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OLAC NEWSLETTER
Volume 15, Number 1,
March 1995


TABLE OF CONTENTS

FROM THE EDITOR

FROM THE PRESIDENT

FROM THE TREASURER

MEET THE CANDIDATES

CONFERENCE REPORTS

NEWS FROM OCLC

NEWS FROM RLIN

OCLC USERS COUNCIL REPORT

NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

OLAC NEWSLETTER INDEX (VOL. 11-14)


FROM THE EDITOR
Sue Neumeister

In this issue you will find the ALCTS Computer Files Discussion Group report in addition to the usual liaison reports from the 1995 ALA Midwinter meetings. The June issue of the newsletter will include the minutes of the Cataloging Policy Committee, OLAC Business, and Executive Board meetings.

There are also many interesting items in the News and Announcements column, one of which is information on the ALA preconference on interactive multimedia being held in June. Details are also given for the OCLC project. "Building a Catalog of Internet Resources."

Also in this issue is the OLAC Newsletter index for volumes 11-14. Next year, a 15 year cumulation will be compiled in a separate issue. The Executive Board would like to thank Cathy Leonardi (Duke University) for her many years of fine service as indexer for the OLAC Newsletter. The AV community has benefitted from her hard work. The Board welcomes Bobby Ferguson (State Library of Louisiana) as her successor. Bobby has had previous experience indexing the newsletter and the Board is pleased that she is willing to share her time and expertise.

Congratulations to Karen Driessen and Sheila Smyth on their recent publication from Greenwood Press, A Library Manager's Guide to the Physical Processing of Nonbook Materials. It is a welcome addition to the cataloging reference shelves. A flyer can be found inserted in this issue with ordering information and details of this OLAC sponsored book.

If anyone is attending the ALCTS "Serials Cataloging in the Age of Format Integration" workshop and would like to write a report for the OLAC Newsletter or if anyone attended the Cataloging Norms Discussion Group program on February 4 in Philadelphia, please contact Ian Fairclough, Conference Reports Editor.

DEADLINE FOR JUNE ISSUE: MAY 1, 1995

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FROM THE PRESIDENT
Mary S. Konkel

Philadelphia in February brought us an unexpected winter wonderland, complete with blizzard, freezing temperatures, and skating rinks on every sidewalk. However, those who attended ALA Midwinter would agree as we "slip slided away," that the Conference was extremely productive and chock-filled with discussions and proposals of interest to the AV community.

The Executive Board completed several updates to the OLAC Handbook, including a section on Elections which will be presented for your approval as a revision to the OLAC Bylaws. Progress on the OLAC membership directory should present us with a handy reference tool latter this year.

The Board is also pleased to announce the host site for the 1996 fall OLAC Conference: the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Denton, Texas. Sharon Almquist has agreed to be Conference Chair. She is interested in volunteers to help plan, particularly from the Denton area. Sharon can be reached at the University of North Texas, voice: (817) 565-4702 or e-mail: salmquis@library.unt.edu.

The OLAC Archives, residing at the University of North Florida in the capable hands of the OLAC Archivist, Verna Urbanski have received some "spit and polish." We have been fortunate in securing the services of Martha Smith, an experienced records manager who has been busy these past few months assembling our many years of records, proposals, agendas, conferences and committee reports, etc. Verna is pleased to have the Archives assembled in true working order which will make collection and retention much easier to manage.

Two Ad Hoc Committees were appointed on research and scholarship respectively. Their charges can be found in this newsletter.

The Nominating Committee (Sheila Smyth, Chair and Sue Neumeister) have presented a strong slate of candidates for the OLAC elections. Please see Meet the Candidates. You should have already received your ballots in a separate mailing. Sheila must receive your ballots by the April 10th deadline to be counted.

In honor of OLAC's 15th birthday, we will be having a celebration following the usual Saturday night general business meeting at ALA Annual in Chicago. Stay tuned for further details and hope you can join us.

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FROM THE TREASURER
Johanne LaGrange



     Reporting period:      October 1, 1994-December 31, 1994
     
     Membership: 718
        Institutional - 305
        Personal      - 413

     ACCOUNT BALANCE:  September 30, 1994

        Merrill Lynch WCMA Account                       26,476.69

     INCOME

        Back Issues                           51.00
        Dividends--WCMA Account              311.14
        Memberships                        5,501.00

        TOTAL INCOME                                      5,863.14

     EXPENSES

        ALA--1994 Conference                 120.00
        Banking Fees
        Activity Fee                          16.65
        OLAC Newsletter (v.14, no.4)       1,357.35
        Photocopies                           66.17
        Postage/Permit                       109.19

        TOTAL EXPENSES                                   (1,669.36)


     ACCOUNT BALANCE: December 31, 1994

        Merrill Lynch WCMA Account                       30,670.47

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MEET THE CANDIDATES

CANDIDATES FOR VICE PRESIDENT/PRESIDENT ELECT

Richard Harwood
Cataloging Coordinator
The University of Tennessee

Cynthia Whitacre
Manager, Technical Processing Dept.
Conversion and Contract Cataloging Services, OCLC

CANDIDATE FOR TREASURER

Johanne LaGrange
Catalog/Serials Librarian
Columbia University Health Sciences Library

**DISCLAIMER: The Nominating Committee would like to apologize for the error on the personal members' ballots received in mid-March. Richard Harwood's Regional Activities do NOT include "Chair, Texas A&M University University, Committee on Library Planning and Programs (1990); Medical Library Association (NY-NJ Chapter, New York Technical Services Librarians."

