IFLA Call for Papers

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Serials and Other Continuing Resources Section, Division of Collections and Services 75th World Library and Information Congress, Milan, Italy, 23-27 August 2009

Session theme: Serials in the 21st century: new concepts, new challenges

The IFLA Serials and Other Continuing Resources Section (SOCRS) invites librarians and other interested parties to submit proposals for papers for the 2-hour open session in Milan.

Electronic formats have altered traditional ways of acquiring, cataloging and managing library materials. The lines are blurring between e-books, e-journals, and article databases. The division of functions in Acquisitions, Cataloging and Collection Development, as well as Public Services, which have until now been based on the types of material (continuing resources vs. monographs), are becoming less clear. Almost all e-resources have a seriality aspect. Are e-books the new continuing resource? If the work of managing and servicing e-resources is being done in serials units (whether Acquisitions or Cataloging), then who handles “new” serials such as e-books and where do they fit in? Should they be included in ERMs? What kind of training and communication is needed for efficient work with e-resources? How do libraries adapt to this paradigm shift?

We especially invite papers that address the following topics:

• Organizational models for work with e-resources. What works and what doesn’t?
• E-books from selection to access: some new approaches
• New challenges as new opportunities

Please send a detailed abstract in English (1 page or at least 300 words) of the proposed paper (which must not have been published elsewhere) and relevant biographical information of author(s)/presenter(s) by February 15th, 2009, via e-mail to: Eva-Lisa Holm Granath, Secretary of SOCRS (e-mail:evaho@bibl.liu.se).

The abstracts will be reviewed by members of the Serials and Other Continuing Resources Section´s Standing Committee. Successful proposals will be identified by March 8th, 2009. Full papers will be due by May 1st, 2009, to allow time for review of papers and preparation of translations.

Papers should be no longer than 10-20 pages. 10-15 minutes will be allowed for a summary delivery of the paper during the Section's open session in Milan. We aim for a broader range coverage with slightly shorter presentations.

Please note that the expenses of attending the Milan conference will be the responsibility of the author(s)/presenter(s) of accepted papers, and at least one of the authors/presenters must be present for the program.

via SERIALST

MARC Field 588 Proposal

MARC Discussion Paper no. 2009-DP02, regarding the proposed definition of field 588 for a metadata control note, is now available. In serial records, the field would be used for source of title, description based on, and latest issue consulted notes, as well as other data useful for tracking changes. Since this information is primarily of interest to catalogers, having a separate MARC field for the data would allow it to be suppressed from OPAC displays.

via Catalogablog

Scholarship for NASIG Annual Conference

The North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG) is pleased to announce that it is now accepting applicants for the first annual Rose Robischon Scholarship, underwritten by Swets Information Service. Through this scholarship, a serials professional lacking funds for professional travel will be able to afford attendance at the 2009 NASIG Annual Conference to be held in Asheville, North Carolina, June 4-7, 2009.

The scholarship is named in honor of Rose Robischon. During her two decades of active service in NASIG, Rose served as member and chair of several NASIG committees and held the elected position of treasurer from 2005 to 2007. NASIG is pleased to offer this scholarship in memory of Rose's many contributions to the library profession and to honor her energy, warmth, and humor.

The scholarship offers the recipient with funding to attend the NASIG conference for the year in which the scholarship is given. Expenses for travel within North America, registration, and three nights lodging will be paid for the recipient. Conference registration includes most meals, and a stipend of $75 is intended to offset the cost of meals not included and transportation between the airport and the conference hotel.

For details regarding eligibility and application requirements, please visit the award announcement at http://www.nasig.org/about_awards_robischon2.cfm

The application deadline for the Rose Robischon Scholarship and other NASIG awards is February 16, 2009. For details about the awards offered by NASIG, please visit http://www.nasig.org/about_awards.cfm

ALA Mid-Winter Programming

ALCTS Continuing Resources Section's Continuing Resources Cataloging Committee (CRCC) is pleased to announce the program for our semi-annual Monday Forum, scheduled 1:30-3:30 PM on Monday January 26, 2009, in the Colorado Conference Center Korbel Ballroom 3C (but do re-confirm location in the Conference Event Planner when available) at the ALA Midwinter Conference in Denver:

Updates on current news and events from:

• CONSER Coordinator Les Hawkins
• ISSN Coordinator Regina Romano Reynolds
• The Continuing Resources Section's Liaison to CC:DA, Jenniifer Lang

and then a special program: "Working with Vendor-Supplied Records," a joint presentation by:

• Peter McCracken, Co-Founder and Director of Research at Serials Solutions
• Steven Shadle, Serials Access Librarian at the University of Washington

The topic promises to engage wide interest even beyond the serials cataloging community, so plan now to put this Forum on your Event Planner!

