, Patron Authentication, and Portal Administration and Vendor Support. Functionalities are designated as "M" (mandatory) if present in one or more of the three applications (ZPORTAL (TM), MetaLib/SFX, ENCompass/LinkFinderPlus) that were tested during market analysis. In addition, for a high performing portal application, the LCPAIG identified several highly desirable functionalities not yet present in any of the products tested. These functionalities, designated as "D" (desirable) are offered to vendors for consideration as they enhance their products.

The LCPAIG recognizes that the list may not include applications that other kinds of libraries might specify as either required or desirable. For example, academic libraries are likely to want portal products that can interface with courseware. In short, the list produced by the LCPAIG is for a large and complex research library. Additions or omissions may be appropriate according to the needs of other kinds of libraries.

The LCPAIG welcomes feedback on its statement of proposed mandatory and desirable functionalities from individuals, libraries, professional organizations, and vendors. Comments should be sent to: .

The study that produced the List resulted from work item 2.1 within the action plan that grew out of the Library of Congress Cataloging Directorate's Bicentennial Conference on Bibliographic Control for the New Millennium. For further information about the Conference and its outcomes, visit: http://www.loc.gov/catdir/bibcontrol/ [October 2003].

For further information about the LCPAIG, visit: http://www.loc.gov/catdir/lcpaig/paig.html [October 2003].

To enrich access to scholarly materials through the Library of Congress Online Catalog http://catalog.loc.gov/, the Library of Congress's Bibliographic Enrichment Advisory Team (BEAT) http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/beat/ [October 2003] has launched a collaborative project with H-Net Reviews in the Humanities and Social Sciences housed at Michigan State University http://www.h-net.org/reviews/ [October 2003].

The project links LC catalog records to corresponding H-Net reviews, increasing access to information about published works cataloged by the Library. The reviews cover contemporary publications as well as classic publications in a variety of academic fields. Many of the reviews, in addition to containing relevant Library of Congress subject headings, include footnotes and bibliographies.

The initial phase of the cooperative project, begun in early 2003, has resulted in 6,173 links from Library of Congress catalog records to corresponding H-Net reviews. Current plans are to link to an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 additional reviews each year.

To view a BEAT-enriched record, go to the LC online catalog http://catalog.loc.gov/. Search LCCN 94044080 (The Kingdom of Quito, 1690-1830 by Kenneth J. Andrien). The record for this book contains a link to the corresponding H-Net review. It also links to sample text, a publisher's description, and the book's table of contents. The record's note field also includes a description of this item from the Handbook of Latin American Studies (HLAS).

Please direct questions and comments to Tracy Meehleib at .tmee@loc.gov.

The Cataloging Distribution Service (CDS) has published a new volume in the Understanding MARC Series, Understanding MARC Authority Records. An introductory manual that includes descriptions of MARC 21 authority records, many examples and a bibliography, it is useful for library staff, library school students, automated library system vendors, and others who want to promote the importance of using standardized MARC data.

Also recently published is the seventh edition of Understanding MARC Bibliographic, a similar manual explaining the MARC 21 format in the context of bibliographic records. It is available on the Internet at http://www.loc.gov/marc/umb/ [October 2003].

CDS now offers Cataloger's Desktop Web-Based Training available at http://www.loc.gov/cds/newfrom.html [October 2003].

CDS is conducting a survey of Cataloging Service Bulletin users, to examine alternate ways to deliver the Cataloging Service Bulletin (CSB) to be submitted by October 30.

Complete information on CDS publications is found at the http://www.loc.gov/cds/ [October 2003].

LC CATALOGING NEWSLINE (ISSN 1066-8829) is published irregularly by the Cataloging Directorate, Library Services, Library of Congress, and contains news of cataloging activities throughout the Library of Congress. Editorial Office: Cataloging Policy and Support Office, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540-4305. Editor, Robert M. Hiatt; Editorial Advisory Group: Julianne Beall, John Byrum, Roselyne Chang, Jurij Dobczansky, Les Hawkins, Albert Kohlmeier, Susan Morris, Geraldine Ostrove, William Starck, Valerie Weinberg, David Williamson, and Roman Worobec. Address editorial inquiries to the editor at the above address or rhia@loc.gov (email), (202) 707-5831 (voice), or (202) 707-6629 (fax). Listowner: David Williamson. Address subscription inquiries to the listowner at .dawi@loc.gov.

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