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CONFERENCE REPORTS
Ian Fairclough, Column Editor

Report From ALCTS AV Meetings
Association for Library Collections & Technical Services
1995 ALA Midwinter Conference

Submitted by Molly Brennan Hand
OLAC Liaison to ALCTS AV

On Sunday morning Glenn Patton from OCLC gave a presentation on format integration, specifically highlighting changes related to audiovisual, computer files and music materials. He reported that OCLC will convert records in the Online Union Catalog (OLUC) when the change is obvious and there is a one to one relationship between old and new codes. For example, 2nd indicators in the 1xx field will be changed, but the 740 fields will not be changed to 246 fields.

At the Tuesday afternoon meeting, Patton reported that the National Library of Medicine (NLM) AVLINE materials have been loaded into OCLC. He also reported in the last year there has been a 10-12% growth rate in audiovisual materials added to the OLUC. He encouraged the use of electronic error reports available through the Internet and announced OCLC is working on PASSPORT for Windows which should be ready later in the year.

Merle Slyhoff reported for the Producer/Distributor--Library Relations Subcommittee. The Subcommittee has completed a draft of the text for a brochure to be sent to non-print producers and distributors addressing the production of quality film and video with consistent title and packaging information. A final "mock-up" will be ready for the ALA Conference in June. They are looking at the possibility of creating several brochures, each addressing a different format, presented as a packet.

Johanne LaGrange reported on the work of the AV Standards Subcommittee. They are working on a draft standard for the labeling of videos. The draft will be further refined after they receive some information from the National Association of Photographic Manufacturers. A draft standard for the labeling of interactive multimedia is also being developed.

Johanne LaGrange distributed the final report from the Task Force on Liaisons. This Task Force re-examined liaison relationships to the ALCTS AV Committee. The Committee spent some time discussing the report and then agreed to send comments and questions to the chair by early spring.

The Subcommittee was discharged and the entire ALCTS AV Committee will make any changes necessary to the report.

Martha Yee reported on the work of the Task Force on Uniform Titles, which addressed applying uniform titles to moving image materials. In their final report, the Task Force outlined three different options. They recommended the option which urges LC to rescind the section of LCRI 25.5B that addresses motion pictures and instead follow AACR2R as written in applying uniform titles to moving image materials. The Committee passed a motion to accept this recommendation. It was suggested that the Committee solicit CAPC's support for this proposal. There was some discussion on the Music Library Association's proposal to the Committee on Cataloging: Description and Access (CC:DA) to appoint a task force to examine the rules in AACR2R concerning main entry for videorecordings that include musical elements. CC:DA has decided to develop a charge and appoint a task force to look at the whole issue of what a manifestation is, as defined in AACR2R. ALCTS AV decided to form a task force to also look at this issue. The chair will appoint members to the task force.

The 1996 Annual Conference program in New York was discussed. The program will be on processing and preservation of non-print materials. The Program Committee is working on the arrangements.

The ALCTS AV Committee decided not to sponsor tours at the Annual Conference this year. Most members would be attending the preconference on cataloging interactive multimedia and would not be able to devote the time necessary to the tours.

Sheila Smyth asked for volunteers for a task force to examine the name and the charge of the ALCTS AV Committee. She will appoint members before ALA Annual in Chicago.

Final business included changing the meeting time for ALCTS AV from Tuesday afternoons to Tuesday mornings from 8:30 to 12:30. The Committee will continue to meet on Sunday mornings from 8 to 9.

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News From AMIA
Association of Moving Image Archivists
Cataloging and Documentation Committee

As Reported at the OLAC Business Meeting
Saturday, February 4, 1995

Submitted by Martha M. Yee
OLAC Liaison to AMIA

The Committee's meetings in Boston were largely taken up with discussion of the revision of two moving image cataloging standards: Archival Moving Image Materials: A Cataloging Manual (AMIM) and Moving Image Materials: Genre Terms (MIM). Issues covered included who "owns" these documents, and who should revise them. For the genre terms list (MIM), it was decided that an inter-organizational committee with one representative from each organization would explore the revision procedures and possible funding sources, identify potential reviewers, create a timeline, and draft guiding principles for the revision of MIM. The organizations involved in this preliminary committee are the Library of Congress (rep. by Brian Taves), the National Moving Image Database (NAMID) (rep. by Henry Mattoon), the Society for Cinema Studies (SCS) (rep. by Janet Staiger), and AMIA (rep. by Martha M. Yee, Chair of the Standards Subcommittee of the Cataloging and Documentation Committee (C&D Committee)).

Working cooperatively with the Library of Congress, the C&D Committee will also be involved in revising AMIM. The Committee decided that in order to make the manual relevant for cataloging the wide variety of moving image materials, it is important to receive as much feedback from the field as possible. This effort is being coordinated by Linda Tadic, Chair of the Committee. The plan of action for the next year consists of three steps: 1) publish an open letter and initial general survey in appropriate newsletters and listservs asking catalogers to respond to a later more detailed survey on their moving image cataloging practices and problems, and to submit sample records illustrating these practices and problems (this invitation is open to both AMIM users and non-AMIM users); 2) mail detailed surveys to the respondents; 3) analyze the responses and records, and make a report on the findings at the Toronto AMIA Conference. The detailed surveys will be primarily organized by category of material (narrative features, unedited footage, news/broadcast, documentaries, and experimental films/video art) with two versions: one for AMIM users, and one for non-AMIM users. One or two C&D Committee members who have extensive experience in specific categories of material will create the surveys and analyze the records and responses. Once the report is reviewed in Toronto and by the Library of Congress, a plan for actual revision of AMIM will be undertaken.