Christopher Walker, Chair, for the Committee: Anna Ashikhmina, Jennifer W. Lang, Beth Jedlicka Thornton, Bonnie S. Parks, Tina Shrader, Eva Sorrell, Jennifer B. Young, Kelley Leigh Lasher

via OCLC-CAT

Survey on Organization of Technical Services Units

Here's a recent survey invitation that's been posted to a number of discussion lists.

This request has been cross-posted to AUTOCAT, OCLC-CAT, OLAC, and SERIALST. Please excuse the duplication.

Dear Colleagues,

You are invited to participate in a research study related to how the evolving role of the professional cataloging librarian is reflected in the organizational structure of library technical services units. This survey is intended for librarians currently employed as professional catalogers. For this survey, a professional is defined as a position requiring an MLS or equivalent. A paraprofessional is defined as a position not requiring an MLS or equivalent even if held by an individual with the degree.

Recently, library literature has discussed the differences between professional and paraprofessional catalogers, primarily in terms of which type of staff perform traditional cataloging tasks such as original cataloging, classification, subject analysis, and authority control. We are interested in how the shifting/evolving roles of catalogers have been reflected in the organizational structure of technical services units. Technical services units may be organized in a traditional hierarchical model, in a self-directed team-based model, or in a hybrid model incorporating aspects of both traditional and team-based models.

Responding to this survey constitutes informed consent to participate in the research. The survey is voluntary, and you may withdraw from it at any time. All responses will be kept confidential. Demographic information is being collected for data management purposes.

The survey will remain open until December 31, 2008 at midnight. It should take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. Any questions may be directed to Greg Matthews, Cataloging Librarian, email: gmat@wsu.edu; Debra Spidal, Cataloging Librarian, email: dspidal@wsu.edu; or Lihong Zhu, Head of Technical Services, email: zhu2@wsu.edu. Please take a few moments to assist us in our research.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Hd89LP4U0okLM9ZsS_2bDAsg_3d_3d

Sincerely,
Greg Matthews, Cataloging Librarian
Debra Spidal, Cataloging Librarian,
Lihong Zhu, Head, Technical Services,
Washington State University Librarie
P.O. Box 645610,
Pullman, WA 99164-5610

via OCLC-CAT

CONSER Annual Report for 2008 Now Available

The 2008 CONSER Annual Report has been posted on the CONSER homepage. Topics covered include:

• Membership Updates
• CONSER Standard Record Update
  
• Serials Cooperative Cataloging Training Program (SCCTP) Update
  
• Links to Member Reports and Statistics

NASIG Regional Unconference

2009 NASIG Regional Unconference: An Overview of Serials and Electronic Resources in Libraries

Date: Friday, March 20, 2009, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Cost: $25.00 for NASIG members, paraprofessionals and support staff; $50.00 for Non-members

Location: Kansas State University, Hale Library, Manhattan, KS 66506

The 2009 NASIG Regional Unconference wants YOUR input! The event will feature conversation and topics relevant to serials and electronic resources in libraries. How can organizations within the scholarly information industry improve to meet the needs of our community? We ask for your feedback to help form dialogues, panels and discussions.

The Unconference includes:

• Relevant discussions pertaining to serials and electronic resources
• Brainstorm groups set to identify applicable topics for break-out sessions
• Open scheduling for participants to attend break-out groups of their choice

Stay tuned for further announcements with program details, agenda, and other relevant information.

Norene Allen

via SERIALST

NASIG Announces the 2009 Awards Application Process

The North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG) is pleased to announce the beginning of the application cycle for its 2009 grants, awards, and scholarships to be awarded at the 2009 Annual Conference being held in Asheville, North Carolina, June 4-7, 2009. Established in 1985, NASIG is an international organization committed to promoting communication and sharing of ideas among all people working with or concerned about serial publications. More information about NASIG is available at nasig.org.


