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OLAC NEWSLETTER
vol. 27, no. 3
September 2007



TABLE OF CONTENTS

FROM THE EDITOR

FROM THE PRESIDENT

OLAC EXECUTIVE BOARD, 2007-2008

TREASURER'S REPORT

OLAC MEETING MINUTES
CATALOGING POLICY COMMITTEE
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
MEMBERSHIP MEETING
OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE OLAC
CANDIDATES SOUGHT FOR OLAC OFFICES
CALL FOR CAPC PARTICIPATION
CONFERENCE REPORTS
MARBI
CC:DA
LIAISON REPORT
NEWS FROM OCLC
MOUG REPORT
OCLC MEMBERSHIP COUNCIL
PLANNING FOR THE 2008 OLAC/MOUG CONFERENCE

THE NANCY B. OLSON AWARD
2007 WINNER
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
GENRE/FORM AUTHORITY RECORDS
WEEKLY LIST 35 NOW INCLUDES GENRE/FORM TERMS
MOUG NMPAC CHANGE
BOOK REVIEWS
CATALOGING WITH AACR2 & MARC 21: FOR BOOKS, ELECTRONIC RESOURCES, SOUND RECORDINGS, VIDEORECORDINGS, AND SERIALS
OLAC CATALOGER'S JUDGEMENT
MIXING DVD APPLES AND DVD-ROM ORANGES
MPEG-1 ENCODED DVDs
HD AND BLU-RAY DISCS
MULTIPLE FILE FORMATS AND 007 SUBFIELD $H
PAL AND NTSC DVDs
LOCAL REPRODUCTION OF VHS ONTO DVD-R
COPY PROTECTED DVDs
QUALIFYING UNIFORM TITLES FOR TV MOVIES
THE SAGA OF COUNTRY CODES FOR VIDEORECORDINGS
CATALOGING FROM CREDITS OR CONTAINER?


FROM THE EDITOR
Jain Fletcher



If you did not hear this at ALA Annual, you will see it in various places in this issue, with this column being the first of them. I have decided to "retire" as Editor of this Newsletter, effective January 2008. This timing was mainly related to the bulk mailing permit, which must be renewed annually and is good only for the local mailing area. If I were to renew it for next year, it would be fiscally irresponsible of me to quit in June, for instance, and turn it over to someone residing in another mailing area, since they would have to buy a new permit for their area (and—surprise!—the Post Office will neither transfer the permit nor "pro-rate" the costs for a partial year). So, this just seemed the most logical choice. I would not have felt comfortable retiring, however, if we had not already lined up a new Editor to step in.  The Board and I were very pleased that Amy Weiss (who, in OLAC-related writing terms, is currently Book Reviews Editor and was formerly the OLAC Secretary) was willing to take on the job. She will begin in January 2008 and her first issue will be the March issue. Please join me in a hearty round of appreciative applause!!!

One of the things that has kept me going for six years' worth of issues is the value I have received from being able to see ("up close and personal") all the information that goes into an OLAC Newsletter every time. And this issue is a prime example of that.  It is chock full. There are more reports from various groups (MARBI, CC:DA, MOUG, OCLC Membership Council, OCLC) than are usually contained in one issue. There are also various conference-related reports (the minutes of CAPC, the OLAC Board and OLAC Membership, as well as an update on planning for the upcoming joint OLAC/MOUG Conference). There are calls for participation (CAPC, OLAC Board) and nominations (Nancy Olson Award).  There is a book review, some news you can use, and yet another practical, constructive and informative Q&A column.

One invaluable aspect of this job has been getting the chance to meet (either in person or online) so many members of OLAC. These include all those who send in submissions, the various Board incumbents I have rubbed elbows with over the years and people I have met at various conferences.  I intend to write about some of the most memorable of my working relationships in my next--and last--column.  Meanwhile, I hope you will enjoy this issue as much as I have enjoyed putting it together.

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FROM THE PRESIDENT
Vicki Toy-Smith



It is an honor and pleasure to begin my term as OLAC President.

I am excited to announce that our 2008 Conference will be a joint conference with MOUG. The OLAC/MOUG Conference will be held in Cleveland, Ohio, from September 26-28, 2008 at the Cleveland Renaissance Hotel. Co-Chairs, Sevim McCutcheon (Kent State University) and Kevin Furniss (Denison University) and the Planning Committee are hard at work planning an exciting program.  The Conference program will include the basic training in non-print cataloging topics, as well as Dublin Core and other emerging metadata standards, along with the latest information on RDA.  Watch the OLAC Website, OLAC Newsletter, and OLAC List for updates on the program.

The OLAC Executive Board members hope to serve you well in the next year. (The list of this year's Board, with their contact information, is given on the next page.) And on behalf of the Executive Board, I would like to take this opportunity to announce that the new OLAC MARBI Liaison has been selected. Please join us in welcoming our incoming Liaison, Cathy Gerhart (University of Washington). Congratulations to Cathy!  Our thanks also go to the excellent candidates who applied for the position.

In addition, we would like to express our appreciation to John Attig for his many years of dedicated service as MARBI Liaison, not to mention the extended period he also served as CC:DA Liaison. We wish him success in with his new appointment as ALA Representative to the Joint Steering Committee. We also thank Kelley McGrath for her assistance in acting as interim MARBI Liaison, even while serving as CAPC Chair.

RDA, new metadata standards, and other types of evolving library/information science issues in the AV cataloging community are providing OLAC with many unique and stimulating challenges and opportunities.  In the upcoming year, our members will be seeing calls for candidates for OLAC offices and OLAC committees.  I am hopeful that OLAC members, who have ideas about expanding OLAC's membership and proposing new initiatives, will contact me <vicki@unr.edu> or any of our Executive Board members.


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OLAC EXECUTIVE BOARD
2007-2008



PRESIDENT
VICKI TOY SMITH
Cataloging/Metadata Services Dept.
Getchell Library--Univ. of Nevada, Reno
(775) 682-5601
<vicki@unr.edu>

VICE PRESIDENT/PRESIDENT ELECT
ROBERT BOTHMANN
Memorial Library  
Minnesota State University, Mankato
(507) 389-2010
<robert.bothmann@mnsu.edu>

SECRETARY
KATHERINE RANKIN
Bibliographic and Metadata Services
University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries
(702) 895-2224
<katherine.rankin@unlv.edu>

TREASURER
KATE JAMES
Bibliographic Services
Milner Library
Illinois State University
(309) 438-5385
<kdjames@ilstu.edu>

CAPC CHAIR
KELLEY MCGRATH
Bracken Library 
Ball State University
(765) 285-3350
<kmcgrath@bsu.edu>

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
STEVEN MILLER
School of Information Studies
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
(414) 229-6640
(414) 229-6699
<mll@uwm.edu>

NEWSLETTER EDITOR

Through December 2007:
JAIN FLETCHER
Dept. of Special Collections
Research Library - UCLA
(310) 794-4096
<jfletchr@library.ucla.edu>

Starting January 2008:
AMY K. WEISS
Library Technical Services
Florida State University
<amykarin.weiss@gmail.com>



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TREASURER'S REPORT
Fourth Quarter, FY 2006/2007
April through June 30, 2007
Bobby Bothmann, Treasurer

 

4th Quarter
Apr.-Jun.

    Year-To-Date
 

OPENING BALANCE

$15,694.33

INCOME                                                
      Memberships

$521.00

$11,711.00

      Gifts Received  
$38.00
      Conference Income  
$3,072.53
TOTAL

$521.00

$14,821.53

EXPENSES
      ALA  

$400.00

      OLAC Board Dinner
362.70
683.70
      OLAC Award  
207.00
      Bank Charges  
3.00
         Checks  
20.00
      Stipends

$800.00

$2,200.00

      Postage & Printing

$2,725.24

$6,728.44

            Printing

$2,079.08

$5,584.63

            Postage

$646.16

$1,143.81

      Web Domain

 

$15.00

      OLAC Scholarship
436.42
      Outreach
139.50
612.95
      Miscellaneous

$24.99

$174.27

TOTAL

$4,052.43

$11,480.79

CLOSING BALANCE  

$12,207.90



Membership as of July 11, 2007
      Personal:          395
      Institutional:      178
Total:                    573



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ONLINE AUDIOVISIAL CATALOGERS
CATALOGING POLICY COMMITTEE (CAPC) MEETING
ALA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Washington, D.C.
Friday, June 22, 2007

Minutes



The meeting was called to order at 7:30 pm. Members present: Kelley McGrath (Chair), Paige Andrew, Jeannette Ho, Kay Johnson, Susan Leister, Carolyn Walden (intern). Ex officio members present: Greta de Groat.

There were 43 people in attendance.
  1. Welcome and Introductions

    Kelley welcomed Heidi Frank as a new member of CAPC and thanked Susan Leister for her service on CAPC. She also congratulated John Attig on his new appointment as the ALA Representative to the JSC and thanked him for his excellent service as OLAC's Liaison to MARBI.

  2. Approval of Minutes

    The minutes of the CAPC meeting held on January 10, 2007, at the ALA MidWinter Meeting in Seattle Washington, were approved as published in the March 2007 OLAC Newsletter.

  3. Announcements

    Kelley McGrath was asked by the Board to act as MARBI Liaison for this ALA session only; the Board is actively seeking a replacement for John Attig.

  4. Reports

    1. Genre/Form Headings (J. Young and A. Cristán)

      Janis Young from LC came to CAPC to talk about the genre/form heading authority records that LC is going to produce. She discussed the general objectives of the genre/form heading project, the background of the project, the form of headings, the application of the headings, and the timeline. A draft of the instruction sheet for the creation and application of these headings for motion pictures, television programs, and videos is available at http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/genre.html. The list of these genre/form headings will be in a separate section of ClassWeb and in LCSH. The authority records will be distributed in the same manner as other subject heading authority records. For the time being, two LC catalogers will be making these authority records, but once it becomes established, SACO libraries will be able to submit proposal forms to CPSO. They will appear on the LC Authority page in August, and at that point, should start appearing on the weekly subject headings lists. September 3rd would be the earliest date for the release of these records. LC is not planning on subdividing the headings geographically. There is no provision for language in the headings. After her talk, there was a lively discussion of various issues related to genre/form headings for moving images, such as whether or not it is desirable to specify the original release format or somehow incorporate country of production or original language. The draft of the instructions is open for public comment. LC has about 60 records ready to be released, but they are not certain how quickly the release will take place.

