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PCC Resources for
Joining
- Who can join NACO?
- May individuals join NACO?
- Are commercial agencies (i.e., vendors that are for-profit agencies that provide cataloging services/products to libraries) eligible to join NACO?
- What does it cost to join NACO?
- Is it required that my library use a bibliographic utility to participate in NACO?
- Is there a contract involved?
Training
- How many staff members can be trained at the same time for NACO?
- Is there a schedule for NACO training classes?
- Is sending a staff member or two to the Library of Congress for training an option?
- Does the NACO workshop cover authority records for series?
- Does the NACO workshop cover authority records for musical works and expressions?
Record Creation
- Will we need a password to create NACO records?
- Will my authority records be identified by a MARC code or utility symbol?
- Traditionally it is said that authority work is the most costly aspect of cataloging. What additional research is required before contributing authority records (e.g. calling publishers, consulting biographical sources)?
- What are the procedures for feedback from NACO trainer/reviewer on our performance in the program?
- Will headings from local catalogs with many cross-references be accepted for NACO contribution?
Non-Latin Scripts
- May we submit authority records for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean names? If so, are there any differences in procedure?
- Will LC accept alternative romanization schemes for cross-references?
- Will LC accept cross-references in non-Latin scripts?
Responsibilities
- Is there a minimum number of headings we must submit annually or monthly?
- What happens if our insitution's contribution does not meet the required annual statistical goal?
- What happens if our institution's contributions do not meet PCC NACO quality standards?
- Is a NACO library contractually bound to stay in the PCC or is it possible to withdraw?
Communication
Statistics
- Who can join NACO?
Any institution may join NACO. The NACO Program is comprised of libraries of various sizes, academic, public, special, and vendors. There are NACO libraries from throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, Latin America, New Zealand, South Africa, and Asia.
- May individuals join NACO?
No, joining NACO is an institutional commitment. Joining the PCC involves an initial investment of time for staff to be trained. (Please consult the NACO training outline.) An institutional commitment assures the continuity of participation in NACO long after an individual cataloger has moved on.
- Are commercial agencies (i.e., vendors that are for-profit agencies that provide cataloging services/products to libraries) eligible to join NACO?
Yes, the PCC has approved applications from commercial agencies to join NACO.
- What does it cost to join NACO?
There is no cost per se to join. However, in addition to the investment of time for staff to be trained, an institution is expected to pay the food, travel, and lodging expenses of a NACO trainer (if the institution will be receiving training onsite rather than online). The PCC has a cadre of regional trainers who are available to provide this training so that travel costs, etc. can be held to a reasonable amount. A prospective NACO library may request a cost estimate for the travel expenses of a trainer in the early stages of planning. Institutions are also responsible for the ongoing costs associated with maintaining a subscription to RDA Toolkit and maintaining membership in a bibliographic utility.
- Is it required that my library use a bibliographic utility to participate in NACO?
Yes. NACO participants belong to OCLC or SkyRiver in order to contribute authorities online.
- Is there a contract with the PCC involved?
No, there is no formal contract with the PCC for NACO participation. However, part of the application process for NACO training or retraining is a commitment from the director of the new institution to contribute the appropriate minimum number of records and to maintain continuity in the institution's NACO leadership.
- How many staff members can be trained at the same time for NACO?
For the most effective NACO training experience, a class should have no more than 15 trainees. However, special arrangements or exceptions can be made on a case by case basis. Please contact the PCC Secretariat to discuss these special arrangements.
- Is there a schedule for NACO training classes?
No, there are no regularly scheduled NACO classes. NACO training is scheduled "on demand" for new participating libraries. Once the PCC application is approved, the PCC Secretariat at LC will assess the training schedule and the availability of a trainer, then contact the new participant to schedule the training. The training may be conducted online rather than in-person.
- Is sending a staff member or two to the Library of Congress for training an option?
Yes, it may be possible. To maximize training resources at LC a NACO workshop may be scheduled for a group of institutions if each instituiton is sending only one or two staff members. Note that each institution sending NACO trainees is responsible for the travel and lodging expenses of its own staff.
- Does the NACO workshop cover authority records for series?
No. Series are excluded from the basic NACO workshop because the creation of series authority records is complex and often requires expertise in the creation of corporate names. It is recommended that NACO participants not take series training until after they have completed the basic NACO workshop and gained some experience as a NACO contributor. NACO Series training is self-paced and based on the honor system.
- Does the NACO workshop cover authority records for musical works and expressions?
No. Review and training for the creation of authority records for musical works and expressions are handled by the Music Library Association's NACO Music Project and consequently are not covered as part of the basic NACO workshop. However, personal and corporate names of musicians, musical groups, etc., are covered in the NACO workshop and all NACO participants may contribute these records without any additional training or review.
- Will we need a password to create new records?