Marcia Tuttle International Award

A $3,000 grant for an individual working in the serials information chain to fund appropriate activities in fostering international communication and education. For more details, please visit the following page: http://www.nasig.org/about_awards_tuttle.cfm


Horizon Award

Awards for promising new serials professionals, covering cost of conference registration, three nights lodging, and travel within North America. Recipients will also be invited to serve on a NASIG committee.
For more details, please visit the following page:
http://www.nasig.org/about_awards_horizon.cfm


Fritz Schwartz Education Scholarship

A $3,000 scholarship and conference travel grant for a graduate student demonstrating excellence in scholarship and the potential for accomplishments in a serials career. For more details, please visit the following page: http://www.nasig.org/about_awards_schwartz.cfm


NASIG Conference Student Grant

Grants for qualifying students to attend the NASIG annual conference, covering cost of registration, three nights lodging, and travel within North America. For more details, please visit the following page:
http://www.nasig.org/about_awards_studentgrant.cfm


Serials Specialist Award

Awards for promising paraprofessionals, covering cost of conference registration, three nights lodging, and travel within North America.
For more details, please visit the following page:
http://www.nasig.org/about_awards_specialist.cfm


Rose Robischon Scholarship, underwritten by Swets Information Services

This needs-based scholarship for a serials professional will be awarded for the first time in 2009. Materials for the scholarship are currently being finalized and should be available on the NASIG website in December. Announcements will be sent out once applications are being accepted.


The application deadline for all of the above-listed awards is February 16, 2009. For details about the awards offered by NASIG, please visit http://www.nasig.org/about_awards.cfm

via SERIALST

“Chipping Away at Serials Processing Backlogs in Technical Services” by B. Jean Sibley

Sibley looks into issues surrounding serials cataloging and processing backlogs for both print and electronic formats in this article. She used an online survey to gather input on the topic, receiving responses from 180 libraries. Her discussion of the results covers topics including the types of items backlogged, what factors contribute to the creation of backlogs, public access, and strategies to reduce backlogs.

Sibley’s article is published in The Serials Librarian, vol. 55, no. 3 (2008), pages 444-456.

"MARC Record Services: A Comparative Study of Library Practices and Perceptions" by Rebecca Kemp

In this article, Kemp looks at MARC record services for electronic serial bibliographic records. Following a literature review and the presentation of case studies of two libraries’ implementations of MARC record services (one using Serials Solutions’ 360 MARC Updates and the other using Ex Libris MARCit!), the results of Kemp’s 2007 survey are discussed. The survey garnered 130 responses, although only 26 respondents completed the entire survey. Results presented cover issues related to separate vs. single records, challenges associated with brief records, and overall satisfaction/dissatisfaction with MARC record services.

Ms. Kemp’s article can be found in The Serials Librarian, vol. 55, no. 3 (2008), pages 379-410.

Serials Review: Call for Column Co-Editor

Serials Review is looking for a co-editor of the "Balance Point" column. The "Balance Point" has traditionally served as a forum for multiple authors who work in areas related to serials and who present different viewpoints about current issues and controversial topics related to serials.

The Balance Point co-editor is charged with editing the column for two issues of Serials Review per year. Responsibilities include determining column topics, recruiting contributors, communicating with the journal and columns editors, editing and incorporating the writing of contributors to the issue, preparing introductions, and seeing that publication deadlines are met.

The person should be linked to the serials profession, either in librarianship, publishing or some area of serials content provision.

This person should be curious about exploring issues related to serials and want to make a contribution to the literature of serials.

Though this is an unpaid volunteer position, the rewards include publication, involvement in a major scholarly/professional journal publication, and the intellectual satisfaction of contributing to the professional and scholarly discussion of serials.

Interested parties should send a description of their interests and qualifications to:

Beverley Geer, b_geer@yahoo.com or Connie Foster, connie.foster@wku.edu

via SERIALST

Another Call for Speakers at ALA Midwinter

The ALCTS Continuing Resources Section College and Research Libraries Interest Group (CRS C&RL IG) requests presentation proposals for our Midwinter meeting in Denver on Saturday, January 24th from 10:30am-12:00pm.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• RDA and FRBR, as they pertain to serials
• Best practices in managing budget cuts and serials cancellations
• KBART and knowledge base management
• Next generation OPACs and serial displays
• Open Access journals

Each presentation should be approximately 20 minutes. There will be time for discussion.