      Most of the headings can be used either for fiction or non-fiction. LC was thinking about not creating a scope note for the heading, "Documentaries", but may reconsider this option. Video art and live performances are some examples of non-fiction films or videos that are not documentaries. LC is considering using terms with the word "films" for both films and videos. Comments can be sent to Janis at <jayo@lc.gov>.

    2. MARBI report (K. McGrath)
      Proposal No. 2007-04: Use of Field 520 for Content Advice Statements A proposal for warning users about potentially offensive content; directed in particular to visually-impaired users, who may not wish to listen to certain materials in public places or around children. This field would include the agency that supplied the content advice. There would be an indicator to separate it from the other 520s. There would also be a subfield for the agency that asserted that this advice was needed.

      Proposal No. 2007-05: Definition of 022 Subfields for Linking ISSN (ISSN-L) A proposed method for linking different versions of a serial.

      Proposal No. 2007-06: Changes for the German and Austrian Conversion to MARC 21

      Discussion Paper No. 2007-DP05: Data Elements Needed to Ascertain Copyright Facts A discussion of copyright-related information, particularly for digital objects, to help users draw reasonable conclusions about how a resource may be used.

      Discussion Paper No. 2007-DP06: Representing Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) OCLC currently maintains the Dewey Decimal Classification in a proprietary format. The paper discusses ways to put it into a more standard MARC format for wider use in the library world. It also includes changes to support more complex retrieval based on elements of Dewey numbers.

      Please see the full MARBI report elsewhere in this issue.

    3. CC:DA Report and RDA Task Force (G. de Groat)

      CC:DA is reviewing Chapter 3 of RDA, which has to do with physical-technical description. A half-dozen people from OLAC have commented on this chapter. More elements have been added for digital and video resources. Media type has been causing some confusion. Most abbreviations, such as "col.", are being eliminated. However, "mono" and "stereo" are being retained because they are no longer considered abbreviations. Abbreviations for units of measure are also being retained. ALA would like to use the spellings most familiar to its users and not to have to use British spellings, such as "colour". A push for simplification may be useful, but information is still needed for catalog records. A lot of brainstorming is taking place. Chapters 6 and 7 came out the same week as ALA, so there will only be a very preliminary discussion of them at ALA. The comment period on those chapters will be through August 12th. Chapter 6 is on access points and is organized according to FRBR. Chapter 7 is on relationships. Both of them are on the JSC public site. Responding to concerns that RDA is too library-centric, members of the JSC attended a meeting on data modeling held at the British Library, where it was agreed that RDA and the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative should work together to build on the existing work of both communities.

      Please see the full CC:DA report elsewhere in this issue.

    4. NACO A/V Funnel Report (K. McGrath for A. Caldwell and D. Procházka)

      The NACO A/V Project continues to be active. The mid-year statistics showed that the Project contributed 928 new names and modified 220 headings. The Project's listserv, while not overwhelmingly active, serves an informational purpose; hearty thanks are due to David Procházka for hosting it. Contributors who are independent are being encouraged to take LC's series authority training in order to be able to contribute series headings.

    5. Subcommittee on Maintenance for CAPC Resources (K. McGrath for D. Procházka)

      This Spring members of this Subcommittee worked with CAPC to develop a working document of operating procedures. The document is available on the OLAC Website under: CAPC / Task Forces & Subcommittees / Maintenance for CAPC, as "SMCR General Operating Procedures". Finalizing this document allowed the Subcommittee to proceed with its work. As of now, the resources on the CAPC list have been analyzed and the Subcommittee has determined which of them are the oldest, i.e., those in most need of review for currency.

      The Subcommittee has adopted the acronym "SMCR" for its name, which they pronounce as "SMaCkeR".

    6. Playaways Best Practices Task Force (K. McGrath)

      Heidi Frank will chair this group. The new deadline for the best practices document is the end of August. The Task Force will complete an examination of how Playaways fit into the current RDA framework by late Fall.

    7. Non-human Entities White Paper (P. Andrew)

      Paige thanked Greta and Kelley for their help. He used the original suggestion from Nancy Olson and the various documents produced by the original Task Force to create an informational paper on this issue that will be sent to LC and posted on the OLAC Website.

    8. DVD Guide Revision and Update Task Force (K. Johnson)

      After some trial-and-error, the Task Force has settled on Google documents as an effective platform for collaboration. Currently, one group is looking at DVD videos and one is looking at DVD-ROMs.

    9. Streaming Media Best Practices Task Force (J. Ho)

      The charge for this Task Force is to create a best practices document for cataloging streaming media. The document will contain guidelines and examples for both streaming video and audio. It will also provide definitions and examples of different types of media on the Internet to help catalogers recognize when a resource is streaming vs. non-streaming, and will include a list of reference sources.

      The draft is nearly complete. The main sections containing guidelines and examples for streaming video and audio are finished. The introduction and bibliography/list of resources still need more work.

      The draft has been forwarded to CAPC members for feedback on the guidelines and examples. The Task Force should have the entire draft finished by August. It will be sent out for review one more time before it is made public on the OLAC Website, which should be in October. Please send comments on the draft to Jeannette.

    10. Video Language Coding Best Practices Task Force (K. McGrath)

      This Task Force expects to have something for CAPC to review this summer, possibly as early as July.

  5. New Business

    There was no new business.

  6. Adjournment

    The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Katherine Rankin
OLAC Secretary


Post-ALA CAPC Membership Update
Kelley McGrath

Kay Johnson has had to resign from CAPC due to the demands of her new job. I would like to thank Kay for her work chairing the DVD Guide Update Task Force and for investigating options for collaborative work spaces for the Task Force.

I would also like to congratulate Carolyn Walden, who has accepted the position vacated by Kay and will take over the chair of the DVD Guide Update Task Force.

Finally, I would like to welcome Bill Anderson to CAPC. Bill has been working on our Playaways Best Practices Task Force and has accepted the intern position vacated by Carolyn.

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ONLINE AUDIOVISUAL CATALOGERS
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
ALA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Washington, D.C.
Saturday, June 23, 2007

Minutes



The meeting was called to order at 4:05 p.m. Board members present: Bobby Bothmann, Jain Fletcher, Kelley McGrath, Steven Miller (President), Kathy Rankin, Vicki Toy Smith. OLAC appointees present: Jay Weitz, Debbie Benrubi. Visitors present: Kate James, Amy Weiss.
  1. Welcome, Introductions, Announcements

    President Steve Miller welcomed Kate James, who was elected to be the next OLAC Treasurer, and Amy Weiss, who will be taking over the position of Editor-in-Chief of the OLAC Newsletter in January 2008.

  2. Secretary’s Report (K. Rankin)

    Kathy stated that the minutes of the OLAC Executive Board meeting held at Midwinter in Seattle were published in the March 2007 issue of the OLAC Newsletter <http://www.olacinc/newsletters/mar07/board.html>. She passed around rosters for people to make corrections to their contact information.

  3. Treasurer’s Report (B. Bothmann)

    OLAC has 573 members, of which 178 are institutional members and 395 are personal members. Renewals have slowed down somewhat. The income from renewals for the current (fourth) quarter is $466. The latest newsletter expenses have been paid. The closing balance is $13,237.66.

    Please see the full Treasurer’s Report elsewhere in this issue.

  4. Newsletter Editor’s Report (J. Fletcher)

    Both the March and June Newsletters are posted online. Amy Weiss has agreed to take over the Newsletter Editor position. Jain has already prepared folders of information to give her and will probably go to Santa Barbara at least twice to help in training and transition planning.

    Jain wondered if the "ALA Meetings of Interest to OLAC" is still needed now that the ALA Events Planner is reliably functional. The Board discussed the idea of discontinuing it, but remained convinced that people do still skim it. So, everyone agreed that the Editor should continue compiling it. Jain also announced that there had been a slight change this time with the "Meetings of Interest": Sue posted it on the Website as a Word document, rather than an HTML document. The Word document prints more compactly and, better yet, if edits are needed, they can be done by the editor for re-posting, rather than having to report them to Sue for her to make, then mark up for re-posting. Someone also mentioned that it could probably also be posted on the wiki after that is implemented.

    The Newsletter now costs at least twice as much to mail because of the recent increase in postage costs. Surprisingly, the kind of bulk mailing that OLAC does was one of the highest increases of the "business mailing" costs. So now there is less incentive to use the bulk mailing option. One alternative is to use the media rate option, if the Newsletter meets the qualifications for that rate. Even better, if a survey were taken and OLAC found that the majority of people would be willing to take the online version only, the rest could even be sent 1st class without much change in overall costs. Avoiding bulk mailing would be easier on the Editor. If, however, OLAC must continue to send the Newsletter via bulk rate, Amy will have to take the three-hour class on bulk mailing.

    Steve thanked Jain for her service as Editor-in-Chief of the Newsletter. Jain will continue for two more issues, then turn the job over to Amy Weiss in January 2008.

  5. CAPC Report (K. McGrath)

    There was a good turnout for the genre/form discussion. It went well, and Janis Young, the representative from LC, did seem interested in CAPC's input. They are considering eliminating the distinction between film and video. Music has more genres to deal with than moving images do. LC was not planning to subdivide genre headings geographically.

    The Streaming Media Best Practices document is really coming along. The Task Force hopes to have it out for review later this Summer and up on the Website in the Fall.

    The Playaways Task Force has a new Chair, Heidi Frank, and they are meeting while here at the Conference.

    See the full CAPC meeting minutes elsewhere in this issue.