Out of 39 preliminary surveys received so far:

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Report From MARBI Meetings
Machine-Readable Bibliographic Information
1995 ALA Midwinter Conference

Submitted by John Attig
OLAC Liaison to MARBI

The MARBI Committee met for three meetings in Philadelphia and took action on most of the items on its agenda. The following items will be of interest to OLAC members:

Proposal 95-1: Changes to Field 856 (Electronic Location and Access) in the USMARC Bibliographic Format

The proposal deals primarily with recording access information for non-Internet resources, particularly those accessible through telephone connections. The proposal was approved. In addition, some editorial changes were made to the field description:

Proposal 95-2: Definition of Subfield $v for Form Subdivisions in the USMARC Formats

This proposal to add subfield $v (Form subdivision) to subject fields, to parallel subfields $x, $y and $z, has been discussed at several previous meetings. At this meeting, information was presented that a "minimal implementation" might be possible and might not be prohibitively costly, and that retrospective conversion of existing records might be done based on a finite list of subdivisions. The Library of Congress also indicated that, if approved, they would eventually implement use of this subfield in Library of Congress Subject Headings. After some discussion, the proposal was approved. Vendors asked that recommendations be made for displays using the new subfield.

Proposal 95-6: Definition of a Linking Code for Reproduction Information in the USMARC Bibliographic Format

This proposal adds some limited support for the description of reproductions by marking and linking (using subfield $8) those fields that apply to the reproduction. In discussion, there was consensus that (for the moment) descriptions of reproductions would be communicated in separate records that contained the descriptions of both the original and the reproduction; that subfield $8 was a reasonable way of marking the reproduction information (except for the 007 field); that whatever technique was approved should be required for all records describing reproductions; and that field 533 need not include subfield $8 if no other reproduction fields are present in the record. There was some discussion about whether field 533 should be used instead of the "regular" fields (260, 300, etc.) and, if so, whether 533 $n would be used instead of all 5XX fields or only instead of field 500. This matter was left unresolved and no vote was taken on the proposal. A further proposal will be forthcoming.

Discussion Paper 81: Form of Music Codes (008/18-19 and 047) in USMARC Bibliographic Records

The paper asks whether there is any interest in the continued validity of these fields and, if so, whether there is a need to update and expand the list of possible values. In spite of some limited interest in continuing and maintaining these elements, the consensus seemed to be to make them obsolete. However, no decision will be made until after the Music Library Association has had a chance to consider the issue at their meeting in Atlanta.

Discussion Paper 82: Merging Field 755 with Field 655 in the USMARC Bibliographic Format

Clear evidence was presented that the distinction between 655 (Form/genre) and 755 (Physical characteristics) is not widely used by systems or supported by users. A proposal to make field 755 obsolete will be circulated electronically and balloted by e-mail.

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Report From CC:DA
Committee on Cataloging: Description and Access
1995 ALA Midwinter Conference

Submitted by Patricia Thompson
OLAC Audience Observer to CC:DA

CC:DA had 2 meetings, February 4 and 6, at the ALA Midwinter Conference in Philadelphia. The following are selected items of most interest to the AV cataloging community.

The report from the ALA Representative to the Joint Steering Committee for Revision of AACR (JSC) included discussion of several rules from Chapter 9. For rule 9.7B1c, Mode of access for Internet resources, CC:DA decided that the header "Mode of access:" should be prescribed in the rule and added to each example, and also that the note should include the full address of the resource. For rule 9.3B2, the File Characteristics area, CC:DA concluded that the terms for computer memory, such as megabyte, gigabyte, etc. should be in the language of the cataloging agency and not abbreviated. For Rule 9.5B1, CC:DA agreed with proposed changes to specify that the spelling "disk" be used for magnetic computer disks. They also felt that a definition of the terms "disc" and "disk", similar to that used in the Guidelines for Bibliographic Description of Interactive Multimedia, would be helpful in that rule and/or perhaps in the glossary. CC:DA's recommendations will be forwarded to the JSC.

The Music Library Association (MLA) representative, Philip Schreur, presented MLA's proposal concerning main entry for cataloging of videorecordings with musical elements. The music cataloging community is divided on the issue of whether the existing rules support entry under composer, or entry under title. MLA submitted a summary of the issue, along with two position papers presenting the case for both sides. MLA requested that CC:DA possibly form a task force to examine the issue and help resolve it. CC:DA discussed the issue at length. Members debated whether the issue could be limited to music videos, or whether it would require a reconsideration of AACR2R in general and the concept of "work" and "authorship." There was a concern that this issue may be too big to tackle productively, as the issue of multiple versions turned out to be. CC:DA finally agreed to formulate a task force, but was uncertain as to what its charge would be. It was decided that one of the members, Brad Young, will work on writing a charge, and would circulate it to the Committee on e-mail. The Chair will appoint members to the task force at that time.