Please e-mail proposals by December 9th to Britta Santamauro, bsantamauro@chasemail.org

Please include in your proposal:

• Title of presentation
• Brief summary of proposed presentation
• Name(s) and position(s) of presenter(s)
• E-mail address(es) of presenter(s)

Many thanks. We hope to see you at Midwinter!

Britta Santamauro, Chair, CRS C&RL IG
Co-Director of Library Services
Chase Collegiate School
Waterbury, CT 06708
bsantamauro@chasemail.org

Rebecca Kemp, Co-Chair / Chair-elect, CRS C&RL IG
Serials Coordinator Librarian
UNC Wilmington
Wilmington, NC 28403
kempr at uncw dot edu

via SERIALST

Call for Speakers at ALA Midwinter

ALCTS CCS Cataloging Norms Discussion Group invites speakers for its meeting at the ALA Midwinter Conference in Denver, Saturday, January 24, 2009, from 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Presentation topics should be of current interest to catalogers, cataloging managers and administrators.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to: evolution, definition, and functions of the catalog and cataloging norms; emerging concepts and implementations of "next generation catalogs"; RDA; FRBR; cataloging in hybrid and digital libraries; changes in basic cataloging work and catalogers' responsibilities; changes in catalogers' workflows; emerging perceptions of cataloging quality; how end users' expectations and behaviors affect cataloging norms; metadata records and elements in different contexts; and the impact of web norms on cataloging norms from the perspectives of web developers and catalogers.

Presentations should be approximately 15-20 minutes in length. Time will be allowed for questions and answers. Speakers are encouraged to lead discussions.

Please send abstracts of proposals to co-chairs by December 1, 2008:

Adrienne A. Aluzzo
Metadata Librarian
Wayne State University
Work: (313) 577-6439
E-mail: bb4892@wayne.edu

Birdie MacLennan
Director, Resource Description & Access
University of Vermont
Work: (802) 656-2016
E-mail: bmaclenn@uvm.edu

We look forward to hearing from you!

via OCLC-CAT

ALCTS Awards

Do you know a librarian deserving recognition for her or his accomplishments? Consider nominating that person for one of the ALCTS Awards. There are several awards recognizing achievement in writing/publishing, innovation, personal achievement, and achievement for newer professionals.

Previous award winners all have one thing in common--someone took the time to nominate them!

The deadline for award nominations is December 1, 2008.

New PCC Guidelines for 440 Field (Series Statement)

The Program for Cooperative Cataloging has issued the following guidelines for implementing the recent decision to make field 440 obsolete. The PCC recommends that members implement this change beginning Oct 24, 2008.

PCC Guidelines for Field 440

Sincerely
Les Hawkins
CONSER Coordinator
Library of Congress
Washington, DC 20740
v. 202 707-5185
lhaw@loc.gov

via SERIALST and PCCLIST

Behind the Scenes at the Serials Review

Connie Foster's editorial in vol. 34, issue 4 (Dec. 2008) of the Serials Review gives an insider's view of the process of putting together a professional journal. Potential authors will want to take note of the tips she offers in the "Consistencies in Manuscript Preparation" section.

NASIG: 2nd Call for Conference Proposals

The NASIG Program Planning Committee has put out a 2nd call for proposals for the 2009 conference.

Second Call for Proposals
NASIG 24th Annual Conference
Riding the Rapids Through a Mountain of Change
June 4-7, 2009
Asheville, North Carolina

The North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG) 2009 Program Planning Committee (PPC) extends a second call for proposals and/or program ideas for pre-conference, vision, strategy, and tactics sessions. We welcome all proposals related to serials and electronic resources, and we are particularly interested in the following topics in order to provide a diverse conference program:

• Standards, their application, and the impact on content providers and libraries
• Licensing issues, including negotiation of terms, workflows, and integration with publisher, vendor, and library systems
• Changes in the cataloging environment, including RDA and other policy or standard decisions and the effects of changes in the discovery of library resources
• Serials-related issues in scholarly communication, access and preservation of intellectual content, such as library-managed journal publication and data curation
• Continuing development of ERM, including evaluations of effectiveness, workflow changes, and other aspects not previously examined at NASIG conferences
• Programs reporting the findings of descriptive or experimental research on serials-related topics

The Program Planning Committee will review all submitted proposals for their content, timeliness, and reserves the right to combine, blend, or refocus proposals to maximize their relevance and to avoid duplication.