  6. Update on OLAC-MOUG 2008 Biennial Conference (K. Furniss and V. Toy Smith)

    The contract has been signed with the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel. The Preconference will take place on September 25, 2008, and the Conference itself will be held from September 26th to 28th. Lynn Howarth and Janet Swan Hill will be the opening and closing speakers. Librarians from NOTSL (Northern Ohio Technical Services Librarians) are planning the Conference. They are: Sevim McCutcheon and Kevin Furniss, Co-Chairs; Christopher Thornton, Barbara Strauss, Georgianne Doyle, Suzette Burlingame, Alice Essinger, Jill Williams, Kathy Schnell, and Sarajean Petite, and Peter Lisius. Kathy Schnell is their Webmaster. The MOUG representatives on the planning committee are: Mary Huismann and Bruce Evans. The OLAC members on the Committee are Julia Dunlap and Rebecca Lubas. Lori Thorrat is also on the Committee and served on the committee that selected the hotel for the Conference site. Cathy Gerhart has been helping the Committee.

    See a fuller Conference planning report elsewhere in this issue.

  7. Outreach Coordinator’s Report (D. Benrubi)

    Debbie has fielded a lot of requests for information about OLAC. She will start putting summaries of her outreach activities in the OLAC Newsletter. She had 300 OLAC brochures printed up and has been sending them out to some cataloging professors but needs to get an overall list of professors. Debbie had her student make a Spanish translation of the brochure, but it should probably be checked by someone who does a lot of translations. Jennifer Anderson, who is the OLAC Liaison to the New Members Round Table, has been working with Debbie.

  8. Online Newsletter (B. Bothmann)

    Bobby sent a message to Highwire to see if it would include the OLAC Newsletter in its online offerings, but the response was negative because the Newsletter is not a scholarly journal. Another option is that OLAC could do IP recognition from the IP ranges sent by Ebsco. The problem with this idea is that each person would have to figure out his or her IP address. Alternatively, OLAC could use passwords and move the domain. Having it on the Web server would cost $80. for two years. Another idea is that the print Newsletter could be done as a PDF. The membership database could be sent out as an attachment and have a password. This is what NASIG does; it sends its members a new password every year. OLAC could survey its membership to see how many people want the Newsletter in print and how many would be satisfied with an online version only. For those who still want print, it is possible that it would need to be sent out in a different form than the current booklet-style; instead it could perhaps be sent out in 8 1/2 x 11 sheets with a staple in the corner. The bottom line is that if everyone still wants print, OLAC would have to raise dues. Bobby noted that most people are paying for memberships year by year; fewer people are paying for three years at a time.

    Jain suggested an idea for an incentive for people to renew early in the year: OLAC could have a drawing at the end of February each year, with the pool being those who had renewed by that time. The prize would be to give one free membership for the next year. The Board also started talking about ways to target paraprofessionals, although there probably would not be any special dues rate for them. There could be outreach to them through electronic discussion groups, journals, and state groups.

    Perhaps the Website Revision Group should also look at the Newsletter and at the wiki. One of the CAPC groups is using the PB wiki. Maybe documentation could be put up as a wiki.

  9. Stipends Review (B. Bothmann)

    The Board reviewed the current list of stipend recipients in the OLAC Handbook and decided to eliminate those whose incumbents are not required to attend Board meetings regularly or those jobs which are no longer applicable. This includes the NACO AV Funnel Coordinator, who does not usually come to the meetings and is not required to do so. The OLAC Newsletter index producer should be stricken from the list since, with the search capability of the Web version, there is no longer a need for an index. The person who does the OLAC membership directory should also be stricken from the list since it is no longer separate from the person doing the membership subscriptions--the Treasurer has been doing both jobs now for years. The Newsletter Editor and the Production Editor are listed as two separate positions, even though both jobs have been performed by the same person for most of the time the Newsletter has been produced. Still, it was decided that this breakdown in roles could continue to be left separate in order to keep options open, but this decision should be reviewed periodically. The question also arose about whether or not the Outreach Coordinator should be a member of the Board. Up to this point, the Coordinator has not been included in closed sessions. This possibility will be discussed during the closed session today.

  10. Website Revision Working Group (S. Miller)

    This group is looking for a new Webmaster and will work with Sue on the transition. The members of the group are: Sue, Bobby, Debbie, Teressa Keenan, and Karen Plummer.

  11. Interpreter Services (S. Miller)

    Since OLAC has a member of CAPC who is deaf, it is obligated to provide interpreters for the CAPC and Membership meetings both at ALA and at the Biennial Conference. The typical current ALA rate is $65 per hour per interpreter, there is a two-hour minimum, and a two-hour meeting is supposed to have two interpreters. The rate goes up to $75 an hour after 6 p.m., and both OLAC meetings start after 6 p.m. OLAC may have to raise dues to cover this expense. Even though OLAC is reluctant to raise dues, doing so would allow OLAC to start giving grants again. The goal would be to be able to give one grant every year, which could help with outreach.

  12. ALA affiliate Status (S. Miller)

    The rate for becoming an ALA affiliate is $110 a year. The benefits of affiliate status include: having meetings during regular meeting times, receiving eleven issues of American Libraries, free conference registration for the official representatives, block room privileges, ALA's rate for interpreters, and a booth in the ALA groups area of the exhibit hall at Conference. OLAC will pursue the possibility of becoming affiliated.

  13. Closed Session to Discuss Appointments

  14. Adjournment

    The meeting was adjourned at 5:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,

Katherine L. Rankin
OLAC Secretary

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ONLINE AUDIOVISUAL CATALOGERS
MEMBERSHIP MEETING
ALA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Washington, D.C.
Saturday, June 23, 2007

Minutes



  1. Welcome, Introductions, Announcements

    President Steven Miller welcomed the new Board members. Bobby Bothmann is the new President and Kate James is the new Treasurer. Steve announced that our Newsletter Editor, Jain Fletcher, will be leaving after two more issues, and Amy Weiss will be the new Newsletter Editor. Steven expressed appreciation to Jain and also to Rebecca Lubas, who was not at the Conference but has been serving as the immediate Past President. Steven also thanked John Attig, who has been OLAC's MARBI Liaison and who also answered questions in OLAC Question and Answer sessions; John is now ALA's delegate to the JSC. Then the attendees introduced themselves.

  2. Presentation of the Nancy B. Olson Award

    This award was given to Mary Larsgaard for her contributions to the teaching of cataloging of cartographic material.

  3. Secretary's Report (K. Rankin)

    The minutes of the membership meeting at Midwinter in Seattle were published in the March 2007 OLAC Newsletter. Kathy passed around the roster of OLAC appointees for people to check and correct their information.

  4. Treasurer's Report (B. Bothmann)

    The printing of the Newsletter so far this year has cost $3,000. OLAC's closing balance is $13,237.66. There are 573 members, of which 178 are institutional members and 395 are personal members. The income from renewals for the current (fourth) quarter is $466.

    See the full Treasurer's report elsewhere in this issue.

  5. Newsletter Editor's Report (J. Fletcher)

    Jain was unable to attend this meeting but her report is included in the Board minutes.

  6. CAPC Report (K. McGrath)

    CAPC had a good meeting. Janis Young from LC came to CAPC to discuss the authority records for the new genre/form headings for moving images and appeared interested in CAPC's input. LC is considering eliminating the distinction between film and video.

    The Streaming Media Best Practices Task Force has most of its draft ready and hopes to have it ready for open review this Summer and posted on the OLAC Website by early Fall.

    See a fuller report in the CAPC minutes elsewhere in this issue.

  7. OLAC/MOUG 2008 Conference Update (V. Toy Smith)

    The 2008 joint Conference will be held in Cleveland, Ohio. The Co-Chairs are Sevim McCutcheon and Kevin Furniss. It will be held on September 26-28, 2008, with the Preconference being held on September 25th. Lynn Howarth and Janet Swan Hill are the opening and closing speakers. The program planning committee members are: Suzette Burlingame, Georgianne Doyle, Julia Dunlap, Alice Essinger, Bruce Evans, Mary Huismann, Peter Lisius, Rebecca Lubas, Sarajean Petite, Kathy Schnell, Barbara Strauss, Chris Thornton, Lori Thorrat, and Jill Williams.

    See a fuller report on Conference planning elsewhere in this issue.

  8. Liaison Reports

    1. Music OCLC Users Group (M. Huismann)

      See the full version of this report elsewhere in this issue.

    2. CC:DA (K. McGrath)

      See the CC:DA report elsewhere in this issue.

    3. MARBI (K. McGrath)

      Kelley is OLAC's interim MARBI liaison.

      See the MARBI report elsewhere in this issue.

    4. OCLC (J. Weitz)

      There is a pilot project for WorldCat Local.  Connexion Client 2.0 will probably be released sometime this coming week.  It will support Windows Vista. The 2007 update to OCLC MARC came out a few months ago.  It includes new characters, the “I” for integrating resource in the Fixed Field, and the 662 field, which is for hierarchical geographical subject headings.  These changes are listed in Technical Bulletin 254.

      See the fuller version of the OCLC report elsewhere in this issue.

  9. New Business

    The two latest issues of the Newsletter, March and June, are now online; the print versions should have arrived by now. Jain will be Newsletter Editor for two more issues before Amy becomes Editor.

    The OLAC Board is looking into becoming an ALA affiliate. This might mean that its meetings could be earlier, and that could increase the chances that OLAC meetings will conflict with other meetings. OLAC would run the times for our meetings by the OLAC Discussion List.

    The members of the Website Revision Group are Bobby Bothmann (Chair), Debbie Benrubi, Sue Neumeister, Teressa Keenan, and Karen Plummer. Sue will slowly phase out her job as Webmaster, so the group will help with the transition. OLAC will survey membership about wiki technology and how to deliver the Newsletter electronically given that the bulk mailing rate has risen so much. OLAC's current dues mainly support the print Newsletter, but with grants, scholarships, an award, and now funds for ADA compliance needed, it is important to weigh all these costs. There was a question about whether OLAC will still be able to have the Website hosted at SUNY Buffalo. The answer is that OLAC has a huge amount of space there, and that storage is cheap.