The ALCTS AV representative, Eric Childress, presented a proposal from OLAC's Cataloging Policy Committee (CAPC) concerning rule 7.7B2, the language note for videorecordings. JSC had already approved a revision of the rule to include closed captioning in this note. CAPC proposed further revisions to include open-signed and audio-described videos. They also proposed the deletion of the phrase "for the hearing impaired" on the basis that enhancements such as captioning serve audiences beyond the hearing impaired community (such as English-as-a-second-language viewers, etc.) As catalogers we describe the item in hand rather than prescribe its use. CC:DA approved the proposal with a few wording changes, and will forward it to the JSC.

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Report From the ALCTS AV
Computer Files Discussion Group
1995 ALA Midwinter Conference

Submitted by Patricia R. Thompson
University of the South

The discussion topic was "The Text Encoding Initiative and SGML: Encoding and Documenting Electronic Texts." Presenters were Susan Hockney, Director, Center for Electronic Texts in the Humanities, Rutgers and Princeton Universities, and C.M. Sperberg-McQueen, Editor-in-Chief of the Text Encoding Initiative and Senior Research Programmer, University of Illinois at Chicago.

Part 1: Background.

Part 2: TEI in practice.

Part 3: Relevance to libraries.

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Report From MOUG
Music OCLC User Group
February 7-8, 1995
Atlanta, Georgia

Submitted by Joy Pile
Middlebury College, Vermont

The MOUG Conference began with opening remarks by Ralph Papakhian. Susan Vita, Chief, Special Materials Cataloging Division, Library of Congress, described the Library of Congress' use of OCLC in public and technical services. LC accesses OCLC in four ways: by dial-up, dedicated lines, through a telecommunication network (TLP), and CD-ROM. TLP, the newest of the connections at LC, allows staffers to be simultaneously connected with OCLC and MUMS (LC's local online system) using one terminal. Once building re-wiring is complete, LC hopes to place a terminal on the desk of every staff member who needs one. OCLC is used by both cataloging and reference staff. Deta Davis, Team Leader, Music and Sound Recordings Team I, Special Materials Cataloging Division, LC, elaborated on how catalogers at LC are using OCLC to do copy cataloging, thus enabling them to increase their output and decrease the arrearage.

Martin D. Jenkins, Music Librarian at Wright State University (WSU) spoke about "outsourcing" at his institution. In 1993, WSU had about a 5,000 volume backlog which, even with reorganization of the catalog department, they were unable to diminish. In order to eliminate this backlog, and to gain a faster turn-around time for newly acquired materials, the library administration decided to contract with OCLC's TechPro service, and reduce the number of staff in cataloging to one person. Since 1993, all materials acquired by Wright State are sent to Dublin, Ohio (OCLC's home office) via the OhioLink truck. There OCLC finds or creates bibliographic records. 75% of the materials have LC copy, 20% have member copy, and only 5% require original cataloging. The backlog has been eliminated. Materials now have about a one month in process time, and the library has been able to save about $1/4 million in salaries, which they shifted to the materials budget. Jenkins stated that the quality of cataloging has been generally good, although there have been some problems with music uniform titles, especially for original cataloging. A brief business meeting followed this presentation, during which a motion was passed recommending that MOUG continue to meet jointly with OLAC at least every ten years.

After lunch the group divided for the first of two smaller sections. Mickey Koth, Yale University and Sue Weiland, Ball State University, discussed the pros and cons of training support staff by rule (AACR2R) or by example. They distributed several examples of training guides created by others. In the other section, Leslie Bennett, University of Oregon, demonstrated OCLC's FirstSearch service as a reference tool.

In the fourth plenary session, Joanne Kepics provided an overview of PromptCat, a new service available from OCLC in conjunction with several major vendors who provide materials. Vendors send a list of title and identity numbers to OCLC. OCLC uses this list to set the library's holdings and produce an OCLC-MARC record for each title, so that the materials and the bibliographic record arrive at the same time, thus saving staff time.

In the last session the participants were also divided into two sections. Ruth Inman, University of Illinois at Chicago, read a paper describing the benefits of the Title II grants on cooperative retrospective conversion ventures. The institutions which participated were: Cornell, Eastman, Harvard, Yale and Stanford. Inman compared records found, number of editings necessary, and the number of access points with unenhanced LC records. She also used original cataloging data in her study. She concluded that the Title II projects had added significantly to the national databases. Joan Schuitema described the process of defining a core bibliographic record for scores and sound recordings. The hope is that by adding authority records for each access point, these core records will allow institutions to move forward cataloging with greater efficiency, meeting the goal of more, faster, cheaper, better.

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NEWS FROM OCLC
As Reported at the OLAC Business Meeting
February 4, 1995
Submitted by Glenn Patton, OCLC

DATABASE:
As of January 1, 1995, there were about 788,500 AV records, 970,000 sound recordings and 58,000 computer files records. Those numbers represent growth rates of 10%, 16% and 9% respectively as compared to January 1994.

During December 1994, OCLC loaded the entire backfile of AVLINE records from the National Library of Medicine, a total of 27,354 records. Roughly 88% of these records are in the Audiovisual Media format, 10% in the Sound Recordings format, and 2% in the Computer Files format. New and corrected records will be loaded on a regular monthly basis.