This Call for Proposals will close on October 31, 2008.

Presentations must be original and not previously presented at other conferences. The Programming Planning Committee hopes to notify applicants of the status of their proposals in December 2008. Inquiries may be sent to the PPC co-chairs, Erika Ripley and Morag Boyd at: prog-plan@nasig.org.

For additional details and to suggest a proposal or idea, please go to
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=gLDuSAnEoUWee0bttCXLgA_3d_3d

ALCTS Continuing Resources Section Update Forum

Jennifer Young's report from the ALCTS Continuing Resources Section Update Forum held on June 30, 2008, has been posted to NASIG's Newsletter Blog. Topics covered include:

• Revision of SCCTP courses
• Library of Congress's reorganization of their Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access Directorate's serials work
• ISSN-L update
• RDA update
• Library of Congress Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control update
• FRBR for Serials
  

CONSER At-Large Meeting, ALA 2008

The summary of the CONSER At-Large Meeting held at ALA Annual is now available on the CONSER Web site. Topics covered include:

• the proposal to make the 440 field obsolete
  
• the proposal to add new subfields to the 8XX fields (including one for ISSN)
  
• the use of the 007 field in the single record cataloging approach
  
• updates to the CONSER Standard Record (CSR) guidelines
  
• a new proposal to define the 588 field for "description based on" and "latest issue consulted" notes
  
• the repeatable 260 field

CONSER Updates

"CONSER Updates: The Serials Cataloging Cooperative Training Program at Ten Years and Revision of Integrating Resources: A Cataloging Manual" is now available as an article in press for the Serials Review. In this article, Hien Nguyen provides a history of the SCCTP and Lew Hawkins discusses the revision process for Integrating Resources: A Cataloging Manual.

"A Ghost in the Catalog: The Gradual Obsolescence of the Main Entry" by David Conners

Conners asks if the main entry concept is still relevant for online library catalogs in this article. After supplying some historical background, he considers the arguments for retaining the main entry and for abandoning it. Conners sees RDA's terminology change to primary and secondary access points (rather than main and added entries) to be strictly cosmetic. He argues that in the age of online catalogs, the main entry is no longer needed to collocate works by a particular author and requires an unnecessary decision point for catalogers at a time when there is a push to make cataloging more cost-effective. The article is accompanied by an annotated bibliography. Even though is it published in the Serials Librarian, this article may be of interest to all catalogers, not just those focused on serials.

Published in the Serials Librarian, vol. 55, no. 1/2 (2008), pages 85-97.

"From the Majors to the Minors: Playing the Game as the Rules are Changed" by Jim Cole

In this article, Cole gives an overview of the evolution of Anglo-American cataloging rules and how the rule changes would affect publishers and aggregators if they were to use them to organize electronic journals. He concludes that since cataloging code is continually changing regarding title changes, it does not make the best model for publishers and aggregators to follow. He suggests instead, "when a serial changes its title, if the change involves an important word in the title or if the new title could potentially be separated from the old title in a comprehensive A-Z listing of serials from multiple publishers and aggregators, the new and old titles should each be listed separately. References would be needed between the two titles, and these could be given on each title's own Web page. He then asserts that full cataloging of online journals should not be needed--brief records with a title and url should be sufficient. However he does not discuss the ramifications of the loss of several access points by doing so.

Published in: the Serials Librarian, vol. 55, no. 1/2 (2008), pages 45-58.

Successive Entry, Latest Entry, or None of the Above?

"Successive Entry, Latest Entry, or None of the Above? How the MARC21 Format, FRBR and the Concept of a Work Could Revitalize Serials Management" was presented by Katherine Adams and Britta Santamauro at the 2007 NASIG Annual Conference. Their session was recorded by Kurt Blythe for publication in the Serials Librarian.