  10. Handing Over of the Gavel

    Steve handed the gavel to Vicki, who adjourned the meeting and turned it over to panelists Jay Weitz and Cathy Gerhart for the Question and Answer session.

Respectfully submitted,

Katherine Rankin,
OLAC Secretary

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CANDIDATES SOUGHT FOR OLAC OFFICES



OLAC is seeking nominations for the offices of OLAC Vice President/President Elect and OLAC Secretary. Anyone interested in a challenging leadership position and an opportunity to learn about the organization from the inside should submit a letter of nomination indicating the position for which he or she wishes to run. It should include a brief description of pertinent qualifications and professional activities. All OLAC personal members are eligible to serve and self-nominations are highly encouraged.

For those who wish to nominate an OLAC colleague, please be sure that person is willing to serve. Nominations will also be accepted from the floor during the OLAC Membership meeting held at the 2008 ALA Midwinter meeting in Philadelphia.

OVERVIEW OF DUTIES
Vice President/President Elect: This office is elected annually and serves four years:  a one-year term as Vice President, followed by one year as President, one year as Immediate Past President, and one year as Past Past President. S/he performs all duties delegated by the President and presides at meetings when the President cannot attend. The Vice President/President Elect is expected to attend OLAC Membership and Executive Board meetings (held during ALA conferences) while in office. The Vice President is also responsible for the OLAC Program at the ALA Annual Conference, should OLAC decide to sponsor a program.

The OLAC President presides at all OLAC Membership and Executive Board meetings, is or appoints OLAC's Observer to the OCLC Members Council, submits quarterly reports for the OLAC Newsletter, and works closely with other members of the OLAC Executive Board in guiding the operations of the organization. The Immediate Past President serves as Chair of the OLAC Awards Committee and as a member of the OLAC Executive Board. The Past Past President serves as Chair of the Elections Committee.

Secretary:  The incumbent of this office serves a two-year term, with the election being held in years alternating with that of the office of Treasurer. The next Secretary's term will extend from Summer 2008 to Summer 2010. The Secretary attends all Membership meetings and must meet the same attendance requirements as the Vice President/President Elect. The Secretary is responsible for preparation of official minutes of all Membership, Board and/or special meetings of OLAC, to be published in a timely manner in the OLAC Newsletter, as well as reporting as needed at the semi-annual OLAC Membership meetings. The Secretary also handles any official OLAC correspondence at the direction of the President or the Executive Board and maintains the OLAC Handbook.

Members of the Executive Board receive a $100 stipend for attending OLAC Membership meetings during ALA conferences. Anyone who wishes to run for either of these positions should submit a brief description of their qualifications and professional activities in time for them to be printed with the ballot. The deadline for this information is December 31, 2007. Please submit all requested nomination material in electronic form to:

Rebecca L. Lubas
Head, Cataloging & Metadata Services
MIT Libraries
<rll@mit.edu>

For questions, please feel free to call Rebecca at (617) 253-7564.

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CALL FOR CAPC PARTICIPATION
Kelley McGrath, Chair



OLAC’s Cataloging Policy Committee (CAPC) is seeking applicants for full member and/or intern positions with terms beginning after the ALA Annual Conference in June 2008.  Members serve a two-year term; interns serve a one-year term. Qualifications for each are as follows: 3 years of current audiovisual cataloging experience or the equivalent; evidence of regular interaction with online cataloging systems or demonstrable knowledge of such systems.  Most CAPC business is conducted during the ALA Midwinter and ALA Annual conferences. Candidates for appointment to CAPC positions must be willing to commit time and funds as necessary to attend these meetings.

If you are interested in applying for a CAPC position, please send a letter detailing your qualifications and your resume to Kelley McGrath by January 4, 2008. You can also send your application materials electronically to me at <kmcgrath@bsu.edu>. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.  Appointments will be made in Philadelphia at ALA Midwinter 2008.

Contact information:
Kelley McGrath
Bracken Library
Ball State University
Muncie, IN 47306-0161
(765) 285-3350
(765) 285-2644 (fax)
<kmcgrath@bsu.edu>


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CONFERENCE REPORTS
Jan Mayo, Column Editor


** REPORTS FROM THE **
2007 ALA Annual Conference
Washington, D.C.



Machine-Readable Bibliographic Information Committee (MARBI)
Liaison Report

submitted by Kelley McGrath
Ball State University


The Machine-Readable Bibliographic Information (MARBI) Committee and the USMARC Advisory Committee met for two sessions during the ALA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The following is a summary of the meeting. More information is available on the MARC Advisory Committee Web page at <http://www.loc.gov/marc/marbi/marcadvz.html>.

Proposal No. 2007-04: Use of Field 520 for Content Advice Statement
This proposal provides a way to indicate information about potentially offensive content, primarily for visually-impaired users. It defines a new indicator 4 to indicate that 520 is being used for a content advice statement, as well as a new subfield $c to identify the agency that supplied the advice and subfield $2 for the source code of the classification system used. The proposal was approved. A content advice 520 could potentially be used for the justifications for MPAA and ESRB ratings that often appear on packaging, such as "sequences of action violence and some mild language". It is not clear that it is beneficial to users to separate the rating information (which clearly implies intended audience) and the content advice that justifies the rating. OLAC suggested that an example be included in the MARC documentation showing the AACR2 practice of combining notes to remind catalogers that although it is now possible to separately encode these two pieces of information, it is not necessary.

Proposal No. 2007-05: Definition of 022 Subfields for Linking ISSN (ISSN-L)
This proposal defines two new subfields for 022 to hold linking ISSN-L and cancelled ISSN-L numbers. The ISSN-L is intended to bring together the various versions of a given continuing resource (e.g., print, online, CD-ROM). The ISSN-L will be the same as the first medium-specific ISSN assigned to a continuing resource. The ISSN Center is planning to make available free tables of corresponding medium-specific and linking ISSNs to help bibliographic utilities and other entities update their records. This proposal was approved.

Proposal No. 2007-06: Changes for the German and Austrian Conversion to MARC 21
This proposal contains a set of thirteen changes proposed by the Deutsche Bibliothek as part of its conversion to MARC 21. The proposal included the definition of subfield $0 in a number of fields in the bibliographic, classification, and community information formats to hold a related authority record control number. It also included proposals to handle the German practice of creating bibliographic records both at the set level and at the individual item level for multivolume monographs and monographic series, to add an 008 nature of content code for offprints (expanded to include preprints, postprints, etc.), to define an indicator for type of uncontrolled keywords in Field 653 (e.g., personal name, corporate name, genre/form), and to define a new Field 751 for non-hierarchical geographic names used as added entries (e.g., event place, publication place). Most of the proposals were approved, some with minor modifications.

Discussion Paper No. 2007-DP05: Data Elements Needed to Ascertain Copyright Facts
This discussion paper lists a set of copyright-related elements for inclusion in the bibliographic record to help users make reasonable judgments about what use is allowed of a given resource. It was decided to define a new field for copyright information rather than try to combine the information with Field 540. This discussion paper will return as a proposal.

Discussion Paper No. 2007-DP06: Representing Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC)
This discussion paper presents a variety of additions to the MARC 21 classification, bibliographic, and authority formats to enable OCLC to represent DDC in MARC 21 rather than their current proprietary system. It also includes changes wanted by the German and Austrian communities, such as better representation of parts of Dewey numbers in the bibliographic record in ways that can be leveraged for improved retrieval. This discussion paper will return as a proposal.



Committee on Cataloging: Description and Access (CC:DA)
Liaison Report

submitted by Greta de Groat
Stanford University Libraries

RDA Discussions and Actions at ALA Annual in Washington, D.C.
John Attig has been appointed as the new ALA representative to the JSC. The JSC met in April in Ottawa. Talks are beginning with MARBI concerning mapping of new elements, as are more general discussions of encoding of RDA in various formats. Some "data about data", such as details of basis for description, will be moved to another part of RDA. The outcomes of the JSC meeting are posted at <http://www.collectionscanada.ca/jsc/0704out.html>. Within this are links to the current RDA "Scope and Structure" document, an RDA element analysis and an RDA to FRBR mapping.

The revised draft of RDA Chapter 3, on physical and technical description, was issued in March. It is an improvement over the previous draft, but there were still points of dispute. For media catalogers, it is notable for having more elements that apply to digital and video resources, though it was not always clear how to apply those elements. Abbreviations are going to be eliminated, though abbreviations concerning some measurements are apparently allowed because they are not considered abbreviations, (e.g., cm). The revised Chapters 6 and 7 (their order now reversed) were issued just before ALA, and the comment period on them is now closed. Chapter 6 has been divided up to indicate which added entry types belong to which FRBR entities, but the OLAC group reviewing the draft found this poorly conceived when it comes to moving image materials in particular. Chapter 7 on bibliographic relationships is extremely long and repetitive, and occasionally confusing. Since ALA, CILIP issued a proposal to change in RDA the current text of AACR2 1.1B1 section on introductory words, and instead use the examples as things which should be transcribed. The OLAC reviewers are vigorously opposing the proposal.

Just after the JSC meeting, RDA, Dublin Core and IEEE Learning Objects Model communities met at the British Library on April 30-May 1, 2007, to consider the metadata models used by each community. The result of this meeting was a recommendation to work jointly to develop an RDA Element Vocabulary; an RDA Application Profile based on the FRBR and FRAD models, formal vocabularies for the values of various RDA elements. The outcomes of this meeting are posted here: <http://www.bl.uk/services/bibliographic/meeting.html>.

CC:DA Discussions June 2007
CC:DA discussed loose ends and unresolved issues from the comments on RDA Chapter 3, such as whether RDA was mandating British spelling (the intent is unclear from the draft, but we doubt it). There was also discussion of how to deal with alternative titles, or more particularly, the "or" in alternative titles since the JSC has decided that they will not be part of the title. Bilateral treaties were also an issue. RDA is targeting a Spring 2009 release. There will be a print product, but the online product is considered the primary product and is the focus for the design.