DATABASE QUALITY:
Next on the list of database corrections to be done will be corrections to MeSH subject headings and to series headings. Both will happen later this spring.

Reaction has been positive to the introduction of electronic error reporting via the Internet. The last OLAC Newsletter contained instructions for downloading and submitting forms.

ACCESS:
PASSPORT for Windows is being demonstrated at ALA Midwinter and will be released later this year. In addition, OCLC has recently announced that the year-long trial of Internet access to PRISM has ended early and the Internet access to continue as one of the possible access methods.

PRISM SERVICE:
In addition to the Union Listing, Name Address Directory and CJK migrations that occurred during the last half of 1994, all OCLC NACO users have migrated to PRISM. In addition, PRISM Cataloging users now have the capability of editing authority records before exporting them.

The first phase of format integration ( the extension of variable fields across all formats ) has been completed. Work continues on
Phase 2.

Spring 1995 will also see the introduction of PromptCat and ILL Fee Management.

INTERNET RESOURCES:
Last fall, OCLC received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to continue work with Internet resources that began under an earlier grant. The Internet Cataloging Guidelines have been revised and we are currently seeking volunteers to participate in creating bibliographic records for Internet resources. Participation is not limited to OCLC participants. Records may be created online or sent via tape or FTP. There is no requirement for a minimum number of records to be created. Institutions are encouraged to participate according to the extent possible in accordance with local interests and resources.

More information about the project and a participant enrollment form are available via OCLC's World Wide Web home page (http://www.oclc.org) or via anonymous FTP at "ftp.rsch.oclc.org" in the directory "/pub/internet_cataloging_project".

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NEWS FROM RLIN
As Reported at the OLAC Business Meeting
February 4, 1995
Submitted by Ed Glazier, RLG

FORMAT INTEGRATION:
The variable fields phase of format integration was installed on January 29, 1995. Work continues on the remainder of format integration coordinated with OCLC and the Library of Congress. Currently, this phase is planned for installation at the end of 1995.

RLIN RECORDS EXPORTABLE OVER THE INTERNET:
RLG has introduced file transfer protocol (FTP) support to facilitate moving records between RLIN and a local system. Now, catalogers can search RLIN over the Internet and export full MARC records for local reuse and can send records online to RLG for loading as well.

RLIN NETWORK TRANSFORMATION:
In 1995, catalogers will no longer need a dedicated line or equipment. RLG will provide complete service over the Internet--whether it's a Zephyr Z39.50 connection, campuswide access to RLG databases via the Eureka search service, or RLIN technical processing. For sites that may not want to use the Internet, RLG will provide both dedicated and dial-up full-service connections via CompuServe.

NEW RLIN TERMINAL SOFTWARE FOR WINDOWS:
To integrate RLIN even further into users' working environments, in 1995 RLG will provide a Windows version of the RLIN PC terminal software, including support for the full JACKPHY suite of non-Roman scripts--plus Cyrillic. Catalogers will be able to switch between RLIN, their local system, and other online resources with the click of a mouse.

ARIEL FOR WINDOWS:
The latest version of RLG's Ariel document transmission software is up and running at sites from Europe to South Africa and New Zealand. Ariel for Windows turns a PC, printer, and scanner into a state-of-the-art document transmission station, enabling users to scan articles, photos, and other documents, transmit the resulting electronic images to each other's Ariel workstations, and print them on a laser printer. Since Ariel runs over the Internet, there are no long-distance phone charges, making Ariel especially cost-effective for international transmissions.

ZEPHYR:
RLG's Zephyr Z39.50 service has been online for a year and is logging nearly 200,000 searches a month from users' local systems against RLG databases. Access to these resources through the familiar commands of their local system benefits not only faculty and students, but also technical processing staff who can retrieve the full MARC records they need when cataloging locally.

EUREKA SEARCH SERVICE SIMPLIFIES ILL REQUESTS:
Patrons using RLG's Eureka search service can now send ILL requests with the REQUEST command. Patrons can specify all or part of the items they've retrieved online in Eureka. There is no need to copy information down or to remember an electronic mail address to which their request should be sent; Eureka automatically sends a complete description of the item required to a predetermined e-mail address for the patron's institution. This new feature is part of an RLG strategy to make it easier for patrons to get materials that they find in RLG databases.

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OCLC USERS COUNCIL REPORT
Submitted by Mary S. Konkel

The second meeting of the 1994/95 OCLC Users Council was held January 23-25 in Dublin, Ohio. The focus of discussion was the National Information Infrastructure (NII), the Internet and our roles as information providers and mediators in this evolving network. With OCLC's new technological platform, users can expect assistance in gaining access to these information highways.

OCLC staff and management reported on activities in each of their strategic directions: 1) expanded reference services, 2) enhance PRISM services, and 3) expanded international efforts.

A call for participation was made for the nationwide project "Building a Catalog of Internet Resources." Project participants will identify, select, and catalog Internet-accessible resources and contribute these machine- readable records to OCLC. I am sure that as a member of the AV community you will find participation in this project truly exciting. The project is not limited to OCLC members. Non-members may contribute records via FTP. For more information contact Erik Jul at: jul@oclc.org. [See also Building a Catalog of Internet-Accessible Materials--ed.]

Carol Henderson, Executive Director of ALA's Washington Office gave a brief look at how the new Congress might affect libraries and related funding. She encourages us to be poised for action and become familiar with library legislation.

