Date: Thu, 02 Jun 1994 10:37:38 -0500 (CDT)
From: katherine jane ciacci <kjc2@MIDWAY.UCHICAGO.EDU>
Subject: CCC Series Authority Record Task Group

Please reply to one of the addresses at the end of this message, not
to SERIALST. Thanks--ed.

____________________________________________________________________

A MESSAGE FROM THE COOPERATIVE CATALOGING COUNCIL SERIES
AUTHORITY RECORD TASK GROUP

This message is being posted to a large number of technical
services and public services lists.  We apologize for the
inevitable and tiresome duplication; however, with this
strategy, we hope to receive reactions from a very broad
spectrum of the library community.

THE COOPERATIVE CATALOGING COUNCIL
The Cooperative Cataloging Council is responsible for
developing and implementing a new national cooperative
cataloging program.  Since its founding in January 1993, the
Council has appointed a number of task groups to investigate
issues of critical importance to cooperative cataloging.
The work of earlier task groups has contributed to the
development of a Strategic Plan for Cooperative Cataloging,
and new task groups have recently begun to work on the
issues delineated in that plan.  In addition, the Program
for Cooperative Cataloging has been established under the
direction of Sarah Thomas, Director for Cataloging at the
Library of Congress.

Documentation of the work of the Cooperative Cataloging
Council is available from the LC Marvel gopher.  From the
Marvel menu, select:

4. Libraries and Publishers (Technical Services)
     1. Cataloging at LC
          1. Cooperative Cataloging Programs at LC
               2. Cooperative Cataloging Council

THE SERIES AUTHORITY RECORD TASK GROUP
The Cooperative Cataloging Council Series Authority Record
Task Group is charged to define the content and functional
uses of series authority records in the national authority
file.  This task is associated with Goal 2.1 of the Program
for Cooperative Cataloging Five-Year Strategic Plan: 1994-
1999:

Goal 2.1:  Develop standards that will support wide use of
records in a cost-effective manner.

The Task Group is reviewing a variety of available
documentation which includes information about the contents
and function of series authority records in the national
authority file: reports of previous CCC task groups, the LC
Series Report and reactions to it, the CCC Strategic Plan,
and material from current library literature.  In the next
three months, we will be posting various messages requesting
comment from the library community.  We will then make
recommendations to the CCC, on the basis of our analysis of
the input we receive.

In doing this work we are making several assumptions which
may interest others:

1.  Everyone is interested in finding the most efficient way
to do work, because of budget problems, shortages of staff,
and lack of expertise to deal with specific formats.

2.  The imperative toward more cooperation will continue.

3.  The environment is electronic, not manual.  We should
not just be automating the manual mode of doing things.

4.  To be successful, a cooperative cataloging program must
leverage local efforts.  That is, the more the national
contribution can be a byproduct of what an institution would
do locally anyway, the more attractive contribution will be.

5.  Provision of *useful* user access to information
resources is fundamental to library service.  Our programs
must be based on definition and enhancement of useful
access.

Very shortly you will see a posting from us asking
for your input on the functional uses of series authority
records in the national authority file for technical
services and public services.  We will also be interested in
hearing your views about the current vs. future functions of
series authority records in the light of the assumptions we
have made above.

Please send any comments, questions, etc. to:

ccc-sar-tg@stax.lib.uchicago.edu

rather than to the list where you read this.

or to:

Jane Ciacci
Cataloging Department, Room 172
University of Chicago Library
1100 East 57th St., Chicago, IL
60637
Tel: (312)702-8739

Thank you
Karen Calhoun (OCLC), Jane Ciacci (University of Chicago,
chair), Mechael Gago (Indiana University), Cecily Johns
(University of California at Santa Barbara), Judy Kuhagen
(Library of Congress), Linda West (Harvard)

2 June 1994

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