Other CC:DA activities included reports on:

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NEWS FROM OCLC
Submitted to OLAC for ALA Annual, June 2007
by Jay Weitz



General News

OCLC to Work with Zepheira to Redesign OCLC's PURL Service

OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. and Zepheira, LLC announced that they will work together to re-architect OCLC's Persistent URL (PURL) service to support more effectively the management of a "Web of data". The software developed will be released under an Open Source Software license allowing PURLs and the PURL infrastructure to be used in various applications for public or proprietary use. OCLC and Zepheira are collaborating to extend the open and inclusive community of PURL users. The PURL service has been hosted by OCLC for 12 years and provides persistent, stable World Wide Web addresses for the international library and education community, government, business, non-profit organizations and private citizens. PURLs are Web addresses or Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) that act as permanent identifiers in the face of a dynamic and changing Web infrastructure. Instead of resolving directly to Web resources, PURLs provide a level of indirection that allows the underlying Web addresses of resources to change over time without negatively affecting systems that depend on them. This capability provides continuity of references to network resources that may migrate from machine to machine for business, social, or technical reasons. PURLs grew out of the long involvement of OCLC's Office of Research with the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Uniform Resource Identifier working groups. Zepheira will redesign and build the new PURL service during 2007 to support greater flexibility, new features and the scalability to face an increased demand for PURLs. The new service, which upgrades the existing services at , will also be hosted by OCLC. The new PURL software will also be updated to reflect the current understanding of Web architecture as defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). This new software will provide the ability permanently to identify networked information resources, such as Web documents, as well as non-networked resources such as people, organizations, concepts and scientific data. This capability will represent an important step forward in the adoption of a machine-processable "Web of data" enabled by the Semantic Web. OCLC and Zepheira provide PURLs as a core component of the Internet infrastructure, to increase the flexibility and stability of Web-based applications and services. More information on the PURL service is available on the OCLC PURL Website at <www.purl.org>.

Collections and Technical Services

Connexion Client 2.00 Released in June 2007

Enhancements include: Non-Latin script enhancements include:

OCLC does not expect to discontinue 1.7X until a future release of the Client is available. An upgrade to 2.00 is not required. However, OCLC recommends that users upgrade to version 2.00 so that they will have the most current features available.

WorldCat xISBN Service Enhances Search Results

The WorldCat xISBN service, the OCLC service that supplies International Standard Book Numbers associated with individual intellectual works represented in the WorldCat database, is now available for commercial and high-use applications. The WorldCat xISBN service, which began as an OCLC Research project, is a machine-to-machine service that supplies ISBNs and other information associated with an individual work in WorldCat, the world's richest database for discovery of items held in libraries. It has been a supported service, available at no charge for individual, non-commercial use, since February 2007 and is now also being made available for commercial and high-use applications (more than 500 requests per day) via subscription. The xISBN service helps a user find a resource when an ISBN assigned to any printing or edition of the work is known. Users submit an ISBN to the service to return a list of related ISBNs and selected metadata. ISBNs are related to each other using librarian-cataloged bibliographic records in WorldCat together with an algorithm that implements the FRBR model for information objects that brings together multiple versions of a work. The FRBR model keeps WorldCat users from having to browse numerous records that represent many different manifestations of a book--such as different printings, hardcover or paperback editions, audiobooks or film versions, for example--and brings them together under one record. The WorldCat xISBN service is ideal for Web-enabled search applications, such as library catalogs and online booksellers. Based on associations made in the WorldCat database, xISBN enables an end user to link to information about other versions of a source work. Among the uses of the WorldCat xISBN service: to identify a book from an online bookseller to determine if that book is available at the user's library; to confirm that no alternative versions of a work are available before a library sends an interlibrary loan request; to use a single search to check holdings of all editions of a work before making a selection for acquisition. More information about the WorldCat xISBN service is available on the OCLC WorldCat Website: <http://www.worldcat.org/affiliate/webservices/xisbn/app.jsp>.

Baker & Taylor Records Now Being Added to WorldCat

Baker & Taylor (B&T), the leading supplier of materials to public libraries, is now adding records to WorldCat. Baker & Taylor, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, provides books, music, DVDs, and video games and supports collection management and technical services to libraries around the world. The titles are being added as part of the agreement between Baker & Taylor and OCLC, to partner in providing bibliographic records and expanded technical services to schools and public libraries. B&T records loaded into WorldCat are from two sources: its own cataloging file (containing full and CIP cataloging MARC records from Library of Congress as well as full cataloging MARC records, produced by B&T's MLS Catalogers when there was no LC record) and Baker & Taylor's product file (containing brief non-MARC records used in B&T's Order Processing System). These records are converted to MARC by an OCLC mapping process. Both types of records are then matched against WorldCat records through a batch process. When a record is matched, BTCTA is added to Field 040, subfield $d. This indicates that Field 938 has been added to the matching record and contains Baker & Taylor product data (B&T unique identifier, i.e., book number). No other editing of records occurs as part of this process. When no matching record is identified through the batch process, OCLC adds the B&T record as a new record to WorldCat. This record contains the symbol BTCTA in Field 040, subfields $a and $c. Added product file records are very brief and are coded as abbreviated records (Encoding Level 3). They are not created by or examined by a cataloger. This provides customers using the new B&T/OCLC Cataloging Plus service access to the OCLC number early in the acquisitions workflow. OCLC encourages member libraries who acquire one of these titles to upgrade and replace the record and receive credit on their OCLC bill for upgrading that record. As B&T catalogers are performing cataloging services for customers, they will also be upgrading these records. This is an important and key feature of the B&T / OCLC agreement. In cases of both original records and matches, a 938 field is added to the MARC record that contains the vendor code BTCP. This code is indexed; vendor records are searchable using the vendor information keyword index.

Alliance Entertainment Becomes a WorldCat Cataloging Partner

OCLC welcomes Alliance Entertainment Corporation, a major supplier of music and visual resources, as a new WorldCat Cataloging Partner. With a combined total of more than 335,000 titles, Alliance maintains the largest in-stock catalog of CD titles and DVD titles in the United States, specializing in public and educational libraries. Trading partners include over 10,000 major record labels and movie studios. The Company was named the 2007 Large Wholesaler of the Year by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM). Alliance is a subsidiary of Source Interlink Companies, Inc., (NASDAQ: SORC) a leading marketing, merchandising and fulfillment company of home entertainment products which, in addition to music CDs and DVDs, also distributes magazines and books and provides a range of in-store services to retailers throughout North America. Alliance Entertainment's headquarters is located in Coral Springs, Florida and offers collection development assistance via standing orders, firm orders, and approval plans. Their highly trained staff has in-depth music & video knowledge serving to aid libraries with all of their selection needs.

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MOUG LIAISON REPORT
Submitted to OLAC for ALA Annual 2007 in Washington, D.C.
By Mary Huismann



MOUG meetings are often held in conjunction with the MLA Annual Meetings even though MOUG is not formally affiliated with the Music Library Association. MOUG is particularly interested in reaching the non-music-specialist and the “occasional” music user of OCLC.

Contact Information
The MOUG Website <www.musicoclcusers.org> is undergoing some changes, which includes the addition of many back issues of the MOUG Newsletter. Applications for membership may be found on the Website.

Current officers include Neil Hughes, Chair (University of Georgia), Tracey Rudnick, Vice-Chair/Chair Elect (University of Connecticut), Deborah Morris, Treasurer (Roosevelt University), Kerri Scannell, Secretary/Newsletter Editor (University of Kentucky) and Bruce Evans, Continuing Education Coordinator (Baylor University).

2007 Annual Meeting Highlights
MOUG held its Annual Meeting on February 27-28, 2007 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Full reports from the Meeting are published in the June issue of the MOUG Newsletter (no. 95).

The opening plenary session featured a presentation on Open WorldCat/WorldCat.org given by Chip Nilges (Vice President for New Services, OCLC) and Kathy Glennan (University of Maryland). The next session was titled, “OCLC and Outsourced Cataloging Services”. Tim Savage (OCLC) outlined what services are available from OCLC, and Marty Jenkins (Wright State University) provided a look at how his library has utilized OCLC’s services. “Music Acquisitions Issues and OCLC” was a panel presentation by Bob Acker (DePaul University), Richard LeSueur (Ann Arbor Public Library District) and Anna Sylvester (OCLC). The traditional “Ask MOUG” session was led by OCLC’s Jay Weitz and Mela Kircher. OCLC Enhance participants and NACO Music Project also held their usual working sessions.

In other news from MOUG, the Executive Board awarded the MOUG Distinguished Service Award to Charles M. “Chuck” Herrold (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh) for his tremendous contributions to the NACO-Music Project. Through September 2006 Herrold had single-handedly contributed over 21,000 new name authority records, and edited over 20,000 records. Chuck’s colleague David King performed a new version of his award-winning “Music Library Blues” in honor of Herrold.

2008 Annual Meeting
The 2008 Annual Meeting will be held in Newport, Rhode Island in conjunction with the Music Library Association Annual Meeting. The dates of the MLA Meeting are February 20-25, 2008. As arrangements for the meeting are currently being made, watch the MOUG Newsletter and Website for information and registration!

2008 Joint Meeting with OLAC

An additional meeting opportunity comes in September 2008, as MOUG joins OLAC for a joint meeting in Cleveland. Conference and program planning is underway, so stay tuned for updates!

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OCLC MEMBERS COUNCIL
Kevin Furniss



The May 2007 meeting was called “Where Wonder Meets Wisdom: Aligning Values in a ‘Cooperative Commonwealth’”.  The following report includes topics discussed at the various meetings that should be of interest to OLAC members.
 
Topic 1: “Future of Bibliographic Control” - Karen Calhoun
Karen Calhoun, OCLC’s new Vice President for Metadata Services, reviewed the challenges facing library catalogs and catalogers in our evolving world--users and their requirements for content continue to change; therefore, library service models, catalogs, and bibliographic control must also change. She provided examples of competitive information sources facing libraries and library catalogs, as well as the importance of digitization projects and linking users to full text rather than just to surrogates in the library catalog. She emphasized the importance of technical services in this transformation; that it is ultimately a very important “public” service. She concluded by saying that libraries are competing for the attention of information seekers, and if library catalogs and catalogers do not change, they risk being marginalized. The focus needs to change from methodologies to user needs.

