ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES Newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program ------------------------------------------------------------------------ October 25, 1999 GP 3.16/3-2:20/14 (Vol. 20, no. 14) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Handout] Cataloging Branch Update Fall 1999 Depository Library Council Meeting October 18 - 21, 1999 Cataloging Operations The transition to a more electronic Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) continues to produce a complex assortment of interrelated works in all media. At the conclusion of Fiscal Year 1999, approximately 29,000 works in various media were received for cataloging. Approximately 33,600 of these works were processed, leaving a balance of approximately 7,100 works to be processed. Most works in the backlog are serials that remain from prior years. Most works in paper and CD-ROM and those available via the Internet are cataloged within one or two weeks of receipt. A backlog of approximately 145 Browse Electronic Titles (BET) entries remain to be cataloged. Most works in this backlog are serials. Production of Availability Records Ceased October 1, 1999 In response to a recommendation from the Depository Library Council during the Spring 1999 meeting, catalogers ceased producing availability records on October 1, 1999. Previously, staff produced records that represented specific annual, semi-annual publications, or multi-part works. Based upon Council's recommendation, catalogers now maintain, update, and create, as appropriate, records that represent serials irrespective of the frequency of issue. This change should eliminate confusion caused by the production of piece level records for serials issued semi-annually and less frequently but not for those issued three or more times per year. Application of a uniform standard for bibliographic control of all serials will be most noticeable in 2001, when all serials will be represented within the Serials Supplement, the successor to the Periodicals Supplement. The last issue of the Periodicals Supplement, to be published in 2000, will include only titles issued three or more times per year. A uniform practice for bibliographic control of serials has been established in consultation with the Depository Library Council to the Public Printer, the Cataloging Distribution Service of the Library of Congress, the Cataloging Committee of the Government Documents Round Table, American Library Association, and commercial tape vendors. Serials Cataloging The Cataloging Branch identifies, catalogs, and authenticates serial publications published by Federal agencies for the CONSER (Cooperative Online Serials) database. In recent years an increasing number of works published by Federal agencies have been serials and, among serials, an increasing number appear as works published by Federal agencies at their Web sites. Approximately 50% of BET entries cataloged by the Branch are serials. At the conclusion of CONSER's annual reporting cycle, GPO's catalogers had produced 613 original CONSER level records, authenticated 427 records, added 1,040 records to the CONSER database, and performed 2,073 CONSER database transactions. Approximately 1,100 GPO serial records contain PURLs/URLs. Recruitment of Serials Cataloger Ms. Esther Simpson, of the University of Maryland, McKeldin Library, has recently joined our staff of four other full time serials catalogers. Esther will contribute to efforts to represent and provide access to electronic texts of the increasing number of serials that are available from agency Web sites. PURLs/URLs As of late September, approximately 3,400 PURLs (Persistent Uniform Resource Locators) have been assigned to electronic works available via BET and the Web Catalog application. Over the years, an estimated 6,000 URLs have been assigned to various resources. Long term access to most works is maintained via PURLs, although, for a time, URLs that have been recently recorded in Catalog records may also provide access. Cataloging Branch personnel now provide centralized access to electronic works made available via the Library Programs Service. Personnel assign PURLs to electronic works chosen for the collection and maintain access by updating addresses within the LPS PURLs server. At present, we estimate that such efforts require approximately 30 hours per week. Reports from the library community regarding broken and new links are encouraged. Such information may be reported to askLPS or to Theodore Defosse at , phone (202) 512-1121, extension 31120. Monthly Catalog Products, tapes, and the Catalog Application The top priority accorded by technical support elements of GPO to assure Y2K compliance for the Office has contributed to an approximate four month delay in distributing CD-ROM and paper editions of the Monthly Catalog. Distribution of the Congressional Serial Set Catalog also has been delayed. Circumstances that have delayed distribution of products have not affected the timeliness of dissemination of Monthly Catalog records to the Cataloging Distribution Service (CDS) of the Library of Congress. Monthly data sets of GPO records compiled by CDS personnel for dissemination to vendors are made available to CDS, via FTP, from the Federal Bulletin Board in accordance with schedules. Similarly, records produced in OCLC are passed to the Web Catalog application within twenty-four hours after production. As of mid-September, we estimate that more than 132,000 records are available at the Catalog. Nearly 10,000 of these records provide hot-linked access to electronic works published at GPO and other Web sites. ---------------------------------------------------------------------