In their NASIG presentation, Katherine Adams and Britta Santamauro introduced their ideas for applying FRBR concepts to both bibliographic records and online catalog functionality. Their ideas are built on the concept of a “superworkspression." They propose an umbrella record that would describe the work and expression levels of a publication. This umbrella record would not undergo title changes unless there is a change in content. The hierarchical structure they present would also have records for each manifestation where only the unique data for each manifestation would be recorded—there would be no duplication of data from the superworkspression record. Finally an item record would contain local holdings information. Their attempt to apply FRBR concepts to real world applications is described as a work in progress and it would be interesting to see their ideas fleshed out more fully in future presentations or publications.

Published in: Serials Librarian, vol. 54, no. 3/4 (2008), pages 193-197.

Risky Business: Outsourcing Serials Cataloging

"Risky Business: Outsourcing Serials Cataloging" was presented by Faye R. Leibowitz at the 2007 NASIG Annual Conference. Her session was recorded by Michael A. Arthur for publication in the Serials Librarian.

Leibowitz’s presentation discussed the University of Pittsburgh’s experience with outsourcing serials cataloging for a special collection. The collection contained approximately 1, 200 serial volumes, mainly focused on international studies. She outlined the workflow for sending volumes to TechPro for cataloging, including searching for already held titles prior to shipment. The process taught them several things. First, recording holdings in the local catalog requires substantial in-house work after titles are cataloged. Having a stable team to handle this part of the project is desirable and should be planned for. Second, monograph versus serial decisions made by TechPro were not always consistent with how the library had treated the same titles in their other collections. Finally, student workers were not always reliable. In summary, the presentation stressed that outsourcing serials cataloging is a risk. Their project began in 1999 and as of 2007 they were still working on clean-up from the project.

Published in: Serials Librarian, vol. 54, no. 3/4 (2008), pages 253-260.

NASIG 2007 Conference Proceedings Available

Co-editors Carol Ann Borchert and Buddy Pennington have announced the availability of the conference proceedings for the 2007 NASIG Annual Conference on the NASIG Web site. In order to view the proceedings, you must log in as a NASIG member.

Not a NASIG member? The proceedings will also be published as vol. 54, no. 1-4 of the Serials Librarian.

NASIG Annual Conference: Call for Proposals

NASIG 24th Annual Conference: Riding the Rapids Through a Mountain of Change
Asheville, North Carolina, June 4-7, 2009

The 2009 Program Planning Committee (PPC) invites proposals and/or program ideas for pre-conference, vision, strategy, and tactics sessions. The Program Planners are specifically interested in hearing from publishers, vendors, librarians, and others in the field of serials and electronic resources about issues relating to scholarly communication, licensing, and publishing. Proposals based on both descriptive and experimental research findings are especially welcome.

The Program Planning Committee will review all submitted proposals for their content, timeliness, and reserves the right to combine, blend, or refocus proposals to maximize their relevance and to avoid duplication.

This Call for Proposals will close on September 5, 2008. Presentations must be original and not previously presented at other conferences. The Programming Planning Committee hopes to notify applicants by the end of the calendar year, but no earlier than December 1, 2008, as to the status of proposals.

Inquiries may be sent to the PPC co-chairs, Erika Ripley and Morag Boyd at: prog-plan@nasig.org. For additional details and to suggest a proposal or idea, click here.

"Evaluating and Improving the Presentation of Serials Information in the Online Catalog" by Lori J. Terrill

Abstract:

Many factors should be considered when evaluating how serial publications are presented in online library catalogs. Both patrons and library employees utilize the catalog to locate serial titles and then must be able to determine which formats are available, as well as which issues are available in each format. Consideration of both the recording and display of serials data should be part of a thorough evaluation. This paper presents an outline for an evaluation focusing on meeting user needs. It also provides advice based on the experience of undertaking a successful project at the University of Wyoming Libraries.

This article can be found in Library Resources & Technical Services, vol. 52, issue 3 (July 2008), pages 192-204.

Integrating Resources: A Cataloging Manual

The May 2008 revision of Integrating Resources: A Cataloging Manual is now available on the CONSER home page. It also constitutes Module 35 of the CONSER Cataloging Manual.