Before contributing authority records to the LC-PCC Name Authority File (NAF), each OCLC authorization that an institution intends to use for NACO work must be upgraded to "NACO Regular" status. After applying and being accepted into NACO membership, institutions will be directed to follow the instructions provided in Preparing for NACO Training under section 15, "NACO authorizations for OCLC contributors."
- Will my authority records be identified by a MARC code or utility symbol?
The MARC organization code present in the 040 field of an authority record is used to identify the contributing institution. If your organization does not have such a code, it will be necessary to receive one before the NACO Workshop. This is best done by using the Web request form available on the MARC Code List for Organizations home page.
- Traditionally it is said that authority work is the most costly aspect of cataloging. What additional research is required before contributing authority records (e.g. calling
publishers, consulting biographical sources)?
Research is required only in the event of a conflict (e.g., you are establishing a heading and you discover that another heading with the exact same elements already exists in the NAF) and for the few cases specified in RDA and the LC-PCC Policy Statements (e.g., geographic names).
- What are the procedures for feedback from NACO trainer/reviewer on our performance in the program?
This is discussed in detail on the last day of NACO training. Generally, for the first 3-6 months after a library's training, the newly trained library submits newly created or newly modified records to their NACO trainer/reviewer and that person provides feedback. The ultimate goal is to make the library independent for NACO record contribution within the one-year probationary period for PCC membership.
- Will headings from local catalogs with many cross-references be accepted for NACO contribution?
A participant may contribute headings with as many cross-references as deemed necessary as long as they are allowed by RDA and the LC-PCC Policy Statements and do not create a conflict situation (due to normalization).
- May we submit authority records for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean names? If so, are there any differences in procedure?
Yes, you may submit authority records for names needed in cataloging any non-Latin script materials, but you are not obligated to do so. The procedure is the same except that you may be asked to provide title page surrogates to your reviewer and you will be expected to follow the ALA-LC Romanization Tables. If the library creates such headings infrequently, they will remain under review for these headings indefinitely. If a library wishes to contribute such headings regularly in large quantities, they may ask to be reviewed with the goal of NACO independence for specified languages, usually after they have achieved general NACO independent status.
- Will LC accept alternative romanization schemes for cross-references?
Yes, as long as they do not create a conflict situation with an existing heading or references.
- Will LC accept cross-references in non-Latin scripts?
Yes, cross-references in non-Latin scripts are accepted but not required.
- Is there a minimum number of headings we must submit annually or monthly?
In FY2003, the PCC adopted annual minimum contribution standards for two reasons:
- in order to justify the cost of training, documentation, and program support by both LC and the NACO library;
- and to maintain expertise and keep up with changes in cataloging.
- What happens if our institution's contribution does not meet the required annual statistical goal?
The PCC Secretariat identifies institutions whose low production becomes a cause for concern, bringing these concerns to the attention of the PCC Steering Committee. The Steering Committee will decide on appropriate action based on the Governance document. The institution may be invited to join a funnel project.
- What happens if our institution's contributions do not meet PCC NACO quality standards?
NACO participants, having received NACO training and review, shall maintain record contributions in accordance with rules and policies outlined in program documentation. If it becomes apparent that quality is not being maintained, the PCC Secretariat notifies the PCC Steering Committee. If appropriate, the Committee will ask the Secretariat to initiate a six month review of the member institution's contributions. The institution is notified prior to the review. If the desired improvement is not realized, the institution will be notified that its NACO membership has been concluded.
- Is a NACO library contractually bound to stay in the PCC or is it possible to withdraw?
No, there is no contractual bond, but we think that the cooperative spirit that sparked the interest in joining the PCC in the first place will win the day. Once a library has been trained, the participant is expected to contribute records and work towards independence within a one-year provisional period. However, if circumstances prevent a library from reaching independence or contributing sufficient records to the program, the Cooperative Cataloging Team is available to help that library work out a solution so the cooperative cataloging community does not lose a valuable partner.
- Is there a NACO discussion list?
The PCC Secreatariat uses the PCCLIST discussion list to disseminate announcements relating to the NACO program and to the PCC program in general. The list allows all NACO participants to share information, discuss general cooperative cataloging issues, and pose questions to each other about NACO policies and practices.
- Are there regularly scheduled meetings at ALA conferences?
There is a regularly scheduled PCC Participants' Meeting held at both ALA Midwinter and ALA Annual, usually on Sunday evenings.
- What reports does LC provide to the NACO libraries?
Statistics showing the contributions of all institutions in the PCC programs are compiled twice during the LC fiscal year. Midyear statistics cover October 1 to March 30 of the following calendar year. Annual statistics cover October 1 to September 30th of the following year. In addition, monthly NACO contributions are posted online alphabetically by MARC organization code so that libraries can monitor their own contributions throughout the year. These statistical reports are displayed online through the PCC Statistics page.