I elected to attend the Technical Services Interest Group whose topic of discussion was OCLC's automated authority control strategy. There was also a presentation and "preview" of Jennifer Younger's (Ohio State University) paper which discusses the merits of useful vs. comprehensive authority control and presents the concepts of "just-in-time" vs. "just-in- case" authority work. Ms. Younger's paper will appear in the April 1995 issue of Library Resources and Technical Services.

I am pleased to have had the opportunity to attend Users Council on your behalf and particularly enjoyed networking with colleagues from MOUG and the OCLC Health Sciences Users Group. The next Council meeting is scheduled from May 21-23. As always, I'd be happy to hear your comments and pass on your concerns.

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NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Barbara Vaughan, Column Editor

Preliminary Questionnaire For Moving Images Cataloging Survey

The Association of Moving Image Archivists Cataloging and Documentation Committee, in cooperation with the Library of Congress, is beginning preliminary work on revising Archival Moving Image Materials: A Cataloging Manual (AMIM). Currently, the manual is largely applicable to feature film cataloging. It is the Committee's hope to revise the manual so that it will be relevant for cataloging all kinds of moving image materials, including unedited footage, television news and broadcast, ephemera, and experimental films and video art. In order to create a useful document, they are asking organizations holding moving image collections to respond to a survey on their cataloging practices with the variety of materials that exist. They also ask respondents to submit cataloging samples that illustrate the problems described in the surveys. They especially encourage non-AMIM users to participate.

If you would like to participate in the survey, photocopy these 2 pages, and check off the appropriate categories below for the kinds of materials you have in your collection. Check off as many categories as are applicable; you will be sent a survey tailored to your responses. If you prefer, you may e-mail this survey to ltadic@uclink2.berkeley.edu. Just type out your answers to questions one and two, and the categories of moving image materials in your collection. Thank you.

Name:
Institution:
Address:

  

Telephone:
Fax:
e-mail:

Please mail completed forms to:

Questions? Contact Linda at (510) 642-0366 or ltadic@uclink2.berkeley.edu

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Interactive Multimedia Preconference June 23, 1995

Interactive multimedia resources are the fruits of a new, growing, digitally-based technology representing the intersection of the education, telecommunications, entertainment, music and computer fields. An ALA/ALCTS/CCS Preconference on interactive multimedia cataloging will be held Friday, June 23, 1995 during the annual ALA Conference in Chicago. The day-long workshop will focus on building skills in identifying, describing, classifying and providing subject and keyword access for interactive multimedia titles. The DePaul University campus in downtown Chicago will provide state-of-the-art computing facilities for the Friday preconference. The target audience: catalogers or cataloging administrators from any type of library where interactive multimedia CD-ROMs or videodiscs are collected (either currently or in the future).

Featured will be: speakers who have developed interactive multimedia works, demonstrations of the latest commercial titles, hands-on cataloging exercises led by those librarians who developed the 1994 ALA Guidelines for Bibliographic Description of Interactive Multimedia, and an update on the most recent literature on interactive multimedia resources. There will be five separate small-group sessions focused on cataloging training in the afternoon, including one faculty and two teaching assistants in each small group, in order to facilitate individualized instruction.

The registration fees, etc. will be forthcoming from ALA/ALCTS sometime in March. The approximate registration fee is $105 for ALA members (slightly higher for non-ALA members). Please watch for the ALCTS registration form. An electronic version of the form will include information on two other Chicago 1995 preconferences. You may also contact the ALA/ALCTS office directly at 1-800-545-4233 for registration details.

Laurel Jizba
Chair, ALCTS/CCS Interactive Multimedia Preconference Planning Committee
Michigan State University Libraries
East Lansing, MI 48824-1048
E-mail: 20676lj@msu.edu
Voice: 517-353-8715
Fax: 517-353-8969

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Building a Catalog of Internet-Accessible Materials
Call For Participation

OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. invites participation in the U.S. Department of Education-funded project, "Building a Catalog of Internet Resources."

This project initiates a nationwide, coordinated effort among libraries and institutions of higher education to create, implement, test, and evaluate a searchable database of USMARC format bibliographic records, complete with electronic location and access information (USMARC field 856), for Internet-accessible materials.

Project participants will identify, select, and catalog Internet-accessible resources and contribute those machine-readable records to OCLC.

The project continues through March 31, 1996.

If you have questions, contact Erik Jul, jul@oclc.org, (614) 764-4364, or (614) 764-0155 Fax.

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INTERCAT on LISTSERV@OCLC.ORG
OCLC Internet Cataloging Project

INTERCAT is a pubic e-mail list dedicated to facilitating communication concerning the OCLC Internet Cataloging project. Project participants and interested others are welcome.

INTERCAT list members are encouraged to post questions, pose discussion topics, provide examples, or share methods and solutions related to the identification, selection, and cataloging of Internet resources. Topics may relate to, for example:

To subscribe to INTERCAT, send a message to LISTSERV@OCLC.ORG. Leave the subject line blank. In the body of the message, enter:

subscribe intercat [your name]

Owner: Erik Jul, jul@oclc.org
Internet Cataloging Project

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National Library of Medicine AVLINE Records Loaded

During December 1994, OCLC loaded the entire backfile of AVLINE records from the National Library of Medicine, a total of 27,354 records. Roughly 88% of these records are in the Audiovisual Media format, 10% in the Sound Recordings format, and 2% in the Computer Files format. OCLC now expects to load new and corrected AVLINE records on a regular monthly basis.