FRBR for Serials, Part 2

Back in April I posted about Adolfo Tarango's "FRBR for Serials: Rounding the Square to fit the Peg." Here's the summary of the discussion at the CONSER Operations Meeting:

Adolfo presented his paper FRBR for Serials: Rounding the Square to Fit the Peg. The paper defines a serial authority record to present the “work segments” of a serial work represented by title changes associated with a serial work. This concept was widely applauded by the group. It seems useful as a stand alone record or as part of a relational database where connections could be made to bibliographic records for each work segment. The serial authority record could be generated from existing 780, 785 fields in bibliographic records which make up the work segments. The bibliographic record structure proposed in the paper was somewhat more controversial, involving the consolidation of many different format records onto one record.

The proposal sparked a useful discussion and resulted in the idea for reforming the CONSER FRBR Task Group with specific goals in mind:

• Look at several different proposals for defining serial FRBR structures and how they might fit into the RDA implementation scenarios.
• Include vendor representatives on this group
• Consider the need for authorized ISSN from the ISSN Network for the work authority structure and possible roles of linking ISSN in the bibliographic record structure
• Provide this group with a firm, practical charge

Action: The CONSER FRBR Task Group will be reformed with a new charge that incorporates the above goals.

Who: Les will work with the existing co-chairs to redraft the charge and recruit new/additional members. [Since the meeting staff from CPSO have volunteered to take part in the group.]

When: Summer 2008

For more information about the CONSER Operations Meeting, see my previous post.

CONSER Operations Meeting Summary

The summary for the CONSER Operations meeting held May 1-2, 2008, is now available.

Contents include:

• OCLC Report
• Standing Committee Roles
• RDA Update
  
• Aggregator Neutral Records for Online Monographs
• Integrating Resources Training Manual Revision (expect a revision in fall 2008)
  
• CONSER Standard Record (CSR) Discussion
• ISSN Report
• FRBR for Serials
• Registry of Digital Masters (RDM)
  
• ... and more!
  

Continuing Resources Cataloging Committee Annual Update Forum at ALA

The Continuing Resources Cataloging Committee Annual Update Forum will be held at ALA on Monday, June 30, 2008, 01:30 pm - 03:30 pm at Anaheim Convention Center, room 304 A/B

AGENDA

1. Welcome, introductions.

2. LC report (Regina Reynolds, LC)

3. CONSER report (Les Hawkins, CONSER)

4. CC:DA, MARBI liaison report (Kevin Randall, Northwestern University)

5. “On the Record: report of the Library of Congress Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control.” (Diane Boehr, NLM)

6. “FRBR for Serials: Rounding the Square to Fit the Peg” (Adolfo Tarango, UCSD)

Anna Ashikhmina,

CRCC Chair



via NASIG-L and SERIALST

Website for 23rd Annual NASIG Conference

The url for NASIG's conference homepage has recently changed to http://www.nasig.org/2008_conference_program.cfm

More on the CONSER Standard Record

The Report of the CONSER Standard Record (CSR) Monitoring Group has been added to the May 2008 Operations Meeting Agenda. Discussed are possible changes to the standard record guidelines and other proposed updates to the documentation.

FRBR for Serials

"FRBR for Serials: Rounding the Square to Fit the Peg" is another report included in the agenda for the CONSER/BIBCO Operations Meeting to be held May 1-2, 2008. The report is essential reading and is composed of three parts:

"The first part gives the new definition of the serial work; the second presents the proposed serial authority structure, and the third covers the proposed serials cataloging concept of the work segment record."

The proposed serial authority record is used to track the history of title changes for a publication. The proposed "work segment" MARC record blends expression-level and manifestation-level data.

Authentication Codes and Encoding Levels for CONSER Serial Records

CONSER recently issued the agenda for the CONSER/BIBCO Operations Meeting to be held May 1-2, 2008. Included is a link to the report, "Report and Recommendations of the PCC Working Group on Authentication Codes and Encoding Levels for Serials and Integrating Resources." The report includes discussion of the treatment of the "new CONSER record," also referred to as the "CONSER standard record" or as an "access level record." The working group makes both short-term and long-term recommendations. In conclusion, they state:

We recognize that in many ways the underlying goals of the group that developed the new CONSER record are very close to the goals used when creating the core level record: providing guidance on elements essential for access, identification, and retrieval, and relying on cataloger expertise and judgment to know when additional elements are needed for a particular item. However, we are deliberately not recommending the use of encoding level “4,” because we want the concept of the new CONSER record to be viewed with a fresh eye in this new environment, both by administrators and catalogers. The focus of the core record development was on “what can we omit from a record?” The focus of the new CONSER record group was on “what do we need in a record?”