Discussion and responses:
One person stressed the importance of name authorities in bringing together works of an author. Ms. Calhoun responded that catalogers need to find ways to apply controlled vocabularies in a less costly manner, using technology-assisted techniques.

Topic 2: “Next Generation Cataloging and Metadata Services” - Renee Register
Renee Register, OCLC Global Product Manager, Cataloging and Metadata Services provided information about OCLC’s developing Business Plan resulting from the merger of PromptCat and the Cataloging Partners Program. This plan outlines the following efforts:

This will deliver benefits to both libraries and partners by:

This plan will be presented to the OCLC Strategic Leadership Team on June 5 with a pilot commencing this summer and rollout in early 2008.

Discussion and responses:

Topic 3: “RLG Quality Control Update” - Glenn Patton
Glenn Patton, Director of WorldCat Quality Management, provided an update on OCLC quality control activities and statistics gathered by OCLC staff during the 2006-2007 fiscal year.  Change requests increased 109%. Glenn also reviewed “distributed” quality control activities involving OCLC member libraries. These include minimal level upgrade, database enrichment, Enhance, and the BIBCO and CONSER cooperative programs. An Interest Group (IG) member provided examples of records that Mr. Patton and his staff had reviewed. The analysis showed that, of the 168 fields added in local editing, at least 41% could have been added to the WorldCat master record using existing capabilities. Mr. Patton concluded with the following considerations: OCLC should consider adding some additional fields to database enrichment; there should be more publicity for these capabilities; and made the point that the IG member’s library should apply for enhance.

Discussion:
IG members indicated that local workflows need to change the focus from local catalogs to WorldCat, so that WorldCat.org and WorldCat Local have the best possible records.

Topic 4: “Digital Collection Creation for Catalogers” - Judith Cobb
Judith Cobb, Product Manager, Museums and Archives, OCLC Digital Collection Services, reviewed the Content Cooperative Pilot Project, which will end June 30, 2007. Its goal was to explore the interest and value of allowing catalogers using the Connexion cataloging software to add a digital item that could be accessed directly from a WorldCat search. Twelve individual libraries and libraries from two group catalogs participated in the pilot, adding over 5400 digital items, including government documents, images and wide variety of other materials. These items averaged 1,200 hits per month. Ms. Cobb showed a few examples of the materials added during the pilot.

This approach proved to be one of several valuable options for the input of digital items into WorldCat. To follow up on this successful prototype experience, OCLC will be releasing new versions of the Connexion client and CONTENTdm this summer. The new release of the software, planned for September 2007, will allow Connexion users to upload digital items directly into the CONTENTdm digital repository. Ms. Cobb outlined features included in a hosted CONTENTdm license:

Topic 5: “More Hits on Your Primary Source Materials--Here’s How!” - Taylor Surface
Taylor Surface, Global Product Manager, OCLC Digital Collection Services, provided an update on WorldCat harvesting, which allows libraries to have the metadata from their CONTENTdm collections added to WorldCat, allowing these digital collections greater exposure. The process of WorldCat harvesting, which maps metadata to MARC format, is a value-added service that is provided free of charge. OCLC is improving the process in order to provide broader availability of digital collections. The steps include:

Mr. Surface outlined some common metadata sharing issues, including character set differences, differences in repeatability between Dublin Core and MARC, consistency of data, ambiguity, and context (e.g., DC tags vs. MARC codes). Currently the harvesting is automated, but the analysis is manual. OCLC plans to make conversion into a fully automated process, and is considering allowing libraries access to the analysis tools and conversion process to increase turn around time. The timetable for these enhancements is within the next 12 months.

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PLANNING FOR THE 2008 OLAC/MOUG CONFERENCE
AN UPDATE



The 2008 joint OLAC-MOUG Conference will take place in Cleveland, Ohio from Friday, September 26 to Sunday, September 28, 2008. There will also be a Preconference on Thursday, September 25.  The Conference will take place at the historic and elegant Renaissance Hotel <http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/clebr-renaissance-cleveland-hotel/>, adjacent to the Tower City shopping complex <http://www.towercitycenter.com/>. Attendees will have an opportunity to view the newly-remodeled Cleveland Museum of Art <http://www.clevelandart.org/> at Friday night’s reception. They will also be able to tour the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame <http://www.rockhall.com/>.

The Planning Committee is pleased to announce that the following people have so far accepted invitations to participate:

The Planning Committee is developing the Conference theme, as well as the list of speakers and sessions.  Suggestions for additional workshop topics and presenters are welcome. Please e-mail Kevin Furniss <furniss@denison.edu> or Sevim McCutcheon <Lmccutch@kent.edu>.

Attendees are encouraged to allow time to see some of Cleveland’s sites and attractions, described at the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland’s Website <www.travelcleveland.com>. Many cultural institutions are concentrated in the University Circle area: the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Botanical Gardens, the Western Reserve Historical Society, the Museum of Natural History and Severance Hall, home of the Cleveland Orchestra. Attractions within easy driving distance include: a variety of ethnic neighborhoods, each with unique shops and eateries; the Football Hall of Fame and the First Ladies Library in Canton; Tudor-style Stan Hywet Hall in Akron; and Amish country.

Planning Committee members are:


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THE 2007 NANCY B. OLSON AWARD WINNER



On behalf of the 2007 OLAC Awards Committee, I am pleased to announce the winner of the 2007 Nancy B. Olson Award.  The person honored this year was Mary Larsgaard, who has contributed so much to the map cataloging community over the years.  We believe the text of the plaque says it so well:

To Mary Lynette Larsgaard

On this date, Saturday, June 23, 2007,

Steven J. Miller, President

I would like to thank Kay Johnson and Kate James for volunteering to be on the Awards Committee and helping to fulfill our mission of honoring the greatest contributors in the field of special formats cataloging.

Congratulations, Mary!

The 2007 OLAC Awards Committee
Rebecca Lubas, Chair


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CALL FOR NANCY B. OLSON AWARD NOMINATIONS



Greetings, OLAC Members!

I would like to invite nominations for this coming year’s award. The annual OLAC Award “recognizes and honors a librarian who has made significant contributions to the advancement and understanding of audiovisual cataloging”. Details on the Award and submission criteria, as well as a list of past recipients, can be found on the OLAC Award Web page: <http://www.olacinc.org/award.html>.

The Award recipient receives an engraved plaque containing an inscription recognizing his or her special contributions to the field.

The Nancy B. Olson Award is the highest honor for catalogers of audiovisual and electronic media. The award is named for the founder of OLAC, a woman who continues to be an inspiration and resource for AV catalogers.

Nomination(s) and statement(s) must be postmarked or timestamped no later than December 3, 2007. Paper and electronic submissions are welcome. Please send nominations to me (contact information below).

Steven J. Miller
Chair, Nancy B. Olson Award Committee
Immediate Past President, OLAC

Contact information:
Steven Miller
School of Information Studies
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
PO Box 413
Milwaukee, WI 53201
Phone: (414) 229-6640
FAX: (414) 229-6699
e-mail: <mll@uwm.edu>



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NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Barbara Vaughan, Column Editor



[The following two entries were adapted from messages recently sent to SACO members and are provided here for their connection to OLAC interests. Please see the CAPC Minutes in this issue for more information. --Editor]

GENRE/FORM AUTHORITY RECORDS

The Cataloging Policy and Support Office (CPSO) is working toward adding genre/form authority records (MARC 21, tag 155) to Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). The first issuance of these records is now being readied. "Weekly List 35" will include approximately 70 records for review at the CPSO weekly editorial meeting to be held on August 29, 2007. The authority records for the approved headings will subsequently be distributed by CDS to its customers beginning September 11, 2007. Several batches of these authority records are being readied for review on subsequent lists.

SACO members are strongly encouraged to review the announcement about this development <http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/genre.html>, then look for "Weekly List 35" when it is posted.

Originally posted by:
John N. Mitchell, SACO Coordinator
Cooperative Cataloging Team
Library of Congress
<jmit@loc.gov>



WEEKLY LIST 35 NOW INCLUDES GENRE/FORM TERMS

Recently a notification was sent about the new genre/form terms being included on "Weekly List 35". That list is now posted at: <http://www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/tentative/twls0735.html>. There are approximately 70 genre/form records for review on this list to be discussed at the CPSO weekly editorial meeting on August 29, 2007. SACO members are strongly encouraged to look at these particular genre/form terms.

The authority records for the approved headings will subsequently be distributed by CDS to its customers beginning September 11, 2007. Additional batches of these authority records are being readied for review on subsequent lists.

Important note: The SACO Program is not yet accepting new genre/form terms to be added as 155 headings at this time. An announcement will be made on the SACO-LIST for when SACO will begin accepting new 155 proposals.

For SACO members interested in submitting a genre/form term as a subject heading, the same mechanism remains in place. Submit the proposal as a topical subject heading tagged as a 150 and the CPSO policy specialists will review the contribution for consideration.

Originally posted by:
John N. Mitchell, SACO Coordinator
Cooperative Cataloging Team
Library of Congress
<jmit@loc.gov>



MOUG NMPAC CHANGE


The Music OCLC Users Group Executive Board recently reconfigured the NACO-Music Project Advisory Committee (NMPAC) as follows:

Non-voting: Voting: There are no longer separate OCLC and RLIN representatives, as a result of last year's merger. The new configuration provides oversight (from the NMP Coordinator, the Library of Congress, and the MOUG Board), and includes three voting members.

Ralph Papakhian (Indiana University) remains NMP Coordinator. Ralph is rightly known as the Father of the NMP and his leadership remains an inspiration for all those NMP participants who have built the project's reputations for high productivity, thoroughness, and accuracy.