Please note that NLM does not currently distribute records for non-print serials (including computer file serials) and will not do so until after MARC format integration Phase 2, currently scheduled for late 1995.

For examples of AVLINE records in the Online Union Catalog, see OCLC #24651804 and #31610945.

Jay Weitz
Tapeloading and Database Services, OCLC

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MC Journal Call For Contributors

The editors of MC Journal: The Journal of Academic Media Librarianship are issuing a call for contributors to the next issue.

DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT ISSUE IS SEPTEMBER 1, 1995.

To submit a manuscript or Media Works column, please send your ASCII file via e-mail to: Lori Widzinski, Editor at hslljw@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu or Terrence McCormack, Associate Editor at lwltemcc@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu.

NEW AND IMPROVED!! Beginning with the spring issue, MC Journal will be indexed in Library Literature! Issues will also be marked in HTML, so graphics and links to other resources are available.

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OLAC Research Grant Subcommittee Charge:

Draft a set of guidelines and an application form to be used by an OLAC member in application for OLAC funds to support research in a area whose focus or benefit is audiovisual cataloging.

The guidelines should include: specific examples of the types of research which might be supported with OLAC funding, recommendations for grant dollar amounts, eligibility, application deadline and timeline for consideration.

Preliminary investigation might include looking at other local, regional, or national library associations and corporate/academic grant offices for guidance and models.

Preliminary investigation and raw or "outline" guidelines are due to the OLAC President by June 10, 1995 and will be discussed at the June 25, 1995 meeting of the OLAC Executive Board in Chicago, Illinois during the ALA Annual Conference.

Research Grant Subcommittee: Richard Harwood, Johanne LaGrange

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OLAC Scholarship Subcommittee Charge:

Draft a set of guidelines and an application form to be used by an OLAC member in application for OLAC funds to support attendance at a Biennial OLAC Conference.

The guidelines should include: recommendations for scholarship dollar amounts, eligibility, application deadline and timeline for consideration.

Preliminary investigation might include looking at other local, regional, or national library associations and academic financial aid offices for guidance and models.

Preliminary investigation and raw or "outline" guidelines are due to the OLAC President by June 10, 1995 and will be discussed at the June 25, 1995 meeting of the OLAC Executive Board in Chicago, Illinois during the ALA Annual Conference.

Scholarship Subcommittee: Virginia Berringer, Pat Thompson
Consultant to the Subcommittee: Bobby Ferguson

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
V. Urbanski, Column Editor

The following questions and answers were discussed during the Q&A session held as part of the OLAC/MOUG Conference in October 1994. Moderator was Laurel Jizba. Panelists included: Ann Sandberg-Fox, Nancy Olson, Sheila Intner, Jay Weitz, Ed Glazier, Glenn Patton.

QUESTION: For the physical description of computer files and interactive media there seems to be a discrepancy as to what you call computer laser optical discs. Do you call them computer discs or computer optical discs?

ANSWER: There has been a decision made about that and there will be an LCRI issued soon to the effect that it should be called "1 computer optical disc." The decision evolved as part of the work of the CC:DA Interactive Multimedia Guidelines Task Force. The suggestion to use "computer optical disc" has been approved by CC:DA and has been forwarded to the other members of JSC for review and consideration. If you really have an interactive multimedia title and you are following the Guidelines you will be using "computer optical disc." Technology has moved on since chapter 9 was written. "Laser" and "optical" are considered redundant now. ---LJ

QUESTION: I still am not clear on when you use area 3 (file characteristics area) and when you use area 5 (physical description area) when cataloging computer files.

ANSWER: When you are cataloging a title that is only available through remote access, such as an Internet resource, or a title that can only be accessed through your local listserv or network, that is, a title which is not a physical item that you check in and out and that you can hold in your hand, then you use area 3 and you do not have an area 5 in the record. For something that you do not physically have, you will have an area 3, but not an area 5. When you DO have the physical item, you may use an area 3 if the information is readily available, but you will definitely have an area 5 physical description.

Generally speaking, I do not attempt to provide an area 3 file characteristics for the commercial computer software I catalog. I simply do not know enough about the item to provide it accurately. In the OCLC format the standard for the 256 (Computer file characteristics) is R ("required if applicable or readily available"). In AACR2R, rule 9.3B1 indicates that information about the file characteristics is given "when the information is readily available." In practice, catalogers often lack the time, information and computer background sufficient to give a definitive description of the file's type and size. ---NO

QUESTION: What constitutes a new edition and necessitates a new record in the computer files format? Numbers seem to change so often, would you consider a change from version 1.1 to version 1.2 to be significant?

ANSWER: Yes. If it is important enough to issue as a new version it should be important enough to get a new edition statement. So it would qualify for needing a new record. ---JW

QUESTION: Should music CDs be fully classified?