Survey: Serial Holdings Statements

Jean Sibley of Mississippi State University is conducting a brief survey on the use of serials holdings statements.

I am doing a study on holdings statements for
serials - the way they display in the OPAC and
their usefulness to patrons considering the time
and effort expended by Serials staff to update
them. If you would, please take a few moments to
answer a short survey (10 questions)  about how
your library creates and maintains holdings
statements.  Here is the link.

Your participation is completely voluntary and
the survey responses will be anonymous. Results
of this survey will be used in a research
article on current trends in holdings statements.

I would greatly appreciate your response. Feel
free to contact me with any questions you may
have.

Thanks, Jean

B. Jean Sibley
Assistant Professor/Serials Librarian
Mitchell Memorial Library
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, MS 39762
662-325-7666

via SERIALST

CONSER Editing Guide Update - April 2008

Those of you working with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean serials will be interested in the latest update to the CONSER Editing Guide. Replacement pages for Appendix O: Creating Records with Data in Nonroman Script for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Serials are now available on the CONSER homepage.

"Catalog/Cataloging Changes and Web 2.0 Functionality: New Directions for Serials" by Rebecca Kemp

Kemp discusses the organization and presentation of serials data in library catalogs with a particular interest in the relationships between serials. Included is a brief discussion of the application of FRBR concepts to serials and how these concepts along with the use of identifiers (some yet to be created) and superwork records (to fully outline the history of a serial title) could provide a useful framework for the organization of serials data. She also calls for the simplification of cataloging rules, looking to RDA for flexibility for future cataloging needs and citing the CONSER standard record as an improvement currently underway. Outsourcing is another means she cites to simplify the cataloging process. She argues that simpler records have the dual advantage of being more understandable for users and more efficient to create. Another aspect she considers in catalog design, specifically the implementation of web 2.0 functionality. She briefly addresses mash-ups, user-created metadata (a.k.a. tagging), user reviews, and personalization through recommender services as ways of bringing web 2.0 into library catalogs. She also touches on improvements in search technology such as relevance ranking, metasearching, natural language searching, faceted searching, and clustering. How can these advances help users searching for serials titles or articles? Kemp outlines five scenarios for locating known and unknown items, including mock-ups of catalog results screens. Overall, Kemp attempts to cover a lot of ground in this article and as a result does not provide comprehensive coverage on any of the topics included.

Kemp's article can be found in The Serials Librarian, vol. 53, no. 4 (2008), pages 91-112.

NASIG 23rd Annual Conference

Information on the 2008 Conference of the North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG) is now available on their conference web site. This year's conference will take place in Phoenix, Arizona, on June 5-8.

Program highlights of particular interest to serials catalogers include:

• Metadata in a Digital Age: New Models of Creation, Discovery, and Use
• Taking the Sting Out of Multiple Format Serials Displays
• Harnessing the Spiderweb : Collaborative Serial Maintenance, Challenges and Solutions at UC
• MARC Holdings Conversion: Now That We're Here, What Do We Do?
• Workflow Challenges: Does technology dictate workflow?

CONSER meeting summary now available

The CONSER/BIBCO ALA At-Large Meeting Summary from the ALA 2008 Midwinter meeting is now available.

“Building Connections: A Review of the Serials Literature 2004 through 2005” by Cecilia Genereux

Genereux covers three major aspects of serials trends in her literature review for 2004-2005: cost, management, and access. Serials catalogers will be particularly interested in her coverage of access issues. Specific topics addressed include: FRBR and serials; new rules for major and minor title changes; aggregator-neutral records for online serials; changing roles and responsibilities of serials catalogers brought on by the proliferation of e-journals; cataloging of new types of continuing resources such as zines, e-zines, and blogs; and serials holdings records. As with any literature review, readers will want to consult the original works to learn more about the topics.

Genereux’s article can be found in Library Resources & Technical Services, vol. 51, no. 4 (Oct. 2007), pages 293-304.