I am pleased to announce that Ann Churukian (Vassar) has agreed to serve a four-year term as Chair of the NMPAC, taking over from Nancy Lorimer (Stanford) effective immediately--or as soon as Nancy and Ann have had a chat to talk over the transition and they are both comfortable with it.

Please also welcome the star of Pittsburgh stage, screen, MOUG business meeting, and--of course--the NACO-Music Project, Chuck Herrold (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh), who has graciously accepted a two-year appointment in order to establish the required staggered rotation of the at-large members.

Also joining our all-star lineup will be Joe Bartl (Library of Congress) as our LC representative. The term of service for the LC rep. (as well as how change/transition will be effected with that position) is still under consideration.

Kerri Scannell, MOUG Secretary/Newsletter Editor extraordinaire, will be the MOUG Board representative through the next annual meeting in Newport, Rhode Island.

My thanks to Ann, Chuck, and Joe for agreeing to help launch the new & improved (or perhaps it is really just "post-RLIN"?) NACO-Music Project Advisory Committee. My thanks also to outgoing members Paul Cauthen (U. of Cincinnati) and last year's Board representative, Mark Scharff (Washington U. in St. Louis) for their expert and dedicated service--and in Paul's case, quite a few more months of it than he originally signed up for! Ditto to Nancy Lorimer, who served as both RLIN representative and chair, and whose thoughtful suggestions to the Board as we approached this reconfiguration with trepidation were invaluable.

For a description of the NACO-Music Project, see <http://www.musicoclcusers.org/nmpintro.html>

Thank you all for your attention to this important change.

Originally posted by:
Neil R. Hughes
Chair, Music OCLC Users Group
University of Georgia Libraries
<nhughes@uga.edu>

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BOOK REVIEWS
Amy K. Weiss, Column Editor



Cataloging with AACR2 & MARC21:
For Books, Electronic Resources, Sound Recordings, Videorecordings, and Serials
by Deborah A. Fritz


This is the second edition, 2006 cumulation of Cataloging with AACR2 & MARC21. It is a handbook that would be very useful to the beginning cataloger or to the cataloger cataloging an unfamiliar type of material. Even experienced catalogers would find it useful.

The author, Deborah Fritz, owns a company called The MARC of Quality, which provides workshops on cataloging with AACR2 and MARC 21. This handbook grew out of the documentation she had written for the workshops she has been giving for more than eight years.

This is the first complete revision of this handbook since it was first published in 1998. Besides incorporating changes to AACR2, new LCRIs, and CONSER and MARC 21 updates, the chapters have been rewritten. It is a loose-leaf publication for which the author intends to provide update pages every one to two years--until RDA is released.

This handbook covers five common material types (monographs, serials, sound recordings, videos, and electronic resources). It does not include all the rules in AACR2 nor all the MARC tags. It does try to join cataloging standards and coding standards together in one reference handbook. Many other cataloging handbooks focus on just the cataloging rules. This handbook covers input standards for full level records according to the LC standards, full level records according to the OCLC standards, and minimal records according to the OCLC standards. It does not cover rules for assigning subject headings and call numbers.

The first chapter is an introduction. Chapter 2 discusses how to search for, choose, and edit records when copy cataloging; cloning records for different editions; and creating original catalog records. Chapter 3 is arranged in MARC tag order and gives quick instructions for each tag, AACR2 cataloging rules, rule interpretations and rules from other sources such as CONSER, hints from the author, which is something not found in most cataloging handbooks, specific rules for cataloging the different material types covered by this handbook, and tables of instructions for each subfield. There is a column in the table for each tag for the reader to record what his system's label is for that tag. The 006, 007, and 008 fields are also given in template form. The handbook also has examples of how different indicators for some tags would change a typical OPAC display.

The author includes Library of Congress cataloging policy for such things as recording dates of publication, and she also includes quotes from cataloging experts such as Richard Smiraglia (an expert on cataloging sound recordings), on topics such as the "p" date for recorded sound.

Chapters 4 through 8 give "cheat sheets" for each of the different types of material covered. Each of these chapters includes discussion on the chief source of information for that type of material, general cataloging steps, the pros and cons of using each field to search for copy cataloging records, quick match criteria for each field for choosing a record, a cheat sheet for editing/cloning/creating records, and a dates flowchart each type of material.

The chapter on electronic resources includes a list of specific cataloging tools for that format and a section on deciding whether the item being cataloged is a monographic electronic resource, a serial electronic resource, a monographic electronic resource with sound or video as the most significant aspect, etc. This chapter includes specific instructions on how to catalog each type of electronic resource. The chapters for sound recordings, videos, and serials also each include a list of cataloging tools specifically for that format. The chapter on videos also includes a video viewing notes worksheet. The chapter on serials has a section on how the cataloger can determine whether something is a monograph, a continuing resource, a serial, or an integrating resource.

This handbook includes appendices on initial articles, order and punctuation of title elements in the 245 field, end-of-field punctuation and a detailed index.

This handbook is sufficiently current to include the recent decisions by Library of Congress on when to add death dates to name authority records and on discontinuing production of series authority records. However, there is no mention of Catalogers Desktop or Class Web in the list of cataloging tools.

Cataloging with AACR2 & MARC21 would be very useful for anyone using MARC tagging to catalog any of the five types of material this handbook covers.

Published in 2006 by American Library Association, Chicago, Illinois. (various pagings) ISBN-13 978-0-8389-0935-5 ($68.; ALA member--$61.20)

Reviewed by:
Katherine Rankin
Bibliographic and Metadata Services Department
University Libraries
University of Nevada, Las Vegas



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OLAC CATALOGER'S JUDGMENT
Jay Weitz



Mixing DVD Apples and DVD-ROM Oranges

Question: A series from the Gnomon Workshop contains both DVDs and DVD-ROMs. For instance, volume 1 is a DVD, while volumes 2 and 3 are DVD-ROMs. In cataloging this as a set, should the GMD "kit" be given, or should it just be left out, since the GMD is optional? (This is a case when the use of "multimedia" in the United States would be so welcome.) Also, even though DVD-ROMs are the predominant format, treating the videodisc as accompanying material is not correct, because it is not accompanying--it is "Volume 1".

So, how about the following solution? Alternatively, what about the following approach? It seems better not to use conventional terminology in the 300 field in this situation, since it is not clear how that would be handled.

Answer: Strictly speaking a DVD-ROM is not a "videodisc" by AACR2 standards, so calling a video DVD and two DVD-ROMs all "videodiscs" is not justified. My inclination would be to go with the first suggestion of "2 DVD-ROMs, 1 videodisc" (or "1 videodisc, 2 DVD-ROMs", given that Volume 1 is the DVD), with the fuller explanation in the 500 field. If the separate discs have individual titles, they could be listed in a 505 note, with the specific descriptions put there, in parentheses:



MPEG-1 Encoded DVDs

Question: Some recorded DVDs are labeled as "MPEG-1", which seems to be a slightly lower quality compression standard than usually used on VCDs, since most DVDs use MPEG-2. Should this information be recorded in the 538? It would seem that if the publisher thought that it was significant enough to put it on the label, then it should be put in the 538. However, it does not seem to require different playback equipment than MPEG-2 and there is the concern that putting it in the record will cause more confusion than enlightenment for the user.

Answer: Whether this information is included may depend upon the needs of the expected users. It does appear that the compression standard does not change the playback equipment used. But the MPEG-1 standard does imply a lower level of video (and possibly audio) quality, and that might be important in the context of certain catalogs. To help minimize any confusion that might result from including this bit of information, it might be spelled out more explicitly in the 538 field, saying, for instance, "MPEG-1 compression standard", "MPEG-1 encoding", or whatever else may be appropriate, using a direct quote if possible.



HD and Blu-ray Discs

Question: Do you have any suggestions for special cataloging treatment for HD <http://www.dvdforum.org/hddvd-tech.htm> and Blu-ray <http://www.blu-ray.com/info/> CDs? It would seem appropriate to mention this detail in the 500 physical description note and Field 007, subfield $d should also probably be coded "u" instead of "f". Are there any other things that might be added to the record?

Answer: Using what we find in LC's recent "New Sound Recording Formats" document as hints to preferred practice, here are my suggestions, all of them subject to revision later, as we learn and discuss more. Use Field 500 to state the name of the particular format (e.g., "Blu-ray Disc", "HD DVD", or whatever is appropriate). If any additional system requirements are spelled out on the resource, they should be formulated into a 538 "System requirements" note or a 500 quoted note, depending upon what makes sense in the situation. The 300 field would not change for either audio or video versions of either format. For the sound recording version of either disc format, coding the REC 007, subfield $d (007/03) as "z" conforms with LC's recommendation for treating DVD-Audio; the remaining codes would be standard. For the videorecording versions, only the VIS 007, subfield $e (007/04) would differ from the standard; it still seems safe to code it "v" for HD DVD, but I think I would code it "z" for Blu-ray Discs. Nothing else really screams out for change, as far as I can tell.



Multiple File Formats and 007 Subfield $h

Question: In coding the Electronic Resource 007, it just does not seem right to code for multiple formats when 99.9% of the material is in one format and there is only one little "txt" file that gives some very basic information, such as acknowledgements. Even so, catalogers are supposed to code for multiple formats, correct? This certainly does seem to give too much weight to one insignificant file.

Answer: Presumably, you are referring to the Electronic Resource 007, subfield $h (007/09) for "File formats". First, note that the positions 007/06-13 (subfields $g through $l) are all optional and are generally used only in cases where the electronic resource in question has been created, converted, or reformatted. Strictly speaking, in cases where using subfield $h is appropriate, it could be said that the presence of even a single file of a different format would call for coding "m" for multiple file formats. In practical terms, however, if the single different file is as insignificant as the type described, it can probably be ignored when coding subfield $h.


