BCC2010/SAS/3

MUSIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
SUBJECT ACCESS SUBCOMMITTEE
ALA Annual conference report
Washington D.C. June 24-29, 2010
Report from the ALCTS-CCS Subject Analysis Committee (SAC)
and the SAC Genre/Form Implementation Subcommittee

SAC Subcommittee on Genre-Form Implementation

Janis Young announced the new thesaurus relator code (lcgft) for use in field 655 $2 in bibliographic records, and there was discussion about its implementation in catalogs.  The use of the $2 causes problems with controlling headings in some systems, and it can cause difficulty in indexing, especially if a library wishes to index only the terms belonging to certain vocabularies and not others.  There was some disappointment that a second indicator in the 655 designated for LCGFT was not available. 

We reviewed several projects in progress, including a project to create a spreadsheet showing recommended LCGFT terms (155s) based on a list of form subdivisions (185s).  The spreadsheet should be ready to share with a larger audience this fall.  The plan is to assist with the reference structures for the authority records, if LC approves of the spreadsheet.  There were some recommendations for possible future genre/form projects: art/photography, newspapers, theater/dance, and military terms. 

We discussed a draft of the report on geographic, ethnic, nationality, and language qualifiers.  The report remains a work in progress—the group hopes to approve a final version at ALA Midwinter. 

There was some general discussion of how genre/form terms fit into RDA—namely, if it should be solely at the work and expression levels, or at the manifestation and item levels as well. 

The subcommittee indicated its willingness to help PSD as needed with a proposed preconference on the application and development of the LCGFT to be held at ALA Annual 2011.

Subject Analysis Committee

A new Faceting Task Force was formed at the meeting, with a charge relating to defining faceting and perhaps developing some best practices. 

LC has a new “suggest terminology” social tagging function in its Authorities and Vocabularies site (http://id.loc.gov/)--any user can now request changes to LCSH terms or reference structure.  There has already been one request.

The subdivisions for video recordings ( --Video catalogs, --Video recordings for foreign speakers, --Video recordings for French, [Spanish, etc.] speakers, and –Film and video adaptations were revised or cancelled on March 3, 2010.  (Most have been changed to –Films … ).

LC has completed several short-term projects to update subject headings and references: revising headings qualified by religion into direct order, moving shopping centers established in LCSH into the name authority file, separating the heading Frankenstein (Fictitious character) into two headings (one for Dr. Frankenstein, one for his monster), and working with the Folger Shakespeare Library to establish every Shakespearean character. 

The genre/form thesaurus is now titled Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms for Library and Archival Materials (LCGFT).  The authority records will have “z” in byte 11 of the fixed field, and an 040 $f lcgft, and LCCNs will have the prefix “gf” instead of “sh.”  Bibliographic records will have 655 _7 [Term.] $2 lcgft. 

The moving image and sound recording genre/form headings have moved out of development and are now being maintained.  Approximately 65 cartographic genre/form headings were approved in mid-May, and subdivisions for maps will be revised in late summer.  The law group continues to work with PSD to revise its report, and the headings will likely be approved later this year.  The American Theological Libraries Association (ATLA) is partnering with PSD to develop genre/form headings for religion. 

We are in the midst of the H 1095 project—a review of the LCSH free-floating subdivisions with the Library of Congress.  The first phase was identifying all the categories listed among the subdivisions.  In phase two, all of the free-floating subdivisions in H 1095 were placed in the categories developed in phase one.  Over 352 categories were found to be represented in the scope notes of H 1095.  A group is now being formed for phase three, examining all the free-floating subdivisions in order to make recommendations as to which subdivisions are obsolete and therefore could be cancelled, which subdivisions are nearly synonymous and therefore may be combined, whether new pattern headings are needed, and which subdivisions may need to be revised or reworded. 

There was discussion about the formation of a working group on new research in subject access.

Submitted by Hermine Vermeij, MLA-BCC Subject Access Subcommittee Chair