ANSWER: There really isn't any standard practice for call numbers. Call numbers derive from local policies. Many people who use either the Library of Congress classification or the Dewey Decimal classification plus other shelf marks will apply this to their sound recordings as well. When I was a "real" librarian before I started teaching full time, we used the LC classification for our sound recordings even though, in fact, we were a Dewey library and used Dewey for our scores. The policy was local. Many people choose not to apply a classification at all, using some other system. Personally and professionally, in teaching, I don't recommend this. I think you make it hard on your patrons if they can't use the same classification information from other parts of the collection to access sound recordings. ---SI

If you have a local system that allows you to do some detailed searching by call number, you may want to ask yourself: "Do I want this CD to display with other works that are about this music performance or in some way related to it?" If the answer is yes, then it is useful to classify the titles so that they search properly to do that. ---LJ

I have had vast experience with the problems of converting collections arranged by accession numbers into collections arranged by classification. It is much easier to start out classifying than to have to go back and redo from accession number arrangement to a classified arrangement. ---NO

When I was writing my dissertation, I did a study on classified collections in 500 public libraries. There was quite a different mix then. About 10% of the collections were classified. The show of hands today indicates that for this group at least, it is more like 55% accession numbers to 45% classified. ---SI

QUESTION: Are all CD-ROMs interactive multimedia?

ANSWER: No, they are not. If you are going to use that GMD you need to look at the Guidelines very carefully. Look at the glossary and apply the additional help section before you can really determine if the CD- ROM is actually an interactive multimedia. ---LJ

QUESTION: Does an item that has been broadcast on television or radio constitute being "previously released"? It affects how the date type code is determined.

ANSWER: Broadcast does not constitute publication. If you are doing an off-air recording and you are an OCLC user there are guidelines for video materials recorded off-air in Bibliographic Formats and Standards in the introduction (p.34-36). You can apply the same basic guidelines to audio material. For the most part you search for an existing record and are free to edit a record for a commercially produced version of the same item if there happens to be one. If there isn't one for a commercial version in the same format, the next choice is to edit an exiting member input record for an off-air broadcast that occurred at another time (just edit the date of the broadcast and the station as necessary). Or, you can input a record for the off-air version, adding the dates and notes necessary. Treat these as unpublished items, that is, there should be nothing in the 260 field except the date of broadcast. Add a note indicating that you have permission to make the copy and another note giving acknowledgement to the network you taped from. The date used would be the date of that broadcast. ---JW

QUESTION: For videos, how do you handle statements like "produced and distributed by" and "written and narrated by"? Do you put them in the 245 $c or split them between the 245 and the 260 or 245 and 511?

ANSWER: There are a set of rule interpretations for Chapter 7 to help you know where you are supposed to put various responsible parties -- the 245 $c or a note. Generally, when it is a question of responsibility, I prefer to put the information in the more prominent place, in the title statement area of responsibility. So, if it is written and narrated by the same person, put the statement in the 245 $c. Don't make a big deal about it....Don't agonize. Don't bother repeating the statements both places. Don't feel obliged to split the statements. ---JW

QUESTION: In Glenn's format integration workshop, he discussed how the description of a title that consists of two or more media would be different after format integration. What will the utilities be doing with the "pre-format integration" records? Will they remain in the system looking as they do now? Or, will they be converted to the new form?

ANSWER: It will be a combination of activities. Certainly we will be doing a variety of database conversions. We've already got some of them going for the pieces of format integration that have been activated. That is something that is peculiar to OCLC because of the way our database is built and the way that we do validation. We can't really allow old, obsolete values to remain and at the same time prevent new records from being created using those obsolete values. So, we tend to do more database conversions where it is a clear one to one change. An example is the indicator values, the ones that are changing to blank. We have actually converted all those records and we will be doing more of that kind of thing as changes are made to the format. There are some other issues that are related. We are headed toward trying to do away with as many categories of "allowable duplicates" as possible. We are looking at it along the lines of if the record that exists either has been or could be brought up to date so that it reflects all of the local characteristics, we will want to retain only one record. This sort of work has to be done on a record by record basis, because they tend to be things that require some human evaluation. You can also be sure that enhance libraries will be more actively involved in this evaluation process. We will be involving CONSER libraries for issues related to serials. ---GP

RLIN will not be doing database rebuilding, which we very seldom do. When a new institution goes to derive from an existing record, if the record contains some of the features that are being made obsolete fields or indicators, the system will present the user with a record of the changes that can be made on a one to one basis. Some of the fields are not, unfortunately, a one to one change. You have to choose between a number of options. The system will make you add those fields and correct existing fields and enter a new version of the record. It is an intellectual decision rather than a machine decision. The next portion of format integration will happen at the end of next year with the addition of the 006. Most of the records for which the addition of an 006 for another material type would be relevant are not readily identifiable in a machine- readable way. Users who want those features represented will have to go back and correct existing records to add the 006. We are talking about an index that will allow access by material type, but it will require the presence of an 006 for secondary characteristics. The only way that an 006 will get in the record is if users go back and add it. ---EG

QUESTION: I'd like to ask about MARC holdings records and how they apply to AV material. The examples seem to be for monographs and serials. Our main question about using the MARC holdings format for AV materials is what is considered the main bibliographic unit, for example, for slides?

ANSWER: Once we determine that we have slides, we indicate in the MARC holdings records how many slides there are. If one is missing, we note that fact. It is pretty time consuming. ---Audience member

***NOTE: The final questions from the OLAC/MOUG Conference will appear in the next issue of the newsletter.

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OLAC NEWSLETTER INDEX VOLUMES 11-14
Compiled by Catherine Leonardi
Duke University


SUBJECTS

Visual materials format SEE Audiovisual media format

NAMES

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