PAL and NTSC DVDs

Question: For a DVD that contains both PAL & NTSC discs, I entered the 538 as “PAL (1 disc) & NTSC (1 disc)”. Does this need to be clarified further in a separate note?  The detail statement on the container reads: “DVD9, PAL, NTSC, Format 16/9, Son 4.0”.  I omitted the “9” after “DVD” in the 538.  Also, it is unclear what “Son 4.0” is.  The duration on the container states 2 hours, 50 minutes (2H50), but the concert is really only 1 hour, 37 minutes and 16 seconds. There is one bonus feature that is 53 minutes and a short animated bonus feature that is 5 minutes and 15 seconds. None of this adds up to the time on the container.  While the duration should be given as stated on the item, the duration on the container is incorrect and does not reflect the true concert length. So it would seem better to have the 300 field reflect the true length of 97 minutes, 16 seconds, but also make a note about the duration statement on the container.  Does this seem correct?  Finally, dates found on the item are “c2005” and “p2006”.  The item is a film of a live concert from 2005.  Should the “p2006” be changed to “c2006” in the 260 subfield $c?

Answer: Noting in the 538 field that there are both NTSC and PAL discs makes sense, and it probably does not need further clarification. "DVD-9" is a single-sided, dual-layer DVD disc (see Section 3.3 of the "DVD Demystified" FAQ site at . "Format 16/9" probably refers to the widescreen ratio more often expressed as "16:9" or 1.78:1. Concerning "Son 4.0", my best guess is that this refers to four channel surround sound, "son" being the French word for "sound". Regarding the duration, it would be correct to put the duration of the main content (the concert, in this case) in the 300 field. And it would be prudent to include a note explaining that the duration stated on the container is inaccurate. The durations of any of the extra material can be included as part of a contents or other note, if appropriate. As to the dates, if the publisher has presented the information correctly, the "p2006" is a "phonogram copyright" date for the recorded sound. It is not clear from the question where the various dates appeared. If the "p2006" was found on the disc itself (either in the film credits or on the label), I would consider that to be the date of publication, so drop the "p", and simply put "2006" in the 260 subfield $c. If the "p2006" is from the container, I would use "[2006]" in the 260 subfield $c. Depending upon the situation, the different dates and where they appear could be noted, if you think there might be confusion otherwise.



Local Reproduction of VHS onto DVD-R

Question: Regarding the tag 006 for a VHS transfer to a DVD-R, are catalogers required to use Field 006? If so, should the Fixed Field be coded for a videorecording (Type "g", TMat "v") or for an electronic resource (Type "m"). In either case, which corresponding 006 Field should be used? Or should only Field 007 be used?

Answer: This sort of locally reproduced videorecording would be treated much the same as any other locally reproduced videorecording, as outlined in OCLC's Bibliographic Formats and Standards Section 3.7 . A DVD-R is still regarded as a videorecording, so the Type of Record Code (Leader/06) would be "g", the Type of Material Code (VIS 008/33) "v", the GMD "[videorecording]". No 006 field would be needed. Code the videorecording 007 field for the reproduction, pretty much the same as any other DVD would be coded. Describe the DVD reproduction in Field 300. Because this is a reproduction of one video format (VHS) to another video format (DVD), DtSt (008/06) would be coded "r", with the date of the reproduction as Date 1 and the date of the original as Date 2.



Copy Protected DVDs

Question: Catalogers at our institution have been coming across more DVDs that were originally released in 2003 (or sometime before the end of 2005) and are now being re-released as copy-protected discs. When comparing the two containers, it is obvious that one is copy-protected and other is not. This is made clear with an icon and the statement, "This DVD is copy-protected". If all other elements of the disc (languages, captions, special features, etc.) are identical and this is the only difference, should a new record be created or would the old record just be adapted? If the old record is used, should the cataloger note the addition of copy protection? For the newer DVD titles that had not previously been released without copy protection, should catalogers still indicate the copy-protected information; if so, where would be the best place to add it?

Answer: If nothing else has changed--most especially the date of publication--it would probably be best to use an existing record. In doing so, it would be a good idea to add a note to the effect that there are both copy-protected and non-copy-protected versions (then editing locally for the one the institution holds, of course). If the date of publication has changed, separate records would be justified, and it would still be prudent to quote the copy-protection statement and to note that a non-copy-protected version is also available. Even if there had not been a previous non-protected version, a note about copy protection seems appropriate. I would suggest that Field 540 would be the place for that.



Qualifying Uniform Titles for TV Movies

Question: What is the proper parenthetical qualifier for a uniform title for a television movie?

Answer: Here is what LCRI 25.5B Appendix I says (identically in both the section devoted to motion pictures and the section devoted to television programs: "If a resource has been distributed theatrically, non-theatrically, as a home video, and/or aired on television, use the qualifier applicable to the original distribution. When the original distribution is unknown, cannot be determined, or is not applicable (e.g., undistributed home movies), use the qualifier '(Motion picture)'. Use the qualifier '(Motion picture)' when the original distribution is directly to the home video market. Use the qualifier '(Television program)' for those resources originally aired on television whether or not they have subsequent home video releases". So, a made-for-TV movie would be qualified by "(Television program)".



The Saga of Country Codes for Videorecordings

Question: I have it fixed in my head that the Country Code for videorecordings should be the country of original production--or the first one listed--not the country of later distribution. So when cataloging non-English language films, I use the country code for the place where the film was first produced, not the state that the United States distributor calls home. Yet more often than not, records can still be found in OCLC that use a country code for the American distributor. It recently occurred to me that maybe catalogers are using this code because of the subtitles or other features that are new in the later version. Have I been using the wrong country codes?

Answer: The question of coding the 008/15-17 (Place of Publication, Production, or Execution; "Ctry" in the OCLC Fixed Field) for videorecordings is one of long standing and of much controversy. It has been addressed several times in the past on the OLAC List. It is also one that I have been trying, without notable success, to straighten out for years. My most concerted effort was in October 2003 when I sent a clarifying proposal to LC's Cataloging Policy and Support Office. CPSO never responded and MARC 21 remains unchanged through the recently released Update No. 7. The following several paragraphs are excerpts from my message to CPSO. The most important sentence is the final one of the first paragraph.
    "A series of exchanges on the Online Audiovisual Catalogers discussion list (OLAC-L) in October 2003 has raised again the longstanding ambiguity built into the description of field 008/15-17 (Place of Publication, Production, or Execution) for visual materials. This is an attempt to remove that ambiguity and so to bring Visual Materials into line with most other types of resources in the coding of place of publication. Most commercially available videorecordings should be coded for the country of publication for the video, corresponding to the 260 subfield $a."

    "The story about country codes for moving images is a long one that goes back to the origins of the MARC Films format. This was, remember, back in the days when the films in question were actual feature films in the form of reels, most of which were available in limited quantities (usually to theatres, archives, and the like), plus more readily available instructional films. It was also back in the days before both the MARC format and the cataloging rules tried, as much as possible, to treat different kinds of materials similarly. The subsequent widespread commercial availability of various forms of video did prompt MARC 21 to be updated somewhat on the country of publication point. That updating did not go far enough, however, in bringing Visual Materials into conformity with most other types of materials. Enough of the old text remained to leave doubt in the minds of many about how to code for Country."

    "Currently, MARC 21 says basically that for 'original or historical' Visual Materials, Country Code should be based on any geographic information that may be deduced from the visuals. Later on it says, in part: 'For visual materials and music, if the work is a multi-country production, the code for the first country is recorded in 008/15-17'. That is really all it says that is specifically applicable to Visual Materials. This leaves a strong ambiguity about different treatment of Visual Materials generally, where the Country Code does not necessarily correspond to the place of publication in field 260, subfield $a."

    "Historically, however, MARC left no ambiguity about this. If we go back to the old USMARC (pages dated January 1988), both of the texts about 'original or historical' visual materials and about 'multi-country production' are the same. What it used to say in addition, though, was this: 'For visual materials that are not historical graphics or naturally occurring objects, the code is given for the country of production, that is, the country of the producing agency or individual, not for the distributor named in the imprint'. This sheds light on the source of the remaining ambiguity in the current MARC 21 text, especially that concerning the 'multi-country production'. The intention behind the removal of this quoted text was to bring the treatment of Visual Materials into line with other materials; that is, to code the Country fixed field according to the place of publication found in field 260 subfield $a. But the current MARC 21 text doesn't completely accomplish this."
At this point in my message to CPSO, I made a few specific proposals for rewording and, I hope, clarifying the coding of "Country" (008/15-17) for visual materials and that element's relationship to Field 044. Obviously, I cannot dictate such a change by fiat, but I think catalogers are best served by such a clarification, and I have been advocating this use of the Country Code in my videorecording cataloging workshops for years. My suggestion is that even visual materials catalogers should confidently follow the first paragraph of the 008/15-17 description that reads, in part, "Choice of a MARC code is generally related to information in Field 260", without suspecting that "generally" is meant to exclude visual materials.



Cataloging from Credits or Container?

Question: Is it okay to catalog a DVD/VHS without actually looking at it? Records so often show "Title from container" even when there is a perfectly good (and sometimes different) title at the start of the movie. Is this just the way that it has always been, or did I read the wrong book on cataloging AV/sound recordings?

Answer: Ideally, a cataloger would use title frames and credits to catalog any video, but that is not always possible. Some catalogers do not have access to the specific technology to view each type of video. Others may be prohibited from such viewing by workflow quirks or institutional rules, such as time restraints. Still others (such as many of the OCLC Contract Cataloging staff) may be working from pre-publication data or container images supplied by the publisher, rather than having the video itself in hand. When working under such restraints--and with the knowledge that other catalogers may be able to upgrade your record with additional or better information--it may be a good idea to input a record at level K. Section 5.4 of OCLC's Bibliographic Formats and Standards includes a chart outlining what can be added and changed under Database Enrichment (along with any corresponding credits) <http://www.oclc.org/bibformats/en/quality/default.shtm#databaseenrichment>. There is also some information about the Minimal-Level Upgrade in Section 5.2 <http://www.oclc.org/bibformats/en/quality/default.shtm#CIAFAHJB>.

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Last updated: October 27, 2007
http://www.olacinc.org/newsletters/sept07.html
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