GODORT Cataloging Committee Meeting

Sheraton Gunter Hotel, San Antonio, TX

Sunday, January 22, 2006, 10:30am-12:30pm

Andrea Morrison, Chair & Recorder

 

Attending:  Rebecca Culbertson, David Griffiths, Anna Korhonen, Michele McKnelly, Andrea Morrison (chair), Lorna Newman, Sara Strider, Robert Rohrbacher, and John Stevenson.  Absent: Susan Pinckard, Eva Sorrell

 

The agenda was approved with minor revisions.  The minutes were approved with the change of writing the thank you letter for Becky Culbertson after the completion of her term of service as CC:DA liaison (June 2006). The task force liaisons and webmaster, John Stevenson, reported.

 

Laurie Hall, Director, Director, Library Technical Information Services, Library Services and Content Management, GPO, reported on GPO cataloging issues and news on the National Bibliography Program planning.

  • GPO’s ILS implementation is close to going live.  It will contain records from July 1, 1976 forward (approximately 500,000 records).  More information was in GPO’s Midwinter conference handout (to be posted on the Internet).  Not all functions, such as Z39.50, may be ready to go live with the ILS.  GPO cataloging workflow and standards were discussed.  GPO will catalog in OCLC and import records into the ILS—for CONSER records, other records will be cataloged locally and uploaded to OCLC. Monographs will mostly be cataloged at K-level. A desktop access problem slowed recent cataloging production.  The ILS will have a database cleanup process, including for duplicates, corrupt OCLC numbers, SuDocs number errors, and more.
  • GPO cataloging statistics will be regularly gathered and reported.  GODORT has requested that statistics on a compilation posted on GODORT’s website (http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/GODORT/FDLP_Statistics.pdf) be updated annually by GPO.  New statistical data needing to be gathered was also identified and requested from GPO.  For FY2005, 9,135 purls were created, 238 lost docs needed processing and 2,886 titles (all formats) were in the cataloging backlog, most of which are electronic resources.  Approximately 1,026 records are created monthly.  When web harvesting begins for electronic documents, after GPO awards the contract, approximately 300,000 titles are expected to be harvested for cataloging on a yearly basis.
  • Web harvesting issues:  GPO is identifying policy for types of materials to be included in depository distribution.  Business cards and other such material won’t be included.  In the gap before harvesting begins, GPO requests that the library community help identify electronic documents for cataloging.
  • The GPO cataloging policy MARC field 300 for remote electronic resources was discussed.  The Committee requested a minor clarification of language in the final policy to show that a cataloging rule mentioned (AACR2 rule 9.5C3) was a GPO rule interpretation of an optional provision (AACR2 rule 9.5B3).  The policy could be interpreted as stating that the rule is required by AACR2. Hall will see to the change.  Background documents discussed are posted on GODORT’s Cataloging Committee page at http://www2.lib.udel.edu/godort/cataloging/index.htm.
  • The GPO implementation date for creating separate records for separate formats, e.g. paper and microfiche was discussed.  A trial is underway for Essential Titles only, which are mostly serials.
  • The lack of Spanish-language materials in cataloging record distribution was noted. There is an important need for these materials. The issue relates mostly to fugitive documents and not to a cataloging backlog.  GPO needs the help of the library community to report lost documents, especially now before harvesting of electronic titles is implemented.
  • Managing the Serial Set information in the GPO OPAC will be handled with a 440 established for the United States Congressional Serial Set monographic series. Volumes that are monographic will be handled differently than serials.  Purls will lead both to the Serial Set volume and to the GPO ACCESS monographic report or document title.  GPO will post a policy and workflows document for comment and the Cataloging Committee will prepare a GODORT response.  It should include comments on the importance of updating OCLC records for the titles.  The deadline will be before April 2006. The announcement will be made on the FDLP electronic list.

 

The Cataloging Committee had a lively discussion on goals and objectives relating to serving members and recruiting new members. Arlene Weible, GODORT chair, explained this charge which was given to all GODORT Committees and Task Forces to consider at this conference. It was determined that the Committee serves GODORT members by advocating in the policy process for GPO cataloging and for official cataloging rule changes, such as in the current revision to AACR2 with RDA.  It provides outreach and continuing education by communication through electronic lists, the web, programs, preconferences and DttP.  Cataloging Committee members have expertise from many diverse backgrounds, such as catalogers, technical services librarians, depository librarians, reference librarians, library administrators, and vendors, and share this expertise with new and existing GODORT members. The Committee also serves by bringing important topics to the attention of other ALA Committees and working on them within the larger ALA community.

 

The Committee discussed some possibilities of submitting or sponsoring an article for DttP and will investigate further.  The DttP editor encourages Committee submissions. Of several suggested topics, including Morrison’s topic of demystifying series for the non-cataloger, the Committee liked Paul Arrigo’s concept “If you know MARC, you know metadata” and asked him to consider developing it as an article.

 

The use of item numbers for managing GPO record selection was discussed in general as needing review.  Specifically, the Committee discussed the need to separate retrospective GPO cataloging records from those currently distributed on active item numbers.  In a test of cataloging retrospective materials, GPO cataloged 135 boxes of Congressional bills in late Dec. 2005.  The records were distributed in Jan. 2006.  Although they describe old materials not retained by many libraries, they were “new records” to Marcive and were distributed to subscribers.  Problems arose because the materials were cataloged using the current item number 1006-A (for microfiche format bills) instead of the discontinued GPO item number 1006 (for paper format bills), with the result that some subscribers received new records for individual bills that may not be held in their collections. The consensus of those present was that libraries want retrospective records identified so they can be separated from records shipments for current depository receipts.  Individual institutions will need to decide whether to use or receive the retrospective records created in the GPO shelflist conversion project. GPO will work to identify retrospective records with a field so that vendors, such as Marcive, will be able to identify these records and process them to meet their customers’ institutional needs.

 

The Committee confirmed interest in a Cataloging Toolbox for state and local documents with Lorna Newman, the State and Local Documents Task Force liaison.  Newman will receive information about a previous version from John Stevenson and proceed with the project by working with SLDTF and consulting with the Cataloging Committee as needed. Morrison commented that she had sent out a reminder about the Committee’s cataloging toolboxes on the autocat electronic list and that this was a useful thing to do regularly for several lists.

 

Becky Culbertson, liaison for the ALCTS Cataloging and Classification: Description and Access Committee (CC:DA), explained the background of the draft RDA: Resource Description and Access, which will replace the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR2).  It will be designed as a web product.   The comment period ends in early February.  The Cataloging Committee will forward all comments to Culbertson who will collect our comments and report them through CC:DA.  A public website for comments is available on the ALA/ALCTS home page. Any GODORT member can comment and Morrison will make the announcement about it at the membership meeting. Culbertson will write up a summary explaining the process for the development of RDA and submit it to DttP.