PCC Standing Committee on Standards

Task Group on Conference Publications

Charge and members

Background:

In February 1995, the CONSER Task Force on the Cataloging of Conference Publications was appointed to study three major issues surrounding the cataloging of conference publications: 1) monograph vs. serial treatment, 2) choice of title and title changes, and 3) headings for conferences. After two years' intelligent and diligent work, the Task Force successfully addressed the first issue by recommending revisions to LCRI 12.0A, which simplified the decision-making process on the part of catalogers and improved access points for users. At the same time, CONSER was merging with the Program for Cooperative Cataloging, and the Task Force recommended that the PCC Standards Committee be charged to consider the remaining issues.

The PCC Standing Committee on Standards has designated the Task Group on Conference Publications to address four issues, which impact the processing and use of conference publications. Three of the issues are follow-up recommendations from the CONSER Task Force and one has been newly added.

Charge:

• Develop clear guidelines in the rules that can be used by catalog librarians in determining a consistent choice of title for conference publications.
• Review and propose changes beyond those recommended by CC:DA in the Major changes appendix to the rules to define categories of minor changes in name, which would not constitute a name change (similar to the provisions in AACR2 21.2A1 and LCRI 21.2A).
• Review and propose changes to the rules to provide clear guidelines on how to record the abbreviated form of the year in the name of a conference when establishing the heading for that conference.
  (For example, EuroGP'99 vs. EuroGP '99)
• Explore options for ensuring that runs of conference publications are classed in the same classification number when cataloging them as monographs. For example, recording the class number in authority records for conference names.

Time Frame:

The Task Force should submit to the PCC Standing Committee on Standards an interim report at 2002 ALA Midwinter meeting and a final report after the 2002 ALA Annual meeting.