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OLAC NEWSLETTER
Volume 18, Number 3
September , 1998


TABLE OF CONTENTS

FROM THE EDITOR

FROM THE PRESIDENT

TREASURER'S REPORT

EXECUTIVE BOARD 1998/1999

OLAC MILLENNIUM COMMITTEE NEEDS VOLUNTEERS

1999 OLAC AWARD NOMINATIONS ARE DUE

1998 OLAC AWARD PRESENTATION

OLAC MEETING MINUTES:

OLAC MEMBERSHIP RATE INCREASE

CONFERENCE REPORTS:

UPDATE FROM OCLC

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS:

BOOK REVIEW

EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW

OLAC ELECTRONIC LIST CREATED


FROM THE EDITOR
Kay Johnson

This issue of the OLAC Newsletter features reports from the recent ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. It's also time to nominate candidates for the OLAC Award. See p. 8 for details.

For the first time in many years, OLAC's membership rates are going up (see p. 21). OLAC Conference attendees beware! Your hotel name has changed. For more information, see the box on p. 35.

Pat Thompson completes her OLAC Secretary duties with the meeting minutes in this issue. It's been a pleasure working with Pat on both her OLAC Newsletter contributions and on the Board. She brings much energy, effort and perfection to everything she does. I was always amazed how Pat would find ways to improve the minutes until they needed almost no editing or reformatting at all. Thank you, Pat, for all of your OLAC contributions and for making my editing easier.

I must also bid adieu to another exemplary contributor, Ed Glazier. Ed has been the RLIN liaison to OLAC for many years. RLG periodically reviews their liaison commitments in order to keep limited resources focused on core initiatives; they regret that they are unable to send a representative to our future meetings. Thank you, Ed, for your years of service to OLAC.

Changes in officers always mean changes in contributors. Virginia Berringer's first column as OLAC president appears in this issue. I'm looking forward to working with her and Meredith Horan, the new OLAC secretary. For a complete list of the members of OLAC's Executive Board, see p. 6.

I hope to be working with some of you on a committee that I will be co-chairing to examine OLAC's mission, goals, name and logo. Please see p. 7 for details.

I'll see you in Charlotte!

** DEADLINE FOR THE DECEMBER ISSUE: NOVEMBER 1, 1998 **

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FROM THE PRESIDENT
Virginia Berringer

ALA Annual in Washington D.C. has whizzed past and OLAC is ready to venture forth for another year under the leadership of a new slate of officers.

Before I introduce myself and the rest of the new crew, I want to thank all those hardworking people who have served OLAC so brilliantly in the past, bequeathing unto us a vibrant, healthy, productive organization. In particular, Sue Neumeister, who has served OLAC in the past year as President, and for many years as Newsletter Editor and Secretary, deserves our deepest gratitude. In her role as immediate Past President, I know I will rely heavily on her experience and advice in the coming year. Another who has served OLAC with distinction for many years, in various roles, is Richard Harwood, our outgoing Past President. You've made valuable contributions to OLAC, Richard, and I wish to thank you personally, and on behalf of the membership.

Pat Thompson and Diane Boehr are also retiring from the OIAC Executive Board. Pat has been a CAPC member, CC:DA Audience Observer, Conference Report contributor, a member of the OLAC Conference Scholarship Committee, and has most recently served as Secretary of OLAC. In all of these activities she has been a valuable asset to OLAC, and I thank her for her past service, and for the continuing work she is doing on the OLAC Directory. Diane has done an outstanding job as CAPC Chair, and we appreciate her efforts.

Although many familiar names will no longer appear on the OLAC Board roster, the organization will continue to be served by interested and dedicated officers. I want to welcome our new Vice President/President Elect, Mike Esman, from the National Agricultural Library, to the Board, and wish him a successful term. It's a good feeling to know that there will be a capable hand to receive the gavel of President of OLAC next summer. Cathy Gerhart, returning to the Board as Chair of CAPC has been a member of CAPC, and has served as Secretary of OLAC. I know she'll do a great job. Another new name on the OLAC Board is that of Meredith Horan, from the National Library of Medicine, our new Secretary Meredith was co-chair of our very successful 1992 conference in Rockville, Maryland. Welcome back, Cathy and Meredith.

With all these comings and goings, some very important things will stay the same. Richard Baumgarten, OLAC Treasurer, will continue to keep our books in order and receive your membership dues. The Newsletter will flourish under the Editorship of Kay Johnson, who has been responsible for many welcome innovations in recent issues. Ann Caldwell is continuing as coordinator of the NACO-AV Funnel Project, one of the ways OLAC has been able to take an active part in providing quality cataloging for nonprint materials at the international level.

The other name that's been around for awhile, serving on CAPC, chairing OLAC Conference Scholarship Committees, and, most recently, Vice President/ President Elect, is my own. I've been a cataloger at the University of Akron all my professional life and have handled most formats and levels of materials, from picture books to CD-ROMs, and virtually anything that comes in a "container." Presently my workload consists mainly of videos and sound recordings.

Being handed the gavel at the Sunday evening OLAC membership meeting was one of the most gratifying moments of my life. My first duty as President of OLAC immediately following my "inauguration" was hosting the Q&A panel, a delightful task. This year the questions were challenging and amusing. Many thanks to the panelists, and to Jo Davidson, who initiated all of us into the world of Beanie Babies, and the importance of "tush tags" as a source of information.

I hope, when the time comes for me to hand over the gavel to Mike, our organization will have progressed through another successful year of growth and productive service to the cataloging community.

Sue Passes the Gavel to Virginia
Left to right: Virginia Berringer, Pat Thompson,
Sue Neumeister, Diane Boehr

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TREASURER'S REPORT
Fourth Quarter: April 1, 1998-June 30, 1998
Fiscal Year 1997-1998
Richard Baumgarten


                                           Fourth Quarter          1997-1998
 OPENING BALANCE                              18,156.00            20,352.69

 INCOME
           Memberships                          1408.00              6615.00
           Royalties                                                  445.28                                        
           Dividends                             242.75               781.31
 TOTAL                                          1650.75              7841.59

 EXPENSES                 
           Rooms-ALA                                                  360.00 
           Board dinner                                               730.38 
           Stipends                                                  2100.00 
           Mailing and Publishing               1933.25              4223.53 
           Financial Consultant                                       100.00 
           OLAC Award                            155.50               252.48 
           Labels                                 25.21                75.95
           Account Fees
                 Annual Fee                                            80.00
                 Other Fees                       45.22               250.76 
           Web Stipend                                                850.00 
           Software                              353.00               353.00 
           Travel Expenses                       382.82               382.82  
           Conference Seed Money                2000.00              2000.00 
 TOTAL                                        (4,894.50)          (12,282.28)

 CLOSING BALANCE                                                   15,912.00

Note:
Because of the ongoing membership directory conversion, accurate membership figures are not yet available.

Membership prices are going up. See p. 21 of this newsletter for details.

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ONLINE AUDIOVISUAL CATALOGERS
EXECUTIVE BOARD 1998/1999

PRESIDENT:
VIRGINIA M. BERRINGER

Bierce Library
The University of Akron
Akron, Ohio 44306-1712
330-972-7244
330-972-6383 (Fax)
E-mail: vberringer@uakron.edu
VICE PRESIDENT/PRES. ELECT:
MIKE ESMAN

National Agricultural Library
10301 Baltimore Ave.
Beltsville, MD 20705-2351
301-504-7565
301-504-5471 (Fax)
E-mail: mesman@nal.usda.gov
TREASURER:
RICHARD BAUMGARTEN

Johnson County Library
Box 2901
Shawnee Mission, KS 66201-1301
913-495-2454
911-495-2441 (fax)
E-mail: baumgarten@jcl.lib.ks.us

SECRETARY:
MEREDITH HORAN

Librarian
Cataloging Section
National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894
301-496-5497
301-402-1211 (Fax)
E-mail: meredith_horan@occshost.nlm.nih.gov

NEWSLETTER EDITOR:
KAY G. JOHNSON

326 Hedges Library
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-1000
423-974-6696
423-974-0551 (Fax)
E-mail: johnsonk@utk.edu

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT:
SUE NEUMEISTER

Central Technical Services
State Univ. of New York at Buffalo
Lockwood Library Bldg.
Acquisitions Dept.
Buffalo, NY 14260-2200
716-645-2305
716-645-5955 (Fax)
E-mail: neumeist@acsu.buffalo.edu

CAPC CHAIR:
CATHY GERHART

University of Washington Libraries
Cataloging Division
Box 352900
Seattle, WA 98195-2900
206-685-2827
206-685-8782 (Fax)
E-mail: gerhart@u.washington.edu

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OLAC MILLENNIUM COMMITTEE
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
Kay G. Johnson

At the recent ALA Annual Conference, I submitted the following proposal to the OLAC Board:

The two primary reasons I submitted this proposal are that I feel that every organization should undergo periods of self-reflection and evaluation in order to retain its vitality. Also, the Board has discussed whether the OLAC name and logo remain appropriate in an era where most libraries are online and digital materials are the fastest-growing medium.

The Board passed the proposal (see p. 17) and I agreed to be co-chair of the committee. As a representative of the newer OLAC members, I'm looking for a co-chair who can represent the seasoned OLAC membership. The committee will be small--maybe five participants, and no more than ten. It will represent a diverse cross-section of the OLAC membership, and will post updates and surveys regularly on the OLAC electronic discussion list.

Virginia Berringer will appoint the committee. Please e-mail, phone, fax, or mail a brief explanation of why you are interested in joining the committee to her at:

It is my philosophy that change should not happen solely for the sake of change nor should we second-guess the future. The outcome of this committee may either bring changes to OLAC or justify keeping the status quo.

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* 1999 OLAC AWARD NOMINATIONS ARE NOW DUE *

The OLAC Award recognizes and honors a librarian who has made significant contributions to the advancement and understanding of audiovisual cataloging.

The OLAC Award Committee is now accepting nominations for the 1999 award. The Committee will select a recipient based on nominations received, subject to approval by the Executive Board at the ALA Midwinter Meeting.

Eligibility for nomination is as follows:

  1. Nominees may be OLAC members, but membership in the organization is not a requirement;

  2. The nomination must be accompanied by a statement that provides supporting evidence of the nominee's qualifications;

  3. The nominations and statement(s) must be postmarked no later than November 15, 1998, and must be received by the Award Committee Chair no later than December 1, 1998;

  4. Nominees shall have made contributions to audiovisual cataloging by:
    1. Furthering the goals of standardization of AV and/or computer file cataloging, including MARC coding and tagging;
    2. Interpreting AV and/or computer file cataloging rules and developing policies on organization for these materials on the national and/or international levels;
    3. Promoting the understanding of AV and/or computer file cataloging, coding and data exchange by professionals unfamiliar with these materials and processes.

The award recipient will receive an engraved plaque containing an inscription recognizing his/her special contribution to the field.

Send all nominations by December 1, 1998, to:

Sue Neumeister,
Central Technical Services
Lockwood Library Bldg.
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY 14260-2200
716-645-2305
716-645-5955 (fax)
e-mail: neumeist@acsu.buffalo.edu

Previous OLAC Award recipients: John Attig, Sue Neumeister, Laurel Jizba, Ann Sandberg-Fox, Glenn Patton, Catherine Leonardi, Richard Thaxter, Sheila Intner, and Verna Urbanski.

[Nancy Olson received a "Founder's Award" in 1986, 1 year before the OLAC Award was officially established.]

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1998 OLAC AWARD PRESENTATION
Richard Harwood, Award Committee Chair

I don't know if it was a first, but John Attig was presented the OLAC Award at the CAPC meeting on Friday night. I was just glad to make it in time after an airport shuttle ride from Dulles to Baltimore over to D.C. Thanks to Kay Johnson and Johanne LaGrange for serving on the Committee. The award was presented by Sue Neuemiester and reads:

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ONLINE AUDIOVISUAL CATALOGERS
CATALOGING POLICY COMMITTEE (CAPC)
ALA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Washington, D.C.
June 26, 1998

Minutes

The meeting was called to order by Diane Boehr, CAPC Chair, at 8:05 PM. All CAPC members present were: Diane Boehr (Chair), Michael Esman, Marcia Evans, Catherine Gerhart, Marlyn Hackett, Meredith Horan, John Attig. There were 16 guests.

  1. Members and guests introduced themselves.

  2. The minutes of the CAPC meeting of Jan. 10, 1998 were approved as published in the March 1998 OLAC Newsletter. CAPC Chair Diane Boehr gave the floor to OLAC President Sue Neumeister, who presented the 1998 OLAC Award to John Attig. Normally, the OLAC award is presented at the Sunday evening Membership Meeting, but an exception was made because John was not going to be able to attend that meeting. A complete description of the citation can be found elsewhere in this issue of the newsletter.

  3. Announcements/ Updates

    At the last CAPC meeting, it was mentioned that catalogers could not apply the latest amendments to AACR2 as they were not published yet. On the advice of Kay Giles from the Library of Congress, Diane had planned to write a letter to the Joint Steering Committee of AACR2 asking that these amendments be released. Since then she has learned that the electronic version of AACR2 will soon be available from ALA and does contain all the current amendments. A new printed edition is also supposed to be released, possibly in August. The electronic version will also be included in the Cataloger's Desktop CD-ROM product for current subscribers at no extra charge.

    The Core Record for computer files is still waiting for final approval from the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC). It is available on the PCC website and some cataloging agencies are using it unofficially. Some CAPC members explained that the PCC wants to make some minor updates to the standard to reflect recent changes before the standard is released.

  4. NACO Funnel Project update

    This item was postponed to the Membership Meeting because the Funnel Project coordinator, Ann Caldwell, was not present to make a report.

  5. MARBI Proposals and Discussion Papers

    John Attig reported on selected proposals and discussion papers that are on MARBI's agenda at this conference. (His complete report with an explanation of the documents and MARBI results can be found elsewhere in this issue.) CAPC did not have any strong recommendations on any of the proposals for J. Attig to take to the MARBI meetings.

  6. Questions on cataloging of Internet resources

    Meredith Horan brought up for discussion several problems she has been having in cataloging Internet resources. The first question was about determining the date of publication. Many Internet resources do not have any kind of date. One solution is to use an estimated date, such as [199-?] A common practice is to include a 500 note giving the date the material was viewed for cataloging, such as "Description based on..." or "Item consulted on..." or something similar. This note is also useful because a web resource can change significantly after it is cataloged. Sometimes the only date available is a copyright date, which may apply to the content of the material, and not its current publication as an electronic entity.

    Another problem in cataloging databases is that it is often difficult to find a stated updating frequency or even a date of the last update. Discussion participants seemed content to provide that information if available and leave it out if not.

    The third problem area is about the source of title. CONSER guidelines say not to use "welcome screens" as a source of title, but why not? Why is a welcome screen not a home page! What is meant by "source data"? Diane proposed that a useful activity for CAPC would be to draw up a standardized list of the places we take the title from and how we are defining them as a group. Such a list would also help catalogers who find something that they know is a legitimate source of the title but just don't know what to call it. John Attig suggested that any work we do on this be forwarded as suggestions to the ISBD-ER task force of CC:DA, because they are already working on this sort of thing and there may be some rule change proposals resulting from their work. CAPC members agreed that this would be a worthwhile endeavor. Diane gathered names of volunteers to serve on a subcommittee to work on this, and will also write a formal charge to the subcommittee.

    Meredith also made an announcement concerning the National Library of Medicine (NLM). In January, NLM announced that they were going to begin cataloging databases as serials, rather than monographs, as an experimental approach stemming from principles emerging from the Toronto Conference. They also announced that they would not be supplying the 538 Mode of access note for these materials. Although the serials approach was in conflict with LC/CONSER policy, NLM had obtained agreement from OCLC to do this. However, when the NLM serial records were loaded into the OCLC database, OCLC changed all of them to monograph records. OCLC also added a 538 note for Mode of access. NLM is now cataloging databases as monographs, but they are still not adding the 538 Mode of access note.

  7. Using the new definition for Type of computer file (006 byte 9)

    Diane Boehr initiated a discussion of the difficulties in applying the new definition of MARC field 006 byte 9 (Type of computer file) which was implemented in March, 1998. The definitions of these types now apply to the predominant content of the work rather than the physical format in which it is issued. Purely textual content is supposed to be cataloged on a books workform rather than as a computer file. Diane has come across very few instances where the content seemed to be purely textual. An example is a CD-ROM issued by the Veterans Administration that contained all of their government forms. Other types of publications, such as the Atlas of Cardiology issued on CD-ROM, seem to contain enough interactivity and added features to make them more than just text. Someone on Autocat posted a question about how to catalog a digitized poster collection containing text for each poster, because it could have fit under graphic materials (Chapter 7), or it could be considered a digitized form of a book, such as that which would accompany an exhibition, or it could be a computer file. The person got three different answers from different people, so it's obvious that these guidelines are very unclear.

    Some CAPC members pointed out that the same problems exist for printed materials but that when you add the digitization factor we seem to get more confused. We are very comfortable cataloging an art catalog as a "book" rather than as graphic material, even if it consists of all pictures with very little text. In many libraries, the format chosen in which to catalog it depends on workflow and which group of catalogers catalogs it. One participant noted that at her institution, all the catalogers have been training to catalog Internet resources. The book catalogers are much less concerned than the media catalogers over which type code to use. If it looks anything like a book, it gets cataloged as text. Sometimes they will use an 006 to code for pictorial content, etc.

    Does it matter? How much time can catalogers afford to spend determining the predominance of the content? What difference will it make to users of the library? In most cases, the records will look no different to the user, but it could affect retrieval if a search is limited by type of material. In RLN it's a huge issue because the different formats are in completely different files, so if you search in the wrong file you won't find it.

    One audience member asked what ever happened to format integration? The MARC format is as integrated as it can be, because of its limitations. The 008 does not define itself. The data in the 008 means different things depending on that byte that indicates record type. Fixing this would require rebuilding of all existing MARC databases.

  8. Old Business

    There was no old business.

  9. New Business

    Since the meeting was ending early, John Attig used the available time to give a preview of the upcoming issues on the CC:DA agenda. A complete CC:DA report is printed elsewhere in this Newsletter issue.

  10. Adjournment

    Diane announced that since this meeting is the last of the "year" for CAPC appointees, the next CAPC meeting in Charlotte, NC at the OLAC Conference would have a different set of CAPC members. Marlyn Hackett and Ann Caldwell will continue their terms through 1999. Meredith Horan is leaving CAPC to become OLAC Secretary, and Mike Esman is leaving to become OLAC Vice President. Marcia Evans and Diane Boehr's terms have expired. Cathy Gerhart will be the new CAPC Chair, and two new members are Sheryl Horner and Brad Eden. Diane thanked everyone she had worked with for the past three years. The meeting was adjourned at 9:25.

Respectfully submitted,

Pat Thompson
OLAC Secretary

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ONLINE AUDIOVISUAL CATALOGERS
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
ALA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Washington, D.C.
June 27, 1998

Minutes

  1. Call to Order, Introductions, Announcements (S. Neumeister)

    President Sue Neumeister called the meeting to order at 4:14 PM. All Board members present were: Sue Neumeister (President), Virginia Berringer (Vice President/President-Elect), Pat Thompson (Secretary), Kay Johnson (Newsletter Editor), Richard Harwood (Past President), and Richard Baumgarten (Treasurer). Diane Boehr (CAPC Chair) arrived late. Also present were Mike Esman, incoming Vice President, Meredith Horan, incoming Secretary, and Kevin Furniss and Jan Mayo from the Local Arrangements Committee for the 1998 OLAC Conference. Ann Caldwell, Coordinator of the NACO Funnel Project, arrived later. There was one guest.

    Sue Neumeister reported that the OLAC Listserv is now up and running.

  2. Secretary's report (P. Thompson)

    The minutes of the last Board meeting, held Jan. 10, 1998 were approved as printed in the March 1998 issue of the OLAC Newsletter.

  3. Treasurer's report (R. Baumgarten)

    Richard Baumgarten distributed the 4th quarter financial report. He announced that he plans to enter the financial records into Microsoft Excel, which is part of the Microsoft Office suite of programs that he purchased for OLAC in order to run the new membership database. The software belongs to OLAC and is not a personal copy so he won't be using it for anything else. Richard also reported later in the meeting that he was sending notices to the serials vendors that carry the OLAC Newsletter to inform them of our rate increase that will take effect in 1999.

  4. Newsletter Editor-in-Chief's report (K. Johnson)

    Kay Johnson reported that she mailed the June issue on June 12 and no one has received them yet except the members in Canada, because those are mailed first class. The deadline for submissions for the Sept. Newsletter is August 1. The Sept. issue should include requests for nominations for CAPC (if needed), the OLAC Award, and Elections.

  5. 1998 OLAC Conference (K. Furniss)

    Kevin Furniss reported that things are progressing along quite well. The announcement of the conference on the Web and in Autocat has already generated a good deal of response. Kevin also publicized the conference at the Canadian Library Association and several other meetings that he has attended. Jan Mayo reported on the plans they have for asking for corporate sponsorship. As yet, there are no companies on board. There are only 2 people signed up to do poster sessions so far, and the deadline was extended to July 15 on the Website. Kevin is going to do photocopying ahead of time and his institution, Winthrop University, will absorb the cost.

  6. NACOAV Funnel Report (A. Caldwell)

    Ann Caldwell did not have the most recent statistics on the funnel activity. Eleven people are interested in participating in the expansion of the project. Nine are from college/university libraries, one is at a public library, and one is at a big public school system. Ann sent them a form to complete and return by June 30. She has received two of them so far. She is planning to do the training at the OLAC Conference, but is not sure of the number of people. Some of the people are at libraries that are already NACO institutional participants, so they wouldn't need training. There has been no progress made so far on compiling a bibliography of sources for NACO work, but Ann would still like to do this.

  7. CAPC Report (D. Boehr) Diane Boehr reported on the discussions held at the CAPC meeting the previous evening. (See separate CAPC report elsewhere in this issue.)

    We are still short one CAPC member, and will solicit volunteers at the Membership meeting. The Board discussed possibilities of likely prospects we could ask if we don't get any eligible volunteers.

  8. OLAC Conference Scholarship Committee Report (V. Berringer)

    Virginia Berringer announced that the committee, consisting of herself, Jo Davidson, and Marlyn Hackett, had received 4 applications for the scholarship, and had made a selection. The Board approved the selection of Corrine L. Stevens, from Williams College, Williamstown Mass.

  9. ALCTS MRC Liaison (S. Neumeister)

    Sue noted that our liaison to the ALCTS Media Resources Committee (formerly AV Committee) was Brad Eden, and he has been appointed to CAPC, so we need a new liaison. The Board discussed possible people we could appoint to this position. Diane Boehr is a newly appointed member of the committee, and volunteered to write a report for OLAC until we can find a new liaison.

  10. OLAC Database (P. Thompson)

    Pat Thompson promised a detailed written report to Board members via email since she didn't have one ready to distribute. The yellow directory forms were sent out by Heidi as planned in conjunction with the ballot. Pat got a copy of Richard's PC-File membership database in January, and was able to convert it to an Excel file to view while inputting into the new database. She entered all the personal members that sent back their yellow form, and all the institutional members that were paid up. She is getting another copy from Richard and now has to enter all the people who joined or paid up since January. She also needs to try and get directory information from current members who did not send back their yellow form, so they can still have a chance to get into the directory.

    The structure of the database seems to be working pretty well. There are still some reports to create, and one obstacle to overcome concerning replication so that she and Richard can both have a copy of the database and make changes and synchronize each other. She hasn't gotten this to work yet.

    Sue reminded Pat that we were also going to have a password-protected directory on the Web, so she will need a complete alphabetical list of members who can get to it.

  11. Appointing Committees

    1. OLAC Award

      Sue Neumeister, as Past President, will be the chair of this Committee. Kevin Furniss and Pat Thompson volunteered to serve.

    2. Elections

      Richard Harwood, as Past Past President, will be the chair of this committee, and he will choose one other OLAC member to serve. They will be compiling a slate for Treasurer and for Vice President/Pres. Elect.

  12. Old Business

    There was no old business.

  13. New Business

    1. Name/Logo change for OLAC

      Before this meeting, the Board had some email discussion concerning possible changes needed in OLAC's name, logo, and mission statement. Kay Johnson had made a motion to appoint a committee to look into this, with any resulting changes to be unveiled at the OLAC conference in the year 2000, where we would celebrate the upcoming new millennium and the 20th year of OLAC's existence.

      After some discussion, the Board decided to appoint such a committee, with the following charge: "The committee will examine OLAC's purposes and objectives, name, and logo by researching the literature and trends in cataloging audiovisual resources and polling the OLAC membership. The committee's recommendations will be presented for the Board's approval at the ALA Midwinter 2000 meeting. If any changes are recommended a ballot to amend the bylaws will be sent to the membership in conjunction with the regular ballot for officers that year. The outcome of the election will be announced at the OLAC Conference in 2000.

      Kay Johnson agreed to be the co-chair of the committee, with another co-chair to be determined. Virginia Beninger, as new President, will appoint other OLAC members to serve, preferably about five people representing the range of feeling on the issue.

    2. OLAC Brochure

      The Board had earlier agreed to update and reprint the brochure in time for the Charlotte conference. Richard Baumgarten's wife, Pat, who is a designer, has agreed to help with the layout and design. Sue Neumeister will write a history of OLAC.

  14. Adjournment

    Sue Neumeister thanked the outgoing members of the Board (Pat Thompson, Diane Boehr and Richard Harwood) and adjourned the meeting at 5:52 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Pat Thompson
OLAC Secretary

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ONLINE AUDIOVISUAL CATALOGERS
MEMBERSHIP MEETING
ALA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Washington, D.C.
June 28, 1998

Minutes

  1. Call to Order, Introduction of Officers, Announcements

    Sue Neumeister, OLAC President, called the meeting to order at 8:10 PM and introduced the current officers: Virginia Berringer (Vice President/President Elect), Richard Baumgarten (Treasurer), Pat Thompson (Secretary), Diane Boehr (CAPC Chair), and Kay Johnson (Newsletter Editor-in-Chief). Richard Harwood (Past President) was unable to attend. There were 16 audience members.

    The President had several announcements. Since the last Membership meeting, the Board has started an electronic discussion list (listserv), and this is now operational. Subscription information is in the June issue of the Newsletter. It's currently restricted to OLAC members. Pat Thompson is working on the OLAC Directory from the forms that were received from personal members, to be printed and available for the OLAC Conference in November. We will also have an online directory that will be on the OLAC Website and password protected for OLAC members only.

    There are two position vacancies: we are looking for a new liaison to the ALCTS Media Resources Committee. If you are interested in the position or know someone who is, contact Virginia Berringer. We also need another CAPC member, and Cathy Gerhart is the person to contact for that.

  2. Secretary's Report

    Pat Thompson asked for a motion to approve the minutes of the last membership meeting, held Jan. 11, 1997 at the ALA Conference in New Orleans as published in the March 1998 OLAC Newsletter. The motion passed.

  3. Treasurer's Report

    Richard Baumgarten distributed copies of the 4th quarter financial report (see separate Treasurer's Report elsewhere in this issue) and announced that he would be putting the financial information on an Excel spreadsheet.

  4. Newsletter Editor's Report

    Kay Johnson reported that the June Newsletter had been mailed on June 12, even though few people had received one yet, and reminded contributors that the deadline for the Sept. issue is August 1.

  5. Committee reports

    1. Cataloging Policy Committee (CAPC)

      Diane Boehr, Chair of CAPC reported on the group's meeting. The minutes of that meeting are printed elsewhere in this issue. This is Diane Boehr's last meeting as CAPC Chair; her successor will be Cathy Gerhart.

    2. NACO Funnel Project

      In the absence of Ann Caldwell, NACO Funnel Coordinator, Diane Boehr gave this report. The complete report can be found in the minutes of the Board meeting in this issue.

    3. 1998 OLAC Conference

      Kevin Furniss, Chair of the local arrangements committee for the 1998 OLAC conference, reported on the conference, which will be held Nov. 4-7, 1998 at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Charlotte, N.C. The full details of the conference and registration materials are in the June Newsletter and also on the OLAC Website.

    4. Elections Committee

      Heidi Hutchinson, Chair of the Elections Committee, announced the winners of the April 1998 elections: The new Vice President/President Elect is Michael Esman, and the new Secretary is Meredith Horan. The other member of the committee was Johanne LaGrange.

    5. Awards Committee

      In the absence of committee chair Richard Harwood, the President announced that the Committee, comprised also of Kay Johnson and Johanne LaGrange, had received two nominations for this year's OLAC Award, and had elected John Attig as this year's recipient of the award. Since John was unable to attend this meeting, the award was presented at the CAPC meeting. The text of the award will be printed in the September Newsletter.

    6. OLAC Conference Scholarship

      Virginia Berringer, Chair of the Scholarship Committee, reported that the committee received four applicants for the scholarship and selected a recipient, which the Board approved. The announcement of the scholarship recipient will be made after the person is notified and has accepted. Virginia thanked the other members of the committee, Marlyn Hackett and Jo Davidson for their help.

  6. Library of Congress and Utility Reports

    1. Library of Congress

      Diane Boehr distributed a written report from our new LC Liaison, David Reser, who was not able to attend this meeting.

    2. OCLC (Glenn Patton)

      Glenn Patton reported from OCLC. His report is printed elsewhere in this issue.

    3. RLG

      Ed Glazier from RLG had told Sue that RLG is changing its reporting structure and that he may not be reporting to OLAC any more. For updates on RLG activities, check the RLG website at http://www.rlg.org/toc.html.

  7. New Business

    Sue Neumeister announced that the Board will be appointing a committee to examine OLAC's mission statement, goals, name and logo. The committee will research the literature and trends of audiovisual cataloging and poll the membership. The committee's recommendations will be reported, voted on and implemented in the year 2000. Kay Johnson will be one of the co-chairs of the committee. If anyone else is interested in serving as the other co-chair or as a member of the committee, please contact Virginia Berringer. We will be looking for a crosssection of experienced and forward-thinking members, and want to get the whole organization involved.

  8. Adjournment

    Sue Neumeister expressed her gratitude to the outgoing Board members Pat Thompson, Diane Boehr, and Richard Harwood, and welcomed new members Mike Esman, Meredith Horan, and Cathy Gerhart. She then passed the gavel to Virginia Berringer, who adjourned the meeting at 8:50 PM. After a short break, the traditional question-and-answer session was held. The answer panelists were Ann Sandberg-Fox, Sheila Intner, and Glenn Patton. Virginia Berringer served as moderator.

Respectfully submitted,

Pat Thompson
OLAC Secretary

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* * * * * * * * * *

OLAC MEMBERSHIP RATE INCREASE

This past year OLAC has incurred increased expenses,
some of them one-time such as having someone put all
of the back issues on the Web site and buying new
software. Other expenses such as mailing and publishing
will continue to rise. The Board has decided on a
modest rate increase starting with 1999. The new
rates will be as follows:

Personal (U.S. and Canada) in U.S. dollars

One year            $12.00
Two years           $22.00
Three years         $30.00

Institutional (U.S. and Canada) in U.S. dollars

One year            $18.00
Two years           $34.00
Three years         $48.00

Foreign (outside North America) in U.S. dollars

One year            $20.00	
Two years           $38.00
Three Years         $54.00

As a bonus for those attending the conference in
Charlotte, membership can be renewed at the old rates.

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CONFERENCE REPORTS
Mary Konkel, Column Editor

MACHINE-READABLE BIBLIOGRAPHIC
INFORMATION COMMITTEE (MARBI)
Liaison report


Submitted by John Attig
Pennsylvania State University
(jca@psulias.psu.edu)

The Machine-Readable Bibliographic Information (MARBI) Committee and the USMARC Advisory Group met for three sessions during the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, DC. The following items will be of interest to OLAC members:

Other actions:

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ASSOCIATION OF MOVING IMAGE ARCHIVISTS
CATALOGING AND DOCUMENTATION COMMITTEE
Liaison Report


Submitted by Paula Moehle
The University of Georgia Libraries
(pemoehle@libris.libs.uga.edu)

The Library of Congress has invited AMIA to participate in the revision of Archival Moving Image Materials: a Cataloging Manual (commonly known as AMIM) compiled by Wendy White-Hensen and published in 1984. AMIA Cataloging and Documentation Committee members are pleased to have the opportunity to participate in the revision of AMIM since the Cataloging and Documentation Committee has been actively promoting a revision of this work. Much of the preparatory work for the revision has been done, including the 1995 report Recommendations for Revision of Archival Moving Image Materials: a Cataloging Manual issued by the AMIA Cataloging and Documentation Committee.

The AMIA Cataloging and Documentation Committee AMIM Revision Subcommittee is chaired by Jane Dunbar Johnson (UCLA Film and Television Archive), and the members of the Subcommittee include Paula Moehle (University of Georgia Libranes), Henry Mattoon (National Moving Image Database), Joanne Rudof (Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies), and Judi Hoffman (Library of Congress). This Subcommittee will be working with the Library of Congress Motion Picture/Broadcasting/Recorded Sound Division AMIM Revision Committee. The chair of LC's Committee is Arlene Balkansky and the liaison from LC's committee is Stephen Kharfen. The members of LC's AMIM Revision Committee include Laurie Duncan, Pearline Hardy, Marzella Rhodes, and Betty Wilson. These groups plan to meet in late June during the ALA Annual Meeting in Washington D.C.

The Association of Moving Image Archivists' Committee on US National Moving Image Preservation Plans has commissioned a Cataloging Task Force, among others, to produce recommendations to the Library of Congress for implementation in the area of cataloging and description based on recommendations in Redefining Film Preservation: A National Plan (1994) and Television and Video Preservation (1997). The Task Force is comprised of David Green, NINCH--National Initiative for a Networked Cultural Heritage (co-chair); Henry Mattoon, NAMID-National Moving Image Database, National Center for Film and Video Preservation, American Film Institute (co-chair); Jim Hubbard, a cataloger and consultant with particular experience with independent film and video; Jane Johnson, UCLA Film and Television Archive; and Barbara Humphrys, Library of Congress Motion Picture/Broadcasting/Recorded Sound Division.

The CTF's mission is to propose realistic strategies for furthering preservation of moving image materials by enhancing access to information about moving images and their physical location. They seek to identify ways:

  1. to increase the availability of information about moving image materials and holdings information to all users; and
  2. to assist those who hold moving image collections to increase and improve their descriptive capabilities.

After a few months of email conversations and one telephone conference call, the group met face to face on 8-9 May 1998 at the American Film Institute's Center for Advanced Film Studies. They discussed a range of possibilities from grand strategies to small projects and how they might be accomplished. Although it is clear that there is no single solution; it also appears certain that the World Wide Web offers opportunities for information access that must be pursued. At the same time, the task force seeks solutions that will facilitate growth in the amount of material cataloged so that it can be shared.

Most of the group expects to be able to meet again during the American Library Association meeting in late June in Washington, DC.

The Association of Moving Image Archivists 1998 Annual Conference will be held December 7-12, 1998 in Miami Beach, Florida. On Tuesday, December 8, 1998 from 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m., the Cataloging and Documentation Committee Compendium Subcommittee will be sponsoring: "Compendium of Archival Moving Image Cataloging Practice: a Workshop."

For this workshop, a cross-section of compendium participants will discuss their cataloging practices and show samples of their work. Genres to be discussed include: oral histories, political commercials, newsreels, television broadcasts, news library material, government-produced footage, and "published" works.

Panelists include:

Please check the AMIA website for information on the conference and membership opportunities: http://www.amianet.org/

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ALCTS COMMITTEE ON CATALOGING
DESCRIPTION AND ACCESS (CC:DA)
Liaison Report


Submitted by Vicki Toy-Smith
University of Nevada, Reno
(vicki@unr.edu)

Saturday, June 17, 1998

Chair Daniel Kinney delivered some opening remarks. Kinney announced that Martha Yee has recently had a book published entitled, Improving Online Public Access Catalogs.

Liaisons have been appointed to CC:DA from the DRC and PCC Committees. John Attig has placed the 0.24 discussion document on the CC:DA web page. John has been offered the position of consultant to the committee. He has noted that there are concerns about controlling the content of the web page. In the past, ALA has removed parts of documents without notifying him. The web site is: http://www.ala.org/alcts/organization/ccs/ccda/ccda.html

Daniel Kinney reported on thejoint CCS/CC:DA preconference entitled, "What in the World ... Cataloging on an International Scale."

A report on Project REUSE was given by Monika Munnich, Bernard Eversberg, Glenn Patton, and Barbara Tillett. The study involved possible improvements for the exchange of multipart items between USMARC and German formats. Some of the problems with MARC is that the bibliographic data is partially uncontrolled. German cataloging for multipart items stresses that one record be created for the main volume with separate records for each part (the records are linked by 001 and 787 fields). It was noted that with sound recordings, one record is created for the main title and separate records for each selection. It is a labor intensive type of cataloging and would also be a problem for handling multipart items, which do not have separate titles.

German cataloging records do not trace a series under person or corporate names. Series are incorporated into a record only when there is an ongoing series.

CC:DA and MARBI cannot do anything about Project REUSE at this time because the structure for cataloging multipart items is already in place. The treatment of multipart items is treated as a local practice. After a comparison is done and suggestions made, the document will be taken to PCC.

Jean Hirons gave a report on possible modifications to the definition of "seriality." These modifications will probably impact monographs, serials, and AACR. Monographic entities are defined as complete as first issued and serials as an ongoing entity. Electronic journals will probably fall into both categories. The reason for this decision is that when an electronic journal has a name change all previous issues are changed to the current name. The resolution of this issue will affect the way that AACR will be revised. An additional chapter might be added (this would include both print and electronic journals). After the rule revisions are drafted and posted on the CONSER web page, there will be a discussion at the next Midwinter Meeting.

Brian Schottlaender gave the Joint Steering Committee report. The AACR2e section has been reviewed by the committee a second time. Tom Delsey has finished part one of the entity relationship analysis modeling. The model is relevant to 0.24 (content vs. carrier relationship) and the recommendations will be forwarded to the 0.24 Task Force Committee. New glossary definitions for computer disk and computer laser optical disc were approved. Additional terms relating to computer files will be added to the index for cross reference purposes.

The rule revision to 12.1B7 will not contain extra examples unless absolutely necessary. This has sometimes led to transcription errors that needed corrections in the past.

Martha Yee gave the report on the 0.24 Task Force. There are four possible modifications to the modification of 0.24.

  1. Modify the language of 0.24 thus leaving the rest of AACR2 as is;

  2. Reverse the order of the chapters in AACR2, putting the current 1-13 after the current 21-26, so that the cataloger would classify an item in the following order: 1) authorship (main entry, chapter 21), 2) work (main entry, chapters 21 and 25), 3) edition 4) physical format and distributor.;

  3. Reorganize chapters 1-13 so that they are consistently in order by areas of the description (e.g. a separate chapter on Area 1, Area 2, etc.);

  4. Reorganize chapters 1-13 so that they cover fundamental content with chapters on cataloging text, sound, visual, audiovisual, spatial, 3-dimensional, numerical computer program, and content.

Two cataloging functions are influenced by rule 0.24. It differentiates which chapter to use for cataloging and, in addition, is the only place that states when to create a new record.

The task force will put up their findings on the CC:DA web page. An interim report will be given at the ALA Annual Conference in 1999 and the final report will be presented at the Midwinter Meeting in 2000.

Monday, June 29, 1998

Olson gave the ALCTS Publications Committee report.

Martha Yee reported on the Task Force on Conference Proceedings II. Two options were considered. Option 2 was approved and sent to the Joint Steering Committee. The following will be removed by 21.1B1.

A few LCRI's will need to be changed. Recommendations will be sent to LC for those changes.

Glenn Patton gave the OCLC report. OCLC has been working with the Russian Library, comparing the Russian rules and USMARC. There are implications for potential revisions to AACR2. Glenn Patton will meet with Barbara Tillett from the Library of Congress to discuss the recommendations. The Phase 1 report will be placed on the OCLC Web site.

Barbara Tillett gave the LC report. She announced that the Library of Congress will be celebrating its 200th anniversary in April 2000. Regional and state programs for the anniversary are listed on the LC web site. Core level cataloging for all formats will be started this summer. Several hundred LC staff members are working on the implementation of the new Endeavor system. They are transferring 12 million bibliographic records and 4 million authority records. The system should be ready by October 1999.

ALA Editions has integrated the AACR index into the electronic version, which includes all amendments through 1997.

The Harmonization of ISBD(ER) Task Force will put their report on the ALCTS Web page.

Cathy Gerhart reported on recent MARBI developments.

The following proposals were approved:

The following proposals were approved with minor changes:

Discussion Paper 110, regarding the enhancement of computer file in the USMARC Bibliographic/Holdings Formats will probably become a proposal. The committee plans to have it become an extension of the current 007 field.

Sherry Kelley gave the Task Force report on TEI. These changes were approved:

  1. Add metadata to the list of "other formally presented internal evidence" (9.0B1)---Chief source of information;

  2. Add examples of metadata as a source of information in rules 9.7B3 (source of title proper), 9.7B4 (variations in title), plus 9.7B7 (edition and history);

  3. Add instructions to record standards for electronic resources (PURLs, URNs, etc.) (Rule 9.8, Standard number and terms of availability area);

  4. Form a Task Force on Metadata to monitor metadata developments for their potential impact on library catalogs and cataloging and have metadata developers assist in future collaborations.

There was a joint meeting of MARBI and CC:DA. John Attig compiled a list of questions relating to 0.24 and seriality.

The Library of Congress is going to be looking at the GMD to see how it is being used. The relevancy of the GMD will be looked at due to the fact that a single bibliographic record may represent several manifestations of an item.

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ALCTS MEDIA RESOURCES COMMITTEE
Liaison Report


Submitted by Diane Boehr
Costabile Associates, Bethesda MD
(Dboehr@cris.com)

The ALCTS Media Resources Committee (formerly ALCTS-AV) met on Sunday June 28th and Tuesday June 30th, 1998.

At the Sunday morning meeting it was reported that the Friday tours of the National Geographic Society and the Newseum/USA Today Library, led by Kathy Weimer and Meredith Horan were very successful, with attendance by overflow crowds. Kathy Weimer and Marlyn Hackett will plan the MRC tour for the 1999 ALA Conference in New Orleans. Some ideas for tours include the National Trust and the Historic Jazz Collection.

David Reser is the new LC liaison.

Sheila Smyth attended the meeting of the 0.24 Task Force and distributed a brief summary to the Committee. While MRC will not have a representative on the Task Force, they will continue to monitor the discussion on possible revision to AACR2 0.24 and the definition of a work.

Lowell Ashley and Susan Bailey will put the charge, roster, and minutes up on the MRC Web site: http://archive.ala.org/alcts/organization/div/mrc/mediaresources.html

The Tuesday meeting began with reports from the representatives from NLM and LC, and then continued with the liaison reports. There was a discussion about whether the Committee needed a formal liaison with the Video Round Table. The conclusion was reached that a formal liaison was not necessary, but that the Committee would ask to receive reports from the Round Table, or ask if the MRC Chair could be added to the newsletter mailing list.

The Standards Subcommittee reported that they have completed the standards for the packaging/labeling of electronic resources. Their next project will be to develop a bibliography of acquisition/collection development resources for video materials.

The AV Producer/Distributor-Library Relations Subcommittee reported on the development of a new "Are You Media-Savvy?" brochure. It will more clearly define terminology, such as: media, spine of video box, container, and separate pieces.

A draft statement outlining the goals, purpose, and procedures for the MRC Web site was distributed. Members were asked to review and comment by July 31st.

The group studying the educational outlook/strategic plan for future projects reported that it will attempt to determine what people need/want by surveying a few focus groups from organizations outside of ALCTS, such as RLG, YALSA, etc.

Ideas for the 2000 program were suggested, including intellectual property issues and what people do with old outdated formats (eg. Do they accept donations of such materials? Do they transfer them to current usable format? What are the copyright implications of this?)

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COMPUTER FILES SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION

Submitted by Meredith Horan
National Library of Medicine
( meredith_horan@nlm.nih.gov)

Saturday, June 27, 1998; Chaired by Beth Allerton, CFDG Co-Chair

Internet addresses (URLs) generated at least as much discussion with this group as it did at ALA Midwinter. URL reliability, after cataloging, varied widely among those in the audience. Someone from the University of New Mexico said they were experiencing a 30% URL failure rate, while Erik Jul said INTERCAT maintains a 3% rate. If acquisitions departments are selective in their choice of resource, then it is likely that a more stable URL will result.

The upcoming IFLA Conference in Amsterdam will include a session on electronic resources. Ann Sandberg-Fox and John Byrum prepared a conference-related article, "From ISBD(CF) to ISBD(ER)" in LRTS 42(2), 1998.

Single record vs. the multiple record approach for related items in different formats was another popular topic. Several people noted that if the content or title is different, they use separate records.

Computer files which accompany print materials, whether serial or monograph, require adjustment to library workflows. Some computer files are supplementary, some equivalent to the print item. Libraries must decide where the computer file is to be stored and inventoried, how it is to be packaged, and whether it will be loaned. If a diskette is lost or ruined, publishers are now more willing to send a replacement copy. Hence, libraries are less likely to be concerned with making back-up copies. Some libraries keep the diskette copy at the circulation desk. If computer files are circulated, labels must clearly say do not demagnetize.

Licensing agreements are generally stored in acquisitions. Sometimes professors are interested in viewing the agreement.

Classification policy for Internet resources varied widely among those in attendance. Some libraries use Internet in the callnumber. Some move the URL to the call number position. Many examples were mentioned.

Questions were raised concerning what to do when a Web site changes title or is updated with new bibliographic information. The consensus was to update the original record with the new information. References from the old information would be included for identification and to document a bibliographic history of the site.

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UPDATE FROM OCLC

Submitted by Glenn Patton, OCLC

DATABASE:

As of July 1, 1998, there were about 1,063,000 Visual Materials records, 1,237,000 sound recordings and 107,000 computer files records. There are now 668 million holdings attached to bibliographic records.

ACCESS:

OCLC is continuing the process of migrating users from our proprietary dedicated-line network to a set of TCP/IP-based access methods or to the Internet. Both dial-up TCP/IP and dedicated TCP/IP access are now available. New this summer is a pricing option that allows a flat monthly fee for Internet access.

OCLC has combined 5 software products (Passport for Windows, CatME for Windows, the Cataloging Label Program, CJK software, and the ILL ME for Windows) into a single CD-ROM product called the OCLC Access Suite. Beginning July 1, the Suite is available to all OCLC member libraries at no additional charge. Also beginning July 1, the Suite will be available to download from the OCLC Web site.

CATALOGING:

Cataloging users are migrating rapidly to the Cataloging Micro Enhancer for Windows. New capabilities include interactive searching, batch replaces of master records, and access to the PromptCat and Bibliographic Record Notification service files. Users of the DOS product, CAT ME Plus, should be aware that OCLC will cease to support Internet access for it on October 1, 1998, and will cease to support for CAT ME Plus on May 1, 1999.

INTERNET RESOURCES:

The InterCat database continues to grow. At the end of March 1998, it contained nearly 30,000 records with more than 2800 of those records being added in the month of March. NetFirst, OCLC's indexing and abstracting database for Internet resources now contains more than 100,000 records. More information is available at http://www.oclc.org/oclc/netfirst/

A 2nd edition of Cataloging Internet Resources: a Manual and Practical Guide is available free of charge in paper form. It is also available in electronic form via the OCLC home page at http://www.purl.org/oclc/cataloging-internet.

Changes in the definition of Type of Record (Leader/06) announced in USMARC Update no. 3 have resulted in considerably different treatment of many electronic resources. In February 1998, OCLC issued Cataloging Electronic Resources: OCLC-MARC Coding Guidelines, available on the OCLC Web site at http://www.oclc.org/oclc/bit/212/feb98.htm#Cataloging_Electronic_Resources. In response to requests for more information, OCLC is now issuing the following OCLC Guidelines on the Choice of Type and BLvl for Electronic Resources (also available at http://www.oclc.org/connexion/documentation/type.htm). This latter document, which advises users on how to catalog and code records for electronic resources and how to deal with existing records, includes references to other relevant Library of Congress and CONSER documents for further guidance.

The OCLC Institute continues to offer seminars related to Internet resources. A new program, Understanding and Using Metadata, is being offered this summer and fall in Dublin. The very popular seminar, Knowledge Access Management: Tools and Concepts for Next-Generation Catalogers, is now being offered around the country in cooperation with the OCLC Regional Networks. Check the Institute home page http://www.oclc.org/institute/ for dates and locations.

ASIALINK:

OCLC's AsiaLink offers acquisitions, collection development, cataloging and physical processing for materials in Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese. Included are non-print materials in these languages. For more information, see http://www.oclc.org/oclc/promo/9704alnk/9704.htm.

YEAR 2000:

OCLC is continuing to make progress in bringing its computer systems into century date compliance comfortably in advance of the Year 2000. Installations of changes that are not user apparent are happening on a weekly basis. The March/April issue of the OCLC Newsletter contained a Special Report on OCLC's Year 2000 project. This special report is also available on the OCLC web site at http://www.oclc.org/oclc/new/n232/index.htm.

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NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Barbara Vaughan, Column Editor



*** ATTENTION ***
OLAC '98 CONFERENCE ATTENDEES

The conference hotel, the Radisson Plaza Hotel Charlotte, has been sold. As of October it will become an Omni hotel. This should have no effect on either the conference venue or your room reservations. Should any further changes arise, you will be informed through OLAC's web page and by postings to appropriate electronic lists.

See the OLAC Conference web page at:

http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/cts/olac/conferences/

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CC:DA TASK FORCE ON METADATA REPORT AVAILABLE

The Task Force on Metadata and the Cataloging Rules submitted a final report to CC:DA prior to the 1998 ALA Annual Conference. The report contains a thorough examination of the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) header and of the Dublin Core element set, as well as a summary description of the Encoded Archival Description (EAD). The report looks particularly at how metadata can serve as a source of information for AACR2-based bibliographic records. The report contains some recommendations for improving Chapter 9 of AACR2 and for continuing to monitor metadata developments.

The Task Force recommendations can be found at the following web site: http://archive.ala.org/alcts/organization/ccs/ccda/tf-tei2.html

WARNING: Recommendations that have not yet been adopted by JSC should not be adopted by any library that is committed to using AACR2.

Sherry Kelley
Chair, Task Force on Metadata and the Cataloging Rules
skelley@sil.si.edu

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BOOK REVIEWS

Vicki Toy-Smith, Column Editor

Cataloging of Audiovisual Materials and Other Special Materials: a Manual Based on AACR2
4th edition by Nancy B. Olson; edited by Sheila S. Intner and Edward Swanson

Nancy Olson has revised a very useful handbook for AV catalogers. The 4th edition of Cataloging of Audiovisual Materials and Other Special Materials came out with important additions and up-to-date revisions. Changes in this new edition include the introductions of two new types of AV materials; interactive multimedia and Internet resources, the additions of the MARC format for the examples, and informative "Comments" sections at the end of each example. Each chapter has been revised to reflect rule changes for AV cataloging. There are new chapters in the 4th edition.

Chapter 3 explains format integration, discusses coding and tagging, and presents a useful checklist that includes 50 note fields (5xx fields) with AACR2 rule numbers. Chapter 8, part 2 (Internet resources) is provided according to Cataloging Internet Resources: A Manual and Practical Guide, Nancy B. Olson, editor, 2nd ed.; however, four examples (one example (47. OLAC Web Page) are not from the Guide. Chapter 8, Part 3 (Interactive Multimedia) provides "Special Rules for Cataloging" in combination with the Guidelines for Bibliographic Description of Interactive Multimedia (Chicago, Il. : ALA, 1994).

In the new edition, there are fewer examples for old types of AV formats, such as long playing records, etc. and plenty of examples for the newer types. For example the 3rd edition provided five sound disc examples and two sound cassette examples, while the 4th edition provides three sound disc and four sound cassette examples. Chapters 4-12 include 74 examples, including 23 new examples for talking books, CD-ROMs, interactive multimedia, and Internet resources. Examples are very clearly presented and accompanied by images on the opposite pages. The most notable difference is that a full MARC record accompanies each example. This is very helpful. In addition, a "Comments" section for each example acts as a good guide to help catalogers understand cataloging the individual item according to AACR2 rules.

As with the 3rd edition, a chart for 007 is included. It has been reformatted and updated to reflect the changes in AV manual. This manual will be an extremely helpful resource to both experienced and beginning AV catalogers. It belongs on every AV cataloger's desk.

Note: Nancy Olson announced in the OLAC Newsletter (Vol. 18, no. 2, June 1998) that the very day the manual was shipped from the printer to the publisher, OCLC issued their guidelines on the choice of type for electronic resources. She is preparing an update to the 4th edition and will send a copy of the update to those who request it.

Reviewed by: Sung Ok Kim, Original Cataloging Unit, Cornell University Library

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EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW
ABOUT AV CATALOGING ...
PLEASE ASK!

By Nancy B. Olson

The question and answer session in Washington, D.C., during the ALA Annual Conference sounded like a time of good fun, though I had to listen to it on tape. The panel included Ann Sandberg-Fox, Sheila Intner, and Glenn Patton. Sheila supplied me with additional information by email, and Jo Davidson sent me photocopies of several of the items discussed. I don't have names attached to the questions or comments -- sometimes a voice sounded familiar, but I didn't want to guess.

The first question concerned CD-ROMs and when to make a new record. Glenn Patton was quoted as having talked about "publishers behaving badly" and that being a factor in many questionable situations. After some discussion, the panelists agreed that changes in version number, ISBN, and/or copyright date on a CD-ROM would justify a new record.

The second question concerned a video on a medical topic, with copyright date of 1986, that carried a statement of one of the introductory frames stating: "Contents reviewed in 1997 and found to be up to date." This statement would indicate the video in hand was distributed no earlier than 1997, so panelists agreed MARC field 260 would carry both the assumed date of distribution in brackets, and the copyright date as found on the item:

[1997], c1986.

A quoted note would be used with the information shown above to explain that, despite the older copyright date, the information was still valid.

The next item was brought in by someone who wanted to know what to use in the physical description area -- this led to an extended discussion about what to call it, what type code to use in the fixed fields, whether it was two-dimensional or three-dimensional, etc. The item had the title "Fuel value calculator" and was made of two circles of cardboard fastened together in the center. The top circle had openings that displayed different information as it was rotated. During the discussion it was pointed out that this type of "information wheel" has been around for many decades; it is not a new type of media. While it is made of paper, and has printing on it, the resulting item is either two-dimensional or three-dimensional, depending on your point of view -- most eventually agreed on Type k for two-dimensional non-projected material. Describing it as a "disc/k" brings up the spelling problem, so the words "circle" or "wheel" were proposed. Sheila did some research when back home and found no generic term for these items. The only similar thing I found on OCLC was a "dial a drug wheel." One person pointed out the similarity to flash cards. After listening to the discussion and reading Sheila's email, I'd be inclined to go with her suggestion of no GMD, though using type k, with type of material code for chart or for flash card, and calling it an "information wheel" in the physical description area.

The presence of an 007 value for one color for computer files was questioned. There was some discussion, but Ann pointed out, correctly as I recall, the days when a computer file might show black letters on blue background, or white letters on green background, as opposed to black letters on white background. That was interpreted as one color, though the actual name of the color depended on the kind of monitor in use.

Then Jo Davidson brought in Squealer, a Beanie Baby, and overalls and a cap for him (purchased separately). We learned that the tag dangling on a plastic strand is a "hang tag" and each time it is redesigned, it is a new "generation" furthermore, the tag sewn into a seam is the "tush tag" (at least for Beanie babies). It also has appeared in several "generations." The hang tag carries a series title, Beanie Babies Collection. Squealer would be cataloged as a toy, with as much or as little information as your patrons might need -- but be sure to explain it is a soft pink plush pit, with folded ears and a knot at th e end of the tail. In contrast to the singing Christmas duck that Bobby Ferguson brought to midwinter, this one "just lies there."

The next item was being distributed in the exhibits area by UMI. The only writing on it was a title "Create your own masterpiece" with the statement of responsibility "UMI." This was a puzzle in the shape of a cube, with a color reproduction of a portion of a masterpiece on each of the six sides. Each face of the cube was divided into four segments, and the sides could be twisted and rotated to combine portions of different "masterpieces" into a new work of art.

There was good-natured discussion of the "interactive" feature of this item. Ann said a most definite "No" to the question as to whether this was interactive multimedia; then someone else suggested interactive media (no "multi"). It was agreed it would be Type r, as a three-dimensional item.

The session deteriorated into a discussion of chia pets, and "bald" chia pets.

Remember to bring problems to the Q&A session in Charlotte!

See you there.

Send questions and documentation to Nancy Olson at her
addresses found on the inside front cover of the OLAC
Newsletter
(or phone 507-389-2155).

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OLAC ELECTRONIC LIST CREATED
(Reprinted from the June1998 OLAC Newsletter)

The Online Audiovisual Catalogers (OLAC) list distributes information concerning audiovisual cataloging and the activities of OLAC. The list is restricted to those with OLAC personal memberships or contacts whose institution is a member of OLAC.

The OLAC-list provides information and discussion on timely communications from the AV cataloging community on nonprint material including computer files, graphic materials, interactive multimedia, Internet resources, maps, microforms, motion pictures and videorecordings, music scores, sound recordings, games/toys, and kits.

The list also provides information on OLAC's biennial conferences, AV-related meetings at ALA, job vacancy announcements related to AV cataloging, and new information added to the OLAC Web page: http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/cts/olac/

To subscribe to the OLAC-list, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.ACSU. BUFFALO. EDU that reads:

SUBSCRIBE OLAC-LIST [your name]

in the body of the message (nothing in the subject line).

Sue Neumeister
OLAC-list Owner

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Last modified: Nov. 9, 1998
URL: http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/cts/olac/newsletters/...
HTML version created by Brenda Battleson (blb@acsu.buffalo